My Friend the Mercenary - A Memoir

James Brabazon

Summary

“Intensely vivid story of war and the peculiar breed of warriors who fight in 21st-century Africa . . . and tribute to an extraordinary comrade-at-arms.” —Kirkus Reviews   In February 2002, British journalist James Brabazon set out to travel with guerrilla forces into Liberia to show the world what was happening in that war-torn country. To protect him, he hired Nick du Toit, a former South African Defence Force soldier who had fought in conflicts across Africa for over three decades. What follows is an incredible behind-the-scenes account of the Liberian rebels—known as the LURD—as they attempt to seize control of the country from government troops led by President Charles Taylor.   In this gripping narrative, James Brabazon paints a brilliant portrait of the chaos that tore West Africa apart: nations run by warlords and kleptocrats, rebels fighting to displace them, ordinary people caught in the crossfire—and everywhere adventurers and mercenaries operating in war’s dark shadows. It is a brutally honest book about what it takes to be a journalist, survivor, and friend in this morally corrosive crucible.   “A classic story of intrigue, greed, and violence in one of the most dysfunctional countries in the world. It is a gripping story that I couldn’t read fast enough.” —Sebastian Junger, New York Times–bestselling author

Available since: 03/01/2011.

Print length: 480 pages.

Other books that might interest you

The Golden Thread - Experiencing...

Darlene Zschech, Joyce Meyer

Do you feel like you are barely holding on? Let the golden thread of God's presence be the calm on the other side of chaos. It could be that He is weaving a brilliant new beginning in the middle of your mess. 
“I know your faith will be lifted and increased with this new treasure.” —Chris Tomlin 
Join beloved worship leader and songwriter of “Shout to The Lord”, Darlene Zschech as she traces God’s goodness through her recent transitions. 
Perfect for anyone who’s:Battling cancer or another health scareMoving to a new cityStarting a church or a new jobStruggling through a season of doubt or change 
Darlene urges us to maintain joy in the middle of it all. Rather than seeing her many life changes as a zigzag of unrelated events, Darlene and her family have learned to trace God’s goodness through every crisis—even as she faced the battle for her life, cancer. 
Your heart will be encouraged, and your faith will soar right along with Darlene’s. 
X

Show book

Unbutchered

Dr. Luke Gordon

One of the last baby boomers, Luke Gordon, was born in the mining town of Boksburg, South Africa to catholic parents. He grew up in a family of five children in a middle-class neighbourhood.His father was a teacher, and his mother worked as a typist to make ends meet. Luke was raised by his nanny, Sarah, as his surrogate mother.Although his parents were not well-to-do, he enjoyed a happy childhood. His parents scraped and scrounged to ensure that their children could get university degrees to enjoy a better life than they had.As a small boy, he was inspired by his family's GP - a caring and kind Jewish doctor. Those were the days when doctors still did house calls. When he was sick as if by magic, a bottle of cough syrup and some antibiotics made him feel better in no time.In this, the first book in his serialised memoir, he describes his childhood and school years. He chronicles his university years at medical school and his time spent becoming a plastic and reconstructive surgeon.Returning to the community in which he grew up, he sets up his practice, and it thrives.One day, he has a seemingly minor tiff with an old cantankerous plastic surgeon. The fallout of this trivial incident would only manifest ten years later with catastrophic consequences….

Show book

The Curse of the Indy 500 -...

Stan Sutton

“[A] rich history built around the 1958 tragedy that claimed one of the Indy 500’s most beloved drivers . . . evokes a unique and unforgettable era.” —Dan Carpenter, freelance writer, former Indianapolis Star columnist 
 
On May 30, 1958, thousands of racing fans poured into the infield at dawn to claim the best seats of the Indianapolis 500, unaware that they were going to witness one of the most notorious wrecks in racing history. Seconds after the green flag, a game of chicken spiraled out of control into a fiery 16-car pile-up that claimed the life of 29-year-old Indiana native and rising star Pat O’Connor. The other drivers escaped death, but the tragic 1958 Indy 500 seemed to leave its mark on them: the surviving drivers were hounded by accidents and terrible crashes, and most would die at tracks around the country. But the tragedy also prompted new regulations and safety precautions like roll bars that would ultimately save hundreds of lives. In The Curse of Indy 500: 1958’s Tragic Legacy, veteran sportswriter Stan Sutton profiles the ill-fated race and the careers of the drivers involved, highlighting their lives in the dangerous world of auto racing. 
 
“In all, the book offers an exciting story of the 1958 Indy 500 and a thought-provoking discussion of its aftermath.” —Daily Journal 
 
“A meticulous contextual account of events leading into what possibly triggered the starting tension, what follows in the wake of the fiery first-lap death of Pat O’Conner, and what other Indy 500 tragedies have failed to get the notice generated on and following May 30, 1958.” —NUVO

Show book

Chasing the Devil - My...

