Book review

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With the NATO Foreign Ministers Conference on Afghanistan coming up in December, Killing the Cranes: A Reporter's Journey Through Three Decades of War in Afghanistan is the book all those attending should be forced to read. They might not like what Swiss-American journalist and author Edward Girardet has to say, but it could help prevent making Afghanistan an even a bigger fiasco.

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The Afghan Solution is an important book and one that needs to be read by anyone wondering why American and British intelligence got it so wrong with the start of the October 7, 2001 war in Afghanistan. And how we could have avoided America's longest war had western policymakers been better informed and less arrogant about how to deal with this highly complex central Asian country. More to the point, it is the story of how the Taliban could have been defeated by Afghans rather than foreigners, why the West thwarted that plan and what it means for NATO today as it seeks to leave Afghanistan.

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For those interested in the way most mainstream media have abandoned quality foreign reporting in the belief that content is no longer worth the investment, a Little Bunch of Madmen: Elements of Global Reporting by Essential Edge columnist Mort Rosenblum is a must-read. Journalist John Lee Anderson reviews this hghly entertaining and insightful book by one of the last true foreign correspondents on the scene.

For those of you who don’t know it, there is an excellent guide for living in, or visiting, the Lake Geneva region, including neighbouring France. The latest Know-It-All-Passport is now out in its 2009/2010 (6th) edition with 652 pages, over 40 chapters, full index and maps. First published in 2000 by Boston-born author, Lisa Cirieco-Ohlman, to respond to what was clearly a virbrant need within the expat community (but also for the Swiss and French) - this has become THE reference book to anything you want to know, ranging from children’s activities and off-the- track restaurants to good book stores, indispensable food shops and doctors or medical centres in your area. The sort of survival guide you need to keep on your kitchen counter or in the hallway for day-to-day consultation, new ideas and recommendations. Or unusual things that visiting friends and relatives can do. We have a 2007-2008 edition in the bathroom for desperate last minute planning, particularly for drop in out-of-town guests.

For further information, go to: www.knowitall.ch

One of the drawbacks to making bold assertions in a book is that your words can quickly be overtaken by events.   Only a month ago, Matthew Bishop, a business writer in New York for the Economist magazine and Michael Green, who is simply an economist, launched their book, Philanthrocapitalism: How The Rich Can Save The World, suggesting that a new breed of super-rich patrons might have something to tell the not-for-profit world about development.  That was just before the worldwide financial meltdown.

When veteran Lake Geneva-based foreign correspondent, Robert L. Kroon, died at the age of 82 in Switzerland last June 24, 2007, he had just managed to complete the writing of his book A Lifetime of News. Kroon had led a tingling but down-to-earth existence covering wars and other events in Asia, Africa and Europe for nearly 60 years for major news organizations, notably the Associated Press, TIME-LIFE and various Dutch media. Much of this is portrayed in this exceptional book, a must-read for anyone interested in quality journalism – an increasingly rare commodity – and inside angles to key periods and individuals in recent history.

A true news professional of the old school, Kroon recounts his experiences reporting events such as Indonesia after World War II, the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956, the independence of the Belgian Congo in the early 1960s and the Prague Spring of 1968. Of particular interest is his chapter on working in Nazi-occupied Holland as a young journalist, providing an unusual insight into the tense atmosphere of living under repression, while still seeking to furnish credible information to the public.

The Essential Edge is publishing a sample chapter of the book. This focuses on Swiss banks and the dormant Jewish accounts scandal, the ICRC and frontline surgery, plus the likes of Jean Ziegler - for some, Switzerland's 'conscience' - Adolf Ogi, Special Adviser to the UN on Sport for Development and Peace, and maverick people smuggler, Hans Lenzlinger. This is a taste of Bob Kroon's book prior to the official launch in Geneva later in May (details to come).  A Lifetime of News, however, can already be purchased on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and other outlets for $21.99. It will also become available in English-language Geneva book stores.

Writers' Table - Book Review

Non-Americans often joke that they should have the right to vote in US elections. Whoever comes to power at the White House, they say, can decidedly influence the course of events in a manner that affects the lives of billions of people around the world. This is too great a responsibility left to Americans alone.

This section features writers, who live and work in the Lake Geneva region, or who have affiliations with the Essential Edge. We also invite readers to contribute their own book reviews. Here we highlight Shaggy Dog Tales, a selection of anecdotes based on “58 ½ years of reportage,” by Geneva-based American journalist and writer, Paul Ress, and which is available from www.xlbris.com or from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.