The Pirates of Somalia: Inside Their Hidden World

This book is a product of the young journalist's thirst for adventure and ambition to succeed at his craft. However, I couldn't help but think it would have been a much more entertaining and insightful book had it been in the hands of someone more experienced. At times, the book feels more of an academic exercise into the clan-based politics of Samalia, rather than the edge of your seat adventure I expected.

Piracy is presented as the product of a complicated and divided culture that has been exposed and attacked through many years of civil war and political unrest.

First off, this author has dangly bits of steel. Flying into Somalia to write this book pretty much straight out of school ...

This book details in great depth the who, how, and why of the pirating of the coast of Somalia. A very worthy read.

"The Pirates of Somalia" provides insights into the men who turned to piracy in the failed state of Somalia. Journalist Jay Bahadur spent months living among the people of Somalia, including the leaders of pirate groups, and explains the origins of piracy, how the acts are carried out, the reaction of shippers and affected nations, and describes the lives of the pirates. The answers are far from the images we might have in our minds from stories of pirates of the Caribbean.

There is much to learn from the book, including how the Country is divided, the problems of leadership, and some (unlikely) ways to discourage or eliminate the problem.

Really 3 1/2 stars. Extremely interesting, but the writing is not great and the material is not terribly well-organized. The research is impressive, and I learned a lot, but it could have been so much better.

Really 3 1/2 stars. Extremely interesting, but the writing is not great and the material is not terribly well-organized. The research is impressive, and I learned a lot, but it could have been so much better.

More extraordinary than what the book said was what the author had to do to get the material on which the book is based. You do come away with a very different perspective of the problem though.

This look at the inside of piracy in Somalia was interesting. The problem is more complex and out of control than depicted in Captain Philips.