To Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan - Couverture rigide

Schmidle, Nicholas

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0805089381 ISBN 13 : 9780805089387

Editeur : Henry Holt & Company Inc, 2009

Synopsis

In "To Live or to Perish Foreover", Nicholas Schmidle takes readers to Pakistan's rioting streets, to Taliban camps in the North-West Frontier Province, and on many surprising adventures as he provides a contemporary history of this country long riven by internal conflict. With the intimacy and good humour available only to the most fearless and open-eyed reporters, Schmidle narrates what was arguably the most turbulent period of Pakistan's recent history, a time when President Pervez Musharraf lost his power and the Taliban found theirs, and when Americans began to realize that Pakistan's fate is inextricably linked with its own. In February 2006 Schmidle had traveled to Pakistan hoping to learn about the place dubbed 'the most dangerous country in the world'. It was while there that he befriended a radical cleric (who became an enemy of the state and was killed), came to crave the smell of tear gas (because it assured him that he was sufficiently close to the action), and in the end, was deported by the Pakistani authorities, managed to get back into the country, and was chased out a second time.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse

"Schmidle offers a gripping, grim account of his two years as a journalism fellow in Pakistan, where his travels took him into the most isolated and unfriendly provinces, and into the thick of interests and beliefs that impede that nation's peace and progress.... Schmidle has, with this effort, established himself as a fresh, eloquent and informed contributor to the ongoing dialogue regarding Pakistan, terrorism and the strategic importance of engaging Central Asia in efforts toward peace and stability.""--Publishers Weekly
""Nicholas Schmidle's portrait of Pakistan is worth more than a whole stack of intelligence reports. From remote Swat to teeming Karachi, he humanizes this labyrinthine country--where real danger has grown while the world focused elsewhere. Schmidle's blend of history and travelogue is by turns poignant and terrifying, but always relevant, always engaging, and more urgent now than ever.""--"Nathaniel Fick, author of the" New York Times "bestseller" One Bullet Away
"""To Live or to Perish Forever" is foreign correspondence of the very best kind - the account of a natural traveler who has the language skills, temerity, and eyesight to arrive where outsiders rarely go and then to report revealingly on what he sees and hears. This is a personal, informative, empathetic, surprising, and entertaining book that illuminates Pakistan, a country of vital interest to the wider world.""--"Steve Coll, author of" Ghost Wars "and "The Bin Ladens
""Nicholas Schmidle's "To Live or to Perish Forever" is the perfect primer on post-9/11 Pakistan. Poetically and also sensibly written, the book captures from up close the seminal events of Pakistan's recent history, includingthe Red Mosque siege and the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. From depicting disenfranchised Baluchis to shady ISI officers, Schmidle humanizes what has become the world's most dangerous country - and epicenter of the new Great Game."--Parag Khanna, Senior Fellow, New America Foundation, author of "The Second ""World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order" "A riveting read by an intrepid reporter in one of the world's most dangerous countries. Nicholas Schmidle has written a must-read book to understand turbulent but pivotal Pakistan. He crosses paths with extremists, witnesses flashpoints that transformed regional politics and, most important, makes sense of the complex challenges in south Asia. A marvelous piece of work." --Robin Wright, author of "Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East"

Présentation de l'éditeur

“A fascinating account of [Schmidle’s] years in Pakistan . . . The story of two Pakistans the author discovered: one beautiful and friendly, the other frightening and deadly.”—Booklist Nicholas Schmidle beat the Pakistani army into Taliban country. In October 2007, just weeks before thousands of troops, backed by helicopters and artillery fire, marched into the Swat valley to battle the gang of Talibs who had taken over the region, Schmidle rode into the town of Mingora on a public bus. He drove through Taliban-manned checkpoints and took a zipline into a militant camp. Schmidle had spent the previous two years traveling throughout Pakistan, living off a small fellowship which required only that he stay in the country, learn Urdu, and write about what he witnessed. Schmidle’s telling of his gripping adventures, aided by his own deep knowledge of Pakistan’s history, explains to readers the many reasons why Pakistan has grabbed the world’s headlines. To Live or to Perish Forever is an eye-opening and exciting read about this essential place.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Henry Holt & Company Inc
• Date d'édition: 2009
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0805089381
• ISBN 13: 9780805089387
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 272
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible