It educates about Islam's roots and the hospitality of the Middle East
Disadvantages:
I honestly can't think of any
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Blood and Sand is a beautifully written autobiography by BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner. Not only does he tell the tale of the terrible attack he and cameraman Simon Cumbers were subjected to in Riyadh, but he tells it with with an incredibly unweakened love for the Middle East.
Born in London, Frank Gardner went on to study Arabic Studies at university, before securing himself a well-paid job in banking with many exclusive benefits. Feeling something was missing in his life, he reflected on past travel articles he had written as a student and during his early career, recognising that he wanted to become a journalist, and educate the West about the Arabic world.
Gardner goes on to tell of his struggle to get in to journalism in his thirties, clinging on to every contact and offering himself for graveyard shifts and jobs noone else wanted. Eventually he climbs through the ranks to BBC Security Correspondent (of which he is the first - he coined the title himself).
As a journalism student, I found his book captivating not only for the information I gained about my chosen university subject, but also on a personal level, as I really began to feel I was making the journey with him through life to the career he has come to love today. I found it very difficult to put down, finding myself reading it during work breaks and late into the night when I really ought to have been sleeping! He comes across as a very humble man who adores his wife and two daughters, and is incredibly forgiving considering the horrific nature of his attack, and the physical difficulties he has faced as a result.
I would highly recommend the book to anyone studying journalism, is currently in the profession, or someone who just wants to learn more about Islam and the Middle East in general. You will even learn some Arabic along the way!
