The Three Battles of Wanat

Ranging from war journalism to crime stories to profiles on influential leaders to pieces on sports, gambling and the impending impact of supercomputers on the practice of medicine, this collection is Bowden at his best.



Pieces that will appear in the collection include, "The Three Battles of Wanat", which tells the story of a bloody engagement in Afghanistan and the extraordinary years-long fallout within the US military, "The Drone Warrior," in which Bowden examines the strategic, legal and moral issues surrounding armed drones, and "The Case of the Vanishing Blonde," which first appeared in Vanity Fair and recounts the chilling story of a woman who went missing from a Florida hotel only to turn up near the Everglades, brutally beaten, raped and still alive.



Also included are profiles on a diverse range of notable and influential people such as Joe Biden, Kim Jong-un, Judy Clarke who is well known for defending America's worst serial killers and David Simon, the creator of the successful HBO series The Wire.



Mark Bowden is the author of twelve books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Black Hawk Down. He reported at The Philadelphia Inquirer for twenty years and now writes for Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and other magazines. His most recent book is The Finish: The Killing of Osama bin Laden.



Bowden's reporting here is a model of evenhandedness, giving equal weight and empathy... He usually writes with care and empathy, eschewing fashionable snark and take-down drama.



Bowden is so good at what he does best - highlighting the human angle of battles large and small - that the reader is led to consider what another round of "boots on the ground" would actually mean.



Fine examples of contemporary journalism... Honest, straightforward, painstakingly researched.



By turns enlightening, level-headed, and hilarious... With his rigorous and respectful approach to his subjects, multifaceted viewpoint, and wry sense of humor, Bowden proves that American journalism hasn't kicked the bucket yet.



A first-rate collection from one of the finest writers in contemporary journalism.



Mark Bowden comes to this story with impressive credentials... How the Americans finally got their man is an extraordinary tale and Bowden does it justice.



A gripping book about a gripping operation