First published 2015
C.J. Chivers traces the extraordinary journey of the AK-47, a rifle so unremarkable at birth that no one predicted its global dominance. The Pulitzer Prize winner examines how this simple Soviet invention became the most reliable and enduring weapon ever created, so easy to operate that children could handle it. During the Cold War, more people died from this rifle than any other weapon. It appeared in every armed conflict after 1946, carried by Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan, Serbian forces during Yugoslavia's collapse, and pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk in 2014. The weapon found its way onto Hezbollah's flag, into countless films and video games, and inspired hit songs by musicians like Goran Bregovic. Chivers goes beyond the rifle's technical story to reveal the heroes and criminals behind the AK-47's success, showing how one invention reshaped modern warfare and global conflict.
Genres: history, 20th-century, action, non-fiction, 21st-century, military-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism
Setting: Afghanistan, Donetsk, Soviet Union, Yugoslavia
Period: Cold War, 1946
576 pages · Hardcover · Znak