Author:Jonathan Powell
Across the world governments proclaim that they will never ‘negotiate with evil’.
And yet they always have and always will.
From jungle clearings to stately homes and anonymous airport hotels, Talking to Terrorists puts us in the room with the terrorists, secret agents and go-betweens who seek to change the course of history.
Jonathan Powell has spent nearly two decades mediating between governments and terrorist organisations. Drawing on conflicts from Colombia and Sri Lanka to Palestine and South Africa, this optimistic, wide-ranging, authoritative book is about how and why we should talk to terrorists.
‘Essential reading’ Independent
‘Fascinating’ Sunday Times
Now includes a new Afterword - Talking to ISIL
*Perfect for fans of The Looming Tower*
Essential reading for all parties in conflict
—— Patrick Cockburn , IndependentFascinating
—— Michael Ignatieff , Sunday TimesThis is an inspiring book. You’ll enter the New Year shaking hands with all.
—— Kirsty Brimelow , The TimesThis is an unusual, indeed a unique, book
—— Oliver Miles , GuardianThe book is an enthralling case study of the art, in which Powell carefully establishes his argument for why dialogue with terror groups is usually necessary
—— Anthony Loyd , New StatesmanIt is a witty, light-footed, anecdote-rich history of the recent art of talking to terrorists
—— Justin Webb , The TimesThoughtful, well-structured, intelligent and well-informed
—— Conor Gearty , Irish TimesIntelligent and insightful book on conflict resolution
—— Andrew Lynch , Sunday Business Post[An] absorbing and authoritative study
—— Michael Ignatieff , Sunday TimesUtterly compelling, top proper stuff. I loved it to bits. The energy of it! I really felt for them (all) by the end
—— Ian Marchant, Author of A Hero for High TimesReally good, clever, dazzling in its anger and the force of its argument
—— Nicola Shulman , Times Literary Supplement[A] brilliant book... Beard's breathtaking personal account of the British habit of the British habit of institutionalising elite children captures all the nuances and subtleties of the boarder's undoing and its lasting legacy into adulthood
—— Nick Duffell , Therapy TodayDefinitive and brilliantly expressed
—— Viv Groskop[A] brilliantly excoriating book
—— New StatesmanA pleasant and heartfelt account of one man's brief journey into and out of education... unquestionably funny... poignant and very personal
—— Emma Williams , Schools WeekVery funny, often inspiring, occasionally tragic - and a timely reminder of the unforgettable influence of great teachers
—— Daily MailEngaging . . . Kessler approaches her topic with even-handedness and rigour.
—— Maclean’sBrilliantly in-depth not only in the explanations of the gig economy, but in the narratives of people who work gigs as well.
—— Washington TimesAs well-reported, and at times as emotionally wrenching, as Amy Goldstein’s Janesville . . . In facing . . . the fraying of the social contract between employer and employee, Sarah Kessler's work in Gigged makes one thing increasingly clear: we must get busy building a new one that benefits all sides of that relationship, and the society around it.
—— Editor’s Choice , 800 CEO ReadGoes under the bonnet of the gig economy.
—— What CEOs Are Reading , Management TodayKessler’s recent book Gigged is all about [the] desire for independence . . . Kessler investigates the liberating ethos and terrible trade-offs of this new economy by following several people working in such positions. She discovers why the revolution in “independent contractor” work – which comes without guarantees for minimum wages, paid vacation, or health benefits – is paradise for one slice of the population, but has been disappointing, and in some cases devastating, for others.
—— QuartzFor those interested in inquiries into modern (and future) work, there’s Gigged by Sarah Kessler, an analysis of the gig economy.
—— Books of the Year , Buzzfeed NewsLooks at the potential of the gig economy and ultimately the problems it bears.
—— Books of the Year , Fast Company