by Jay Bahadur
First published 2011
Jay Bahadur arrives in Somalia as a twenty-something Canadian journalist with no experience covering conflict zones. He wants to understand how ordinary fishermen became the world's most notorious pirates. Bahadur embeds himself in Puntland, living among the pirate crews who hijack massive cargo ships and oil tankers for ransom. He interviews captains who command fleets of speedboats, foot soldiers who board vessels with AK-47s, and negotiators who demand millions from shipping companies. The pirates see themselves as coast guards protecting their waters from illegal fishing and toxic waste dumping. Bahadur navigates the complex tribal politics and clan loyalties that govern pirate society. He witnesses the boom economy that piracy creates in coastal towns, where young men drive Land Cruisers and build mansions with ransom money. The book reveals how poverty, failed government, and foreign exploitation created the conditions for maritime crime to flourish.
Genres: politics, crime, non-fiction, 21st-century, journalism, africa
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water
Setting: Somalia, Puntland
Period: 21st-century
300 pages · Hardcover · Pantheon