Sheriff David Reichert

For eight years, Sheriff David Reichert devoted days and nights to capturing the Green River Killer - the most notorious serial killer in American history. He was the first detective on the case in 1982 and doggedly pursued it as the body count climbed to 49 and it became the most infamous unsolved case in the nation. Frantically following all leads, even as more bodies surfaced near the river outside Seattle, Sheriff Reichert befriended the victims families, publicly challenged the killer, and risked his own safety - and the endurance and love of his family - before he found his madman. But Reichert's hunt didnt end when he finally cornered a truck painter named Gary Ridgway. It would be yet another 11 haunting years before forensic science could prove Ridgway's guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt. CHASING THE DEVIL is the gripping firsthand account of Reichert's relentless pursuit - a 21-year odyssey full of near-misses and startling revelations. Told in vivid detail by the man who knows the whole story - the man who has stared into the eyes of absolute evil - this is a page-turning real-life suspense story of unparalleled heroism.

Show book

The Ninefold Path - A Memoir

Anthony Alioto

Anthony Alioto was diagnosed with end stage renal disease in 1993 and was forced to go on dialysis for several years before receiving a successful kidney transplant in 2000.In The Ninefold Path, he invites readers to join him on a harrowing personal journey through a labyrinth of tests, “what can I expect” meetings with medical staff, surgeries, and near-death experiences.  He spares no detail in his desire to provide a guide for others living with a chronic disease – and their families and friends – on how to navigate the oftentimes rough waters of modern medicine.The Ninefold Path is for all of those wearily traveling through chronic illnesses and for those by their sides wondering what to do, it is a celebration of the extraordinary individuals in medicine who relieve the suffering of strangers each and every day. In cataloging detail, there is inspiration, plus a call to compassion and serenity.A Note to the Reader from The Ninefold Path:“The reader can expect to encounter a very personal and human account of chronic illness, sometimes painful, sometimes hilarious, and then at times simply absurd – but, hopefully, also moving.  One need not search for profound insights, recipes, therapy, or sage advice.  It is my hope that you will come away with a feeling, a sense of being there, maybe a kind of liberation from the ‘merely personal’ as Einstein phrased it, and a new appreciation for what others endure daily.  Even in the midst of suffering physical pain and mental anguish, a person may yet gain the freedom to live a life of celebration, joy, compassion, and serenity. Zen Master Kyong Ho once said, ‘Don’t hope for life without problems.  An easy life results in a judgmental and lazy mind.’”

Show book

Eliza Lynch - Queen of Paraguay

Michael Lillis, Ronan Fanning

Escaping a desperate marriage at the age of 20, Eliza Lynch fled Ireland to Paris where her extraordinary beauty and intelligence won the attention of the soon-to-be dictator of Paraguay, Francisco Solano López.
Although the couple never married, Eliza bore him seven children and was seen as the queen of Paraguay, adored by the public and admired for her glamour and sophistication. But Eliza and Francisco's love was damned with the outbreak of the infamous War of the Triple Alliance (1864–70), the bloodiest in South America's history.
This is a unique love story, chronicling a romance that endured a desperate turn of fortunes, taking them from a life of royalty to a life on the run, and culminating with the now iconic image of Lynch burying both López and their eldest son in a shallow grave with her bare hands after they had been killed by Brazilian troops.
Dubbed The Irish Evita, Eliza Lynch (born in Charleville, County Cork) was the most famous woman in all of South America in the nineteenth century. Her reputation was destroyed by the opposition in the wake of the War of the Triple Alliance; but in this story of wealth, war, love, loyalty, loss and, above all, survival, Eliza is revealed as a woman who showed extraordinary courage in the face a series of unspeakable horrors.
The authors have discovered the truth about Eliza's Irish origins and the cruel deception of her marriage at the age of sixteen to a duplicitous French Army officer. They reconstruct the systematic invention of her image as a prostitute around her first meeting with Solano López in Paris in 1854.
Eliza Lynch was a courageous woman who was adored by the ordinary women of Paraguay and who tried to help many victims of an appalling war. The paranoid López, on discovering that his family and colleagues had been conspiring against him, trusted only Eliza and their relationship became a love story of the damned. The book reveals why the Emperor of Brazil, against the advice of his generals, pursued López to his death in 1870; Eliza buried him and their eldest son in the jungle with her bare hands.
Eliza defied her enemies in a pamphlet she published in 1875 – here translated for the first time – when she returned to face her enemies in Paraguay. The authors' exclusive access to the unpublished journals of Eliza's daughter-in-law shows how scurrilous writers in South America, Britain and the US finally broke her spirit and how she died a 'burnt-out case' in Paris in 1886. In 1961 a later dictator, General Stroessner, declared her the national heroine of Paraguay.
This book restores her to her rightful place among the most remarkable and brave women in modern history.
Now a subject of a new Irish documentary by Alan Gilsenan, the film that helps rescue one of the great Irish lives of the 19th century from obscurity while opening a fascinating window onto what is perhaps South America's least-known country and the apocalyptic conflagration that still haunts its society.

Show book