Lindsey Hilsum (2018)

Hard to think of a better way to tackle the life of such a complex individual in such complex circumstances. This is an excellent read both for its subject matter and for the general experience of war reporting.

I don’t think we ever really get to the bottom of Marie Colvin’s complexity. though. Perhaps that’s inevitable at such a short distance from the events. Lindsey Hilsum avoids the facile explanations (daddy issues, thrill-seeking), but is left with very little else. She (Hilsum) seems to think that the same basic issues drove both Colvin’s reporting and her self-destructive personal life that repeated a pattern of unsuitable men: she even shows how Colvin herself knew this was happening and yet seemed unable to escape the pattern. But as to what drove Colvin to the extremes she went to, reporting on stories that even other war reporters thought were too risky, remains in the shade for now at least.

4/5. Finished Monday 21 September, 2020.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)

David Boyle

A funny and quite damning indictment of tickbox culture and its pernicious effects. Unfortunately slightly short on meaningful prescriptions apart from resisting the temptation to comply (and accepting the possibly unfortunate consequences for others). Should certainly be required reading for anyone in a position to manage the introduction (or termination) of any sort of appraisal scheme.

4/5. Finished Friday 11 September, 2020.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)

Carlo Rovelli (2017)

A specific sort of physics speculation.

2/5. Finished Sunday 30 August, 2020.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)

Jack Fairweather (2019)

A largely unknown story about a man who broke in to Auschwitz – and the successfully broke out again, having formented resistance and collected intelligence of enormous value, only to then be executed by the new pro-Soviet government of Poland after the war.

It’s brilliant researched and told. My only criticism is a stylistic one, that the prose sounds breathless and boy’s-own, somehow. I think it’s because everyone is referred to by their first names, rather than their surnames as would be more common in history books. That’s a minor distraction though from a story that should be a lot better known.

4/5. Finished Sunday 30 August, 2020.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)

Paolo Bacigalupi (2009)

“A worthy successor to Gibson” (as the cover blurb says) indeed. While I found this excellent in its vignettes it overall didn’t do it for me, for reasons I can’t quite pin down.

3/5. Finished Thursday 27 August, 2020.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)