Published 2014.
Searing no-holds-barred account of what it’s like to be shot at close range, plus endearing tales of living with a Cairo family and a Bedouin tribe.
On 6 June 2004, Frank Gardner and cameraman Simon Cumbers were in a suburb of Riyadh, filming a report on Al-Qaeda when they were confronted by Islamist gunmen. Simon was killed outright. Frank was brought down by shots in the shoulder and leg. As he lay bleeding in the street, a figure stood over him and pumped four more bullets into him at point blank range…
Against all the odds, Frank Gardner survived and this is his remarkable account of the agonizing journey he has taken – from being shot and left for dead to where he is today, partly paralysed but alive. It is a journey that really began 25 years earlier when a chance meeting with explorer Wilfred Thesiger inspired what would become a lifelong passion for the Arab world. This would take him throughout the Middle East and eventually lead to his becoming a BBC journalist. And, in the wake of the events of 9/11, this passion sent him on the journey that came to dominate – and nearly end – his life: his coverage of Al-Qaeda.
Honest, moving and inspiring, his story – now updated for this paperback edition – reveals a deep understanding of the Islamic world and offers a compelling analysis of the on-going ‘War on Terror’ and what it means in these uncertain times.
Reviews
Gardner tells his remarkable tale well and bravely, with an astonishing lack of anger and enduring love and respect for the Islamic world.
SUNDAY TIMES
A witty, self-deprecating, inspiring testament.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
What makes Gardner’s moving, often humorous, deeply personal story so important is the fact that he has woven into it a brilliantly dispassionate, clear-eyed account of the Islamic world.
THE SCOTSMAN magazine
A superb reporter…his terrible experience only makes his analysis all the more telling.
EVENING STANDARD
Gardner is a tremendous model for what relations between East and West can be…a fine introduction both to journalism and to the culture of the Middle East.
INDEPENDENT
Near-death experiences do not come any more real than Frank Gardner’s chilling, graphic and admirably unsentimental account.
GUARDIAN
Witty and moving, capturing without self-pity the horror of learning his legs don’t work.
OBSERVER
A remarkable book from a remarkable man.
YORKSHIRE EVENING POST
Frank’s honest account of his life-changing experiences offers a message of hope in a dangerous and divided world.
THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE
His story, mixing the personal and the political, is both moving and insightful – a testament to one individual’s will to overcome a terrible experience, and a powerful piece of reportage.
BOOKS QUARTERLY
A compelling autobiography.
WOMAN’S WEEKLY
Written with honesty, integrity and humour, this is a powerful, haunting account of survival, of overcoming adversity and a determination to carry on – a moving and inspiring personal story.
IN DUBLIN