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Biting Through: five years in Afghanistan
John Ratcliffe is a quiet man, not the type of person who stands out in a crowd or draws attention to himself. But scratch the surface and you will find a person who has lived anything but a normal life.
Once belonging to a group of highly trained soldiers, Ratcliffe left the Australian military to pursue a career in Melbourne, practising alternative medicine. Years later, he was called to Afghanistan for a short assignment as a security contractor. He planned to be back in Australia after a few weeks. Five years later, he finally returned home.
Biting Through is the story of what happened in those five years, during one man’s descent into the behind-the-headlines reality of the war in Afghanistan. Thrust into a world of terrible danger, Ratcliffe encountered human traffickers, drugs lords, and corrupt officials while the international community looked on and went about its business. He tried to find a way to make a difference to those whose lives he touched, all the while negotiating minefields of dishonesty, only to be betrayed at the final hurdle and incarcerated in a medieval Afghan hellhole, awaiting the death penalty.
Biting Through is the true account of John Ratcliffe’s experiences, from the streets of Kabul to the fighting in the south of Afghanistan. It is a story about the people he met, the friends he made, and the lives he saved. A testimony to the brutal realities of one of the longest wars in modern history, which was replete with hideous waste and relentless corruption, it is a unique work, written by a man of remarkable courage and fortitude.
Once belonging to a group of highly trained soldiers, Ratcliffe left the Australian military to pursue a career in Melbourne, practising alternative medicine. Years later, he was called to Afghanistan for a short assignment as a security contractor. He planned to be back in Australia after a few weeks. Five years later, he finally returned home.
Biting Through is the story of what happened in those five years, during one man’s descent into the behind-the-headlines reality of the war in Afghanistan. Thrust into a world of terrible danger, Ratcliffe encountered human traffickers, drugs lords, and corrupt officials while the international community looked on and went about its business. He tried to find a way to make a difference to those whose lives he touched, all the while negotiating minefields of dishonesty, only to be betrayed at the final hurdle and incarcerated in a medieval Afghan hellhole, awaiting the death penalty.
Biting Through is the true account of John Ratcliffe’s experiences, from the streets of Kabul to the fighting in the south of Afghanistan. It is a story about the people he met, the friends he made, and the lives he saved. A testimony to the brutal realities of one of the longest wars in modern history, which was replete with hideous waste and relentless corruption, it is a unique work, written by a man of remarkable courage and fortitude.
416 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 31, 2014
When I began reading this book I was a little hesitant. I'm not normally interested in war stories and I am pretty anti-war so at the beginning I was unsure of how I would find it.
I was surprised at how quickly I finished this because I just couldn't put it down. Ratcliffe is able to write very well and the story became absorbing and exciting right from the start. While I understand the realities of war are pretty indescribable I was left feeling incredibly emotional at many parts. This is a book that will make you feel, it is the raw honest truth about what is happening in the Middle East and these stories are so important and need to be told.
I would recommend this book for people who like auto-biographies, are interested in war and conflict or are humanitarian at heart, because it is a good reminder for why we need to be at peace with our fellow humans.
I won this book in the First Reads giveaway promotion.
I was surprised at how quickly I finished this because I just couldn't put it down. Ratcliffe is able to write very well and the story became absorbing and exciting right from the start. While I understand the realities of war are pretty indescribable I was left feeling incredibly emotional at many parts. This is a book that will make you feel, it is the raw honest truth about what is happening in the Middle East and these stories are so important and need to be told.
I would recommend this book for people who like auto-biographies, are interested in war and conflict or are humanitarian at heart, because it is a good reminder for why we need to be at peace with our fellow humans.
I won this book in the First Reads giveaway promotion.
August 23, 2014
Found this book quite interesting, makes you appreciate how good we have it in Westernised countries.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews