I Didn't Do It for You (48 page)

MICHELA WRONG
spent six years covering the African continent for Reuters, the BBC, and
the Financial Times.
Her first book,
In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz,
won a PEN award for nonfiction. She lives in London and travels regularly to Africa.

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I Didn't Do It for You

“A brilliant exploration of colonialism, fascism, liberation, and the cruelties of a superpower-driven planet…. If you want to understand the world as it exists today, in its fullness and in all its complexity…
I Didn't Do It for You
provides the best starting point.”

—
The Progressive

“Engaging history…. A vivid story of a nation repeatedly trampledby foreign powers until it won its independence.”

—
New York Times Book Review

“A highly readable, well-researched depiction of the region's serial exploitation by a parade of foreign predators…. Wrong excels as astoryteller, providing evocative descriptions of Eritrea's dramatic topography and gripping dollops of military history…. Fascinating personal portraits…. Enthralling insights into the liberation struggle…. A rare and convincing review of the policies and motives of Eritrea's colonial masters.”

—
Washington Post Book World

“A gripping political thriller.”

—Monica Ali, author of
Brick Lane

“With rich prose and the passion she brings to the subject of the nation's independence…Wrong provides a very readable journalistic narrative on Eritrea.”

—
Los Angeles Times

“Eloquent and impassioned…. [A] splendid account of modern Eritrean history…. Scrupulous and honest.”

—
New York Times

“Wrong is genuinely impressed with Eritrea as a nation composed of honest, do-it-yourself individuals who deserve to thrive. The book, while clear-eyed about the imperfections of Eritreans, is a valentine to a nation abused again and again by outsiders.”

—
Houston Chronicle

“An engaging read…. Devastating detail…. [Wrong] has a keen appreciation for the recurring irony of Africa: that the well-intentioned so often do the most harm.”

—
The Nation

“An impressive document encompassing years of in-depth research and uncovering hundreds of buried records.”

—
Time Out

“[A] gripping story…. The author's extraordinary grasp of the post-colonial psyche and tormented national identity of this country makes it fascinating.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Every bit as devastating as her
In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz
. The scope of her research is astonishing…. Wrong's fiery prose boils the blood and burns infamy into the memory.”

—
Kirkus Reviews
(starred review)

“Vivid, penetrating, wonderfully detailed. Michela Wrong has written the biography of a nation and more—she has excavated the very heart and soul of the Eritrean people and their country.”

—Aminatta Forna, author of
The Devil That Danced on the Water

“I found it engrossing, vividly written in the style of the best thrillers, while portraying real-life dramas and characters larger than life. It brought to life all the cruelties and distortions of the Cold War in Africa, as seen from a helpless victim country, with its stories of grotesque interventions by Americans and Russians and the excesses of the African leaders. But it's also thoroughly well-informed, and I've read nothing that's told me as much about either Eritrea or Ethiopia. It should become the standard work on the region.”

—Anthony Sampson, author of
Mandela: The Authorized Biography

In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz:

Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mobuto's Congo

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

I DIDN'T DO IT FOR YOU
. Copyright © 2005 by Michela Wrong. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub Edition © JULY 2007 ISBN: 9780061860669

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