March 2020 Bookclub News

Colvin in Chechnya in 1999. Photograph: Dmitri Beliakov/Rex

Dear Bookclub,
Unable to attend our March discussion of Lindsey Hilsum's "In Extremis: The Life and Death of the War Correspondent Marie Colvin", I can only relay what was reported:everyone really liked the book and discussion was excellent.

In prepraration for our meeting, Terrie had shared an 8 minute NPR(fabulous) interview of the author with Lulu Garcia Navarro:
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/04/663571722/a-new-biography-of-marie-colvin-eyewitness-to-war
 
And shared by Wanda, the movie, "A Private War" on Amazon Prime. There is also a 2018 documentary, "Under the Wire":
https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2019/02/223656/marie-colvin-under-the-wire-bbc-4



Not a tragic accident, Marie's death was ruled to be murder in 2019. A civil suit brought about by Marie's sister, Catherine, is reported on by none other than Lindsey Hilsum in the following "Guardian" article:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/feb/03/marie-colvin-murder-verdict--risks-journalists-lindsey-hilsum

Marie Colvin and Lindsey Hilsum in Jenin, Palestine, in 2002. Picture: Paul Moorcraft

Hilsum,  after 114 interviews and reading 300 of Colvin’s notebooks and diaries, said the hardest part was knowing when to stop researching and start writing. “It’s a very strange thing to get to know your friend better in death than in life, but that’s what happened, because if she had lived I would never have read her teenage diaries." For more about Hilsum's experience writing the book, please enjoy this "Press Gazaette" interview during her 2018 book launch days:

https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/lindsey-hilsum-anxious-of-adding-to-myth-of-killed-sunