Andrei Netto

Netto's account of the Libyan uprising against Gaddafi is both extensive and detailed, coming together as a complex history and a compelling feat of journalism.

Beginning with the actual capture of Gaddafi and the surrounding chaos, Netto then moves backward to the beginning of his own journey crossing the border into Libya illegally and traveling with the rebels to tell their story. Yet, despite his obvious sympathies as expressed in his reasoning for being in Libya at all, Netto does an show more impressive job of giving an objective view to the entirety of the conflict and politics surrounding the revolution. Throughout his narrative and history, Netto never backs off from calling attention to faults in reasoning, humanity, and understanding...on both sides. As a result, Netto's work looks both forward and backward in history, examining the path which led to the violence he witnessed and the ongoing rebellion, and managing to look forward to the faultlines already being laid for future attempts at peace-keeping.

If there is a real fault to the work itself, it is Netto's attention to detail. Names and individuals and places are constant, and unfamiliar readers will struggle to keep up with who's who and where's where, as quickly or carefully as they read. Still, the story and the meaning comes through. As a help, Netto includes at the back of the work a careful timeline of "Gaddafi's Libya", detailing notable political and socio-cultural happenings going back to September of 1969. It's in any reader's interest to take a look at this timeline before reading the book.

All told, this is a compelling and detailed read, and Netto can only be applauded for his journalism and his efforts. Considering world events, reading this book is in anyone's best interests at this point in time. It sheds a careful look on the political difficulties and rebellions in the Middle East, and it gives a smart look to a situation and history which may otherwise seem incomprehensible.

Is this an easy read? No. Is it necessary and compelling? Absolutely. show less

I now know more about the Libyan Civil War of 2011 than I did before, which is good, but I don't think Netto told his story as well as he might have. (Though, of course it could always be the fault of his translator.) Netto spent some time with Libyan revolutionary forces during the Arab Spring, and his firsthand experience is valuable, but sometimes I felt like I was drowning in dull details. Periodically, though, a striking event or image manages to break through the monotony: the actual show more death of Gaddafi, Netto's own time in a Libyan prison (and the events leading up to it), time spent in an overwhelmed hospital after the revolution (the description of how the hospital's pool changed color as people started to bathe in it will stick with me), the discovery that Gaddafi's daughter (supposedly killed in American airstrikes in the 1980s) was alive and well and working as a doctor. A lot of interesting tidbits, but not as interesting an overall package as I'd hoped. show less

This book reads like a spy thriller, but it is amazingly real. A Brazilian journalist, the author, Andrei Netto, tells the story of his attempt to enter Libya to report on the Revolution and go to Tripoli with the help of revolutionaries he meets along the way. Eventually, he is captured with his companion, an Iraqi journalist. In time he is freed and continues to tell the story of the Revolution.

Often during the book, I was silently urging Netto to turn back, but like all good journalists show more he persisted to the end.

The book drew me in to the action, while at the same time giving a good overview of the overall situation. It would have been helpful to have a map of Libya to follow through the towns he visited. I found myself frequently going to Google Maps.

Given how Libya has become a matter of partisan politics in the USA, it was refreshing to see a different perspective. The book was originally written in Portuguese. The English translation is excellent and highly readable. show less

I really enjoyed Netto's book. It read like a novel. Some of the problems in the Middle East can be explained by the narrative within Bringing Down Gaddafi. If you're a history buff that enjoys the creation of history within your lifetime give this book a read. It's highly recommended.