Homer's Travels: Book: Lindsey Hilsum's "In Extremis: The Life And Death Of The War Correspondent Marie Colvin"

Monday, December 16, 2019

Book: Lindsey Hilsum's "In Extremis: The Life And Death Of The War Correspondent Marie Colvin"

My latest read is a biography of war correspondent, Marie Colvin. The book, "In Extremis: The Life and Death of the War Correspondent Marie Colvin", was written my a fellow journalist, and friend, of Marie Colvin, Lindsey Hilsum.

Marie Colvin lived an interesting, but somewhat tragic life, before her untimely death in Syria.  She struggled with alcohol, bad relationships, and PTSD while reporting on the Middle East, East Timor, Sri Lanka, Serbia, and Chechnya.  She died doing what she liked best, telling the stories of the civilians caught in the crossfire of unending brutal war.

The story is basted on her diaries and the memories of all the people she touched throughout her life.  The result feels a bit superficial, more a recollection than a biography.  The writing feels very news article-y at times which makes sense since the author is a journalist.

I enjoyed reading about Marie Colvin's extraordinary life but I wish the story was written with the depth such a life deserves.  I gave this book four stars out of five on Goodreads because, despite the books technical flaws, the story it tried to tell came through and an interesting story it was.

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