Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19637 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

From the Publisher
Powerful, haunting, fascinating personal story by the BBC's security correspondent about the attempt on his life, his remarkable recovery and the journeys that have taken him there...

From the Inside Flap
On 6 June 2004, in a quiet suburb of Riyadh, BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner and cameraman Simon Cumbers were filming a piece on Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia when they were ambushed by Islamist gunmen. Their government minders fled. Frank was shot in the shoulder and then in the leg. As he lay on the ground, a figure stood over him and pumped four more bullets into his body at point-blank range . . .

This is the story of a man who should be dead. But against all the odds, Frank Gardner survived. Blood & Sand is his remarkable account of the agonizing, literally life-shattering journey he has taken – from being shot and left for dead in a dusty street to where he is today: partly paralysed, but alive.

It is a journey that began twenty-five years earlier, when a chance meeting with veteran explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger inspired in the young Frank what would become a lifelong passion for the Arab world. This abiding interest would lead him to travel throughout the Middle East, experiencing at first hand peoples, places and cultures that few have encountered, eventually becoming a journalist with the BBC. And it was this same passion that would, in the wake of the world-changing events of 9/11, send Frank on the journey that came to dominate – and so very nearly end – his life: his coverage of the phenomenon that is Al-Qaeda.

Written with honesty, integrity and humour, this moving and inspiring personal story reveals a deep understanding of the Islamic world and offers an insider’s compelling analysis of the on-going ‘War on Terror’ and what it means in these uncertain times.

From the Back Cover
The Sunday Times bestseller

On 6 June 2004, in a quiet suburb of Riyadh, BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner and cameraman Simon Cumbers were ambushed by Islamist gunmen. Simon was killed outright. Frank was hit in the shoulder and leg. As he lay in the road, pleading for his life, a figure stood over him and pumped four more bullets into his body at point-blank range…

Against all the odds, Frank Gardner survived, and this is his remarkable account of the agonizing journey he’s taken – from being shot and left for dead to where he is today, partly paralysed but alive.

It is a journey that began twenty-five years earlier, when a chance meeting with explorer Wilfred Thesiger inspired in the young Frank what would become a lifelong passion for the Arab world – an abiding interest that would take him throughout the Middle East and lead to his becoming a BBC journalist. And this same passion would, in the wake of 9/11, send Frank on another journey that came to dominate – and nearly end – his life: his coverage of Al-Qaeda.

Honest, moving and inspiring, Blood & Sand reveals a deep understanding of the Islamic world and offers an insider’s compelling analysis of the ongoing ‘War on Terror’ and what it means in these uncertain times.

‘Chilling, graphic and admirably unsentimental’ GUARDIAN

‘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’ SCOTSMAN

‘A superb reporter…his terrible experience only makes his analysis all the more telling’ EVENING STANDARD

Customer Reviews

A good way to understand the Arab world
I took this book on holiday to Egypt and it made the trip all the more interesting. To see some of the actual places that Frank writes about made his story come alive for me. This is a well written memoir that reflects the author's love of the Middle East even after the agonies he has personally suffered. It must be said that the area has rewarded him handsomely both in his banking and subsequent journalistic careers but his affection for the people is clearly genuine and shines through. If you want to find out more about the politics and customs of the Middle East but don't want a heavy history book, this is a gentle read that achieves the same.
You will not find a better value read than Amazon's £3.99 so snap it up!

Excellent.
Frank Gardner's excellent memoir is a breed apart from those written by many other famous faces from the TV, who all too often seem to decide to "do a book" because they know it will sell. Since I knew only about his shooting, I was a little worried this book might just be a celebrity tear-jerker. But I needn't have worried. Frank has an amazing story to tell, and he tells it amazingly well. Although he has suffered terribly and his colleague was killed, he is brave enough and positive enough to write in a balanced, intelligent and detailed way. But the book's power is not limited to the gripping and graphic passage in which he is gunned down, or for the wincingly painful rehabilitation.
His portrait of the Arab world is a much fuller than the picture we get from a barrage of headlines about war and terrorism. And his description of finding himself paralysed helped this upright reader at least to understand how it must feel to be suddenly wheelchair-bound. For that, and much more in this book, I am grateful to him for having the courage to write.

Blood, Toil, Tears, Tolerance and Understanding
Frank Gardner, the BBC's Security Correspondent has come through the horror of his colleague Simon Cumber's death and his own paralysis still playing an important role in interpreting the on going terrorist threat for the viewing public and putting into perspective his long-standing love affair with all things arabic.
I suspect that the healing process, after he was gunned down by Al Qaeda Terrorists on a Saudi Street Corner,will not be over yet, even though he has undergone extensive surgery and rehabilitation: That he has been able to forge his thoughts into this book shows that the terrorist can never silence the journalist's natural expression- words.
Gardner is an amiable and eloquent writer, quite understated about his life and giving off the air of the archetypal englishman abroad. However,some of the episodes mark him out as a little more adventurous than might have at first been presented: I can't, for example, think of many people who would choose to learn their spoken arabic in a Cairo slum- but Gardner did, and seemed to enter wholeheartedly into the life of his adopted surroundings.
As befits a BBC journalist, he has a keen eye for both the atmosphere and the politics of the Middle East, though there is a necessary air of detachment- probably borne of freelance travel writing earlier in his career.
The tone regarding his own injuries and re-building is exactly right: any more detail and I would have found his candidness uncomfortable; any more restraint and I would have urged him to grasp the nettle more firmly (I know, the poor man couldn't win!).
I have not, however, given this book the highest rating largely because I expected more from it. It is undoubtedly a good 'read', yet I came away from it wanting him to delve deeper into the arabist conundrum: perhaps that's another book? As far as this autobiography goes it does what such writing should do- leaves us with a clearer picture of the man, and for that I'm grateful.