9781451635119 |
(hbk.) |
1451635117 |
Available:*
Library | Material Type | Call Number | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
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Searching... Penrose Library | Book | 956.054 ENGE | Nonfiction | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
"Quick-paced...a thrilling adventure story laced with historical context." --Associated Press
Based on two decades of reporting, NBC's chief foreign correspondent's riveting story of the Middle East revolutions, the Arab Spring, war, and terrorism seen up-close--sometimes dangerously so.
When he was just twenty-three, a recent graduate of Stanford University, Richard Engel set off to Cairo with $2,000 and dreams of being a reporter. Shortly thereafter he was working freelance for Arab news sources and got a call that a busload of Italian tourists were massacred at a Cairo museum. This is his first view of the carnage these years would pile on. Over two decades Engel has been under fire, blown out of hotel beds, taken hostage. He has watched Mubarak and Morsi in Egypt arrested and condemned, reported from Jerusalem, been through the Lebanese war, covered the whole shooting match in Iraq, interviewed Libyan rebels who toppled Gaddafi, reported from Syria as Al-Qaeda stepped in, was kidnapped in the Syrian crosscurrents of fighting. He goes into Afghanistan with the Taliban and to Iraq with ISIS. In the page-turning And Then All Hell Broke Loose , he shares his adventure tale.
Engel takes chances, though not reckless ones, keeps a level head and a sense of humor, as well as a grasp of history in the making. Reporting as NBC's Chief-Foreign Correspondent, he reveals his unparalleled access to the major figures, the gritty soldiers, and the helpless victims in the Middle East during this watershed time. We can experience the unforgettable suffering and despair of the local populations. Engel's vivid description is intimate and personal. Importantly, it is a succinct and authoritative account of the ever-changing currents in that dangerous land.
Reviews (2)
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* As a print and broadcast journalist with his own boots on the ground in the Middle East for more than 20 years, Engel has seen it all: sectarian violence and civil uprisings, stealth kidnappings and terrorist beheadings, the fall of dictators and the rise of rebel warlords. Now Engel takes a long view, not only of his career trajectory from struggling stringer straight out of Stanford to bureau chief and chief foreign correspondent for NBC News, but also of the genesis of the ancient conflicts that form the foundation of contemporary unrest in a diverse and divisive region. His grasp of Middle East history is encyclopedic, yet Engel distills the major tenets of geopolitical and religious conflict into comprehensible and comprehensive terms. His professional and personal witness to everything from the arrest of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt to the execution of Saddam Hussein in Iraq brings an immediacy to globe-altering events and provides an authenticity that transcends the in-harm's-way reportage that has earned him journalism's highest honors. Clear, candid, and concise, Engel's overview of the ongoing battleground should be required reading for anyone desiring a thorough and informed portrait of what the past has created and what the future holds for the Middle East and the world at large.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2016 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Engel (chief foreign correspondent, NBC News) knew from a young age that he wanted to be a foreign correspondent, and he moved to Cairo, Egypt, as a 22-year-old Stanford University graduate to live out that dream. He met members of the 1990s Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, which was operating as a parallel government to that of Hosni Mubarak. Engel covered the breakdown of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, the Iraq War, the Israeli war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Arab Spring. Most important, here he tackles the origins of ISIS, which he saw forming during his career, and its origins that are hundreds of years old. He stays nonpartisan by criticizing mistakes made by both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations that led to further Middle East destabilization in the 2000s. Chapters begin with maps of the area Engel is writing about and the major cities. A further reading section would have enhanced the work. Verdict An excellent resource for those who want to understand Middle East unrest and the ISIS terrorism threat without being Middle East scholars-there is no baseline knowledge required to learn from and appreciate Engel's work. [See Prepub Alert, 8/24/15.]-Jennifer M. Schlau, Elgin Community Coll., IL © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.