Author:James Fergusson
In April 2006 a small British peace-keeping force was sent to Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. Within weeks they were cut off and besieged by some of the world's toughest fighters: the infamous Taliban, who were determined to send the foreigners home again. Defence Secretary John Reid had hoped that Operation Herrick 4 could be accomplished without a shot being fired; instead, the Army was drawn into the fiercest fighting it had seen for fifty years. Millions of bullets and thousands of lives have been expended since then in an under-publicized but bitter conflict whose end is still not in sight. Some people consider it the fourth Anglo-Afghan War since Victorian times. How on earth did this happen? And what is it like for the troops on the front line of the 'War on Terror'?
James Fergusson takes us to the dark heart of the battle zone. Here, in their own words and for the first time, are the young veterans of Herrick 4. Here, unmasked, are the civilian and military officials responsible for planning and executing the operation. Here, too, are the Taliban themselves, to whom Fergusson gained unique and extraordinary access. Controversial, fascinating and occasionally downright terrifying, A Million Bullets analyses the sorry slide into war in Helmand and asks this most troubling question: could Britain perhaps have avoided the violence altogether?
The lessons drawn by James Fergusson are deeply uncomfortable; but his account cannot be ignored by anyone seriously interested in the future of the British armed forces
—— Douglas Hurda riveting, blistering, deeply reported narrative of the recent British military interventions in Afghanistan
—— Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc.If you read anything on Afghanistan this year, then read this strong, intelligent book of crafted anger and insight
—— Anthony LoydFascinating... Succeeds brilliantly in detailing the emotional impact on soldiers killing for the first time and seeing comrades killed
—— The Sunday TimesThe only thoughtful and informed book to come out of the UK's venture into Helmand
—— Frank Ledwidge , Royal United Services Institute JournalAn absorbing account of how international artistic rebellion became mainstream and lucrative
—— Christopher Hirst , IndependentPeter Gay has outdone himself. In his hands Modernism adds up to more than the sum of its subversive, sensational, unsettling parts. This is cultural history of the highest magnitude, a work as astute in its analyses as it is massive in its ambition. And as ever, it is written with stunning lucidity. A splendid, invigorating achievement
—— Stacy SchiffA wonderful book. You can be sure that students and journalists and teachers will be stealing from Modernism for years to come. Bravo!
—— Hilton KramerRappaport has succeeded in capturing a frenetic, terrifying period of modern history and showing how a brutal, but human, man and his family became victims of the pent-up fury of the people he had systematically ground underfoot
—— Sunday Tribune (Ireland)Well researched ... Helen Rappenport successfully evokes the claustrophobic atmosphere within the house
—— Saturday TelegraphThe appalling end of the last Romanov and his enchanting family is well described by Helen Rappaport ... Utilising sources only recently accessible, she traces the story from abdication to slaughter, including much fascinating detail...
—— Literary ReviewRappaport exhumes the last days of the Romanovs and, relying on archival sources and neglected memoirs, tries to offer the most up-to-date account possible... Vivid...
—— Scotland on SundayEminently readable but still fastidiously researched, no compromising on scholarly or evidence-based investigation... There is a very powerful sense that you are reading the words of someone who is witnessing the sights and sounds of the place first hand, is returning to primary sources and conjuring up the atmosphere with an accomplished writer's eye. The trouble with reading any book about the Romanovs is the sure and certain knowledge of how it will end, yet despite this the book feels fresh and spell-binding ... Compelling reading
—— dovegreyreader.comUtterly absorbing, a really good read, sensitive and balanced and surely the definitive last word on the subject
—— Dr Harry Shukman, Emeritus Fellow of Modern Russian History, St Antony’s College OxfordRappaport narrates her story in an original fashion, focusing on the final two weeks inside the Ipatiev House before the murders
—— Times Literary SupplementBrilliantly shows how history is never simple but always enthralling when written with this style
—— The BooksellerExtraordinary and powerful ... Having uncovered enlightening new sources, Rappaport has produced a highly accessible account of the last 14 days in the lives of the former tsar Nicholas, his wife Alexandra and their children
—— Western Daily PressRiveting account of turbulence, social upheaval and murder in early 20th-century Russia, which draws on new evidence uncovered in the icy, remote city where Tsar Nicholas and his family met their bloody deaths. Juxtaposing fascinating domestic details with analysis of the international political scene, the author strips away the romance of their incarceration and the mythology surrounding their murders to reveal an extraordinary human situation and its seismic worldwide repercussions
—— Sainsbury’s MagazineRappaport precisely imagines those last few days ... As the pages turn quickly towards an end that is never in doubt, a picture emerges of a devout, loving and rather commonplace family
—— Waterstone’s Books QuarterlyThe great strength of Rappaport's book is her tight focus on the royal family's final three months in the Iaptiev House... She has told the human story, and the truly appalling tale of what man can do to man
—— Independent (Ireland)A tragic and thrilling account ... Ekaterinburg is really a twofold triumph for Helen Rappaport ... On top of the impressive level of research that Rappaport has conducted in order to produce Ekaterinburg, she also has an excellent and engaging writing style and succeeds in maintaining the tension and mood throughout ... Gritty and compelling
—— suite101.com