Product Description

An extraordinary collection of reportage that tells the story of some of the most important world events of the past 16 years, from one of the most talented and intrepid female journalists at work today. Since leaving England aged 21 with an invitation to a Karachi wedding and a yearning for adventure, Christina Lamb has spent 20 years living out of suitcases, reporting from around the world and becoming one of Britain's most highly regarded journalists. She has won numerous awards, including being named Foreign Correspondent of the Year a remarkable four times. 'Small Wars Permitting' is a collection of her best reportage, following the principal events of the last two decades everywhere from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. But Lamb's main interest has always been in the untold stories, the people and places others don't visit. Undaunted by danger, disease or despots, she has travelled by canoe through the Amazon rainforest in search of un-contacted Indians, joined a Rio samba school to infiltrate crime rackets behind Carnival and survived a terrifying ambush by Taliban.No less remarkable are the characters that Lamb meets along the way, from Marsh Arabs who covet Play Stations instead of buffaloes to an Armenian compere for performing dolphins with whom she travelled during the war in Iraq. Lamb's writing is passionate, powerful and poetic, transforming reportage into literature. Through the stories she tells -- and her own development from a self-confessed 'war junkie' to a devoted mother -- Lamb attempts to comprehend the human consequences of conflict in the countries she has come to know.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71431 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
Praise for 'Small Wars Permitting': 'Hers is the humane face of her hard profession: candid, modest and brave. She is clear-sighted without cynicism, and amazingly unscarred by all she has experienced. This book is a fine testament to her courage and compassion.' Colin Thubron Praise for 'House of Stone': 'Lamb is a careful observer, and her anguished refrain is the terrible schizophrenia of people who fiercely love their land but do nothing to save it!the strength is in the storytelling!her book deserves to be read.' Daily Telegraph More Praise: 'A remarkable blend of outrage, compassion and hope, Christina Lamb's book is an alternately horrifying and uplifting insight into the Taliban regime.' Justin Marozzi, Evening Standard

From the Publisher
An astonishing collection of reportage, covering some of the world's most important stories in the last 16 years, from the talented and brilliant journalist Christina Lamb.

* Christina was named Foreign Correspondent of the year in the 2007 British Press Awards. This is in addition to a slew of other accolades and awards, all of them evidence that she is amongst the very best in her field.

* She was recently chosen by the ASHA foundation as an `inspirational woman', and was the runner-up in the prestigious Martha Gellhorn prize for Journalism in 2006 for her dispatches from Zimbabwe.

* She has been a foreign correspondent for almost 20 years, living in Pakistan, Brazil and South Africa first for the Financial Times then the Sunday Times.

About the Author
Since leaving England aged 21 with a yearning for adventure, Christina Lamb has spent 20 years reporting from around the world and becoming one of Britain's most highly regarded journalists. 'Small Wars Permitting' is a collection of her best reportage, following the events of the last two decades everywhere from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Lamb's writing is passionate, powerful and poetic, transforming journalism into literature. Through the stories she tells -- and her development from a self-confessed 'war junkie' to a devoted mother -- Lamb attempts to comprehend the human consequences of conflict across the globe. Christina Lamb's journalism has appeared in The Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph and Financial Times, amongst others. In 2007, she was named Foreign Correspondent of the Year for the fourth time.

Customer Reviews

Too much reportage, not enough insight...
Christina Lamb is a long-time foreign correspondent, latterly of the BBC, but previously for national newspapers. She has a special interest in, and knowledge of, the Middle East.

Overall, this is a slightly disappointing book, if only because Ms Lamb is clearly an intelligent, empathic individual who has met some fascinating people, and lived through important periods of history. Allied to her journalistic expertise, you would expect the colour and flavour of events to leap out of the page.

Unfortunately, the narrative spins around the globe without any clear logic, and minor nuggets get lost in a lot of wider general reportage, as opposed to insight. There is not enough of Ms Lamb's personal views, reflections and understanding, and rather too much of a statement of events. Compared to, for example, Fergal Keane, the style is too detached.

I want to know what the author's views are; how she sees the world going; how she reconciles her roles as observer and unwilling participant; and why she thinks people do the things they do. For me, much of this was lacking.

Fabulous, inspiring and enlightening
This is a fabulous book by one of those rare journalists who really knows how to spot the penetrating detail and goes the extra mile to get behind the story. It is full of insights into everything from how the Taliban came about to what went wrong in Iraq, with a bit of Rio carnival and fattening farms in Nigeria thrown in for light relief. I started it in the bath and sat there for three hours till my skin had gone wrinkly!

Insight into corners of the world otherwise missed
Having started on the Lamb trail as an indifferent bystander I am now a full-blown fan of this sweet-faced reporter whose beaming, innocent smile fronts a piercing mind and an all-seeing eye. I can see how it's possible to miss the 'personal opinion' if that's what you want, but she sees it as it is and you see it through her eyes. That's the strength of her writing. That is her personal strength, from which comes the courage to sit and talk with some macho drug- or war-lord who thinks that a mere woman, especially one as diminutive as this, couldn't possibly see through his posturing. She doesn't need to 'comment'. The head of the Pakistani SIS is an evil piece of work because he is, you don't relate to him, yet the ex-Taliban torturer (see 'The Sewing Circles of Herat') has something about him to be pitied, what he DID was evil. Christina Lamb addresses your intelligence, it's up to you what you do with it.