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Book Cover for: The Angel of Grozny: Orphans of a Forgotten War, Åsne Seierstad

The Angel of Grozny: Orphans of a Forgotten War

Åsne Seierstad

In the early hours of New Year's 1994, Russian troops invaded the Republic of Chechnya, plunging the country into a prolonged and bloody conflict that continues to this day. A foreign correspondent in Moscow at the time, Ã?ne Seierstad traveled regularly to Chechnya to report on the war, describing its affects on those trying to live their daily lives amidst violence.

In the following decade, Seierstad became an internationally renowned reporter and author, traveling to the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and other war-torn regions. But she never lost sight of this conflict that had initially inspired her career. Over the course of a decade, she watched as Russia ruthlessly suppressed an Islamic rebellion in two bloody wars and as Chechnya evolved into one of the flashpoints in a world now focused on the threat of international terrorism.

In 2006, Seierstad finally returned to Chechnya, traveling in secret and under the constant threat of danger. In a broken and devastated society she lived with orphans, the wounded, the lost. And she lived with the children of Grozny, those who will shape the country's future. She asks the question: What happens to a child who grows up surrounded by war and accustomed to violence?

A compelling, intimate, and often heartbreaking portrait of Chechnya today, The Angel of Grozny is a vivid account of a land's violent history and its ongoing battle for freedom.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Basic Books
  • Publish Date: May 25th, 2010
  • Pages: 352
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 7.96in - 5.04in - 0.98in - 0.72lb
  • EAN: 9780465019496
  • Recommended age: 18-UP
  • Categories: Wars & Conflicts - GeneralRussia - GeneralModern - 20th Century - General

About the Author

Åsne Seierstad is an award-winning journalist who has reported from such war-torn regions as Chechnya, China, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The author of A Hundred and One Days as well as The Bookseller of Kabul, she lives in Norway.

Praise for this book

"Publishers Weekly" (starred review) "Seierstad's vivid, unsparing reportage makes this distant tragedy very personal." "Booklist" (starred review) "Powerful, painful, and raw, Seierstad's latest is essential reading."" "
"Kirkus ""A sympathetic, brave work from a deeply engaged war correspondent.""" "Sunday Times" (U.K.) "[Asne Seierstad] has produced the best book in English about one of the world's most brutal and under-reported conflicts."
"Scotsman" (U.K.) "Extraordinary and deeply harrowing...a tenacious and compassionate reporter, [Asne Seierstad] finds her way into the homes of Chechens and tells their stories...[a] brave, disturbing book." "Time Out London" (U.K.) "Touching stories of loss, survival and bravery...an invaluable account of the stormy conflicts that have blighted the area for centuries."
"Evening Standard" (U.K.) "Anyone wanting to understand the Russia of today should read this compelling, shocking book about the forgotten suffering of Chechnya... a powerful book of heartbreaking yet flamboyant reportage from a forgotten hell." "Sunday Herald" (U.K.) "If Kapuscinski was the modern master of literary reportage, then Asne Seierstad's "THE ANGEL OF GROZNY" proves her a worthy follower with this bleak but beautiful book."
"The Observer" (U.K.) "As a crash course on recent Chechen and Russian history, Seierstad's account is invaluable: she presents all the confusing contradictions of the conflict in a straightforward, accessible way, which is no mean feat...she has a real eye for detail and the human heart of a story." "Independent" (U.K.) "[Asne Seierstad] tells their stories with poignancy and compassion. "THE ANGEL OF GROZNY" reads at times almost like a novel; the pity is that Seierstad isn't making it up."
"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)
"Seierstad's vivid, unsparing reportage makes this distant tragedy very personal."

" Booklist" (starred review)
"Powerful, painful, and raw, Seierstad's latest is essential reading."" "

"Kirkus"
"A sympathetic, brave work from a deeply engaged war correspondent."""

" Sunday Times" (U.K.)
"[Asne Seierstad] has produced the best book in English about one of the world's most brutal and under-reported conflicts."

"Scotsman" (U.K.)
"Extraordinary and deeply harrowing...a tenacious and compassionate reporter, [Asne Seierstad] finds her way into the homes of Chechens and tells their stories...[a] brave, disturbing book."

" Time Out London" (U.K.)
"Touching stories of loss, survival and bravery...an invaluable account of the stormy conflicts that have blighted the area for centuries."

"Evening Standard" (U.K.)
"Anyone wanting to understand the Russia of today should read this compelling, shocking book about the forgotten suffering of Chechnya... a powerful book of heartbreaking yet flamboyant reportage from a forgotten hell."

"Sunday Herald" (U.K.)
"If Kapuscinski was the modern master of literary reportage, then Asne Seierstad's "THE ANGEL OF GROZNY" proves her a worthy follower with this bleak but beautiful book."

"The Observer" (U.K.)
"As a crash course on recent Chechen and Russian history, Seierstad's account is invaluable: she presents all the confusing contradictions of the conflict in a straightforward, accessible way, which is no mean feat...she has a real eye for detail and the human heart of a story."

"Independent" (U.K.)
"[Asne Seierstad] tells their stories with poignancy and compassion. "THE ANGEL OF GROZNY" reads at times almost like a novel; the pity is that Seierstad isn't making it up."