The Three Battles of Wanat: And Other True Stories - Softcover

Bowden, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1611855578 ISBN 13: 9781611855579

Publisher: Grove Press, 2016

Synopsis

Ranging from war journalism to crime stories to profiles on influential leaders to pieces on sports, gambling and the impending impact of supercomputers on the practice of medicine, this collection is Bowden at his best.

Pieces that will appear in the collection include, "The Three Battles of Wanat", which tells the story of a bloody engagement in Afghanistan and the extraordinary years-long fallout within the US military, "The Drone Warrior," in which Bowden examines the strategic, legal and moral issues surrounding armed drones, and "The Case of the Vanishing Blonde," which first appeared in Vanity Fair and recounts the chilling story of a woman who went missing from a Florida hotel only to turn up near the Everglades, brutally beaten, raped and still alive.

Also included are profiles on a diverse range of notable and influential people such as Joe Biden, Kim Jong-un, Judy Clarke who is well known for defending America's worst serial killers and David Simon, the creator of the successful HBO series The Wire.

About this title

About the Author:

Mark Bowden is the author of seven books, including Black Hawk Down, Bringing the Heat, Killing Pablo, and Guests of the Ayatollah. He reported at The Philadelphia Inquirer for twenty years and is a national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly. He lives in the Philadelphia area.

Review:

Praise for The Three Battles of Wanat:

[Bowden is] one of America’s pre-eminent practitioners of long-form journalism . . . Given the importance of military affairs in Bowden’s oeuvre, it’s no surprise to find a trove of combat-related work in this new collection . . . Beyond the military pieces, Wanat offers excellent profiles . . . The Three Battles of Wanat should please Bowden’s legions of fans. He usually writes with care and empathy, eschewing fashionable snark and take-down drama.” Dallas Morning News

In Mark Bowden's four decades as a reporter, he has been honing his skills going after the second look the return to an event or a story once the proverbial dust has settled, to dig deeper and write longer’ in order to understand what really happened. In this process he has become a passionate advocate for long-form journalism and one of its more successful practitioners . . . The story of the three versions of the battle for Wanat is a good place to begin. Bowden is so good at what he does best highlighting the human angle of battles large and small that the reader is led to consider what another round of "boots on the ground" could actually mean.” Minneapolis Star-Tribune

The author of the bestselling Black Hawk Down will please fans and win new ones with this bracing collection of essays. Bowden is in his element charting the familiar and complex territory of American engagement in foreign conflicts . . . But those only familiar with Bowden’s war reportage will be pleasantly surprised to discover the variety of topics he has tackled in this collection . . . With his rigorous and respectful approach to his subjects, multifaceted viewpoint, and wry sense of humor, Bowden proves that American journalism hasn’t kicked the bucket yet.” Publishers Weekly

"A first-rate collection from one of the finest writers in contemporary journalism."Booklist

Mark Bowden marshals his finest for The Three Battles of Wanat.” Vanity Fair

Bowden is consistently curious about the anonymous, often invisible operators who power modern warfare drone operators, intelligence agents, special forces teams . . . Bowden tells a good story.” Salon

Deeply researched work on war, profiles of prominent, interesting people and sports personalities, and a variety of general interest essays represent fine examples of contemporary journalism, as the author himself looks to his investigative models such as Nellie Bly, Ida Tarbell, and John Hersey . . . Readers of Bowden’s work are assured of honest, straightforward, painstakingly researched essays.” Kirkus Reviews

About this edition

• Publisher: Grove Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1611855578
• ISBN 13: 9781611855579
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 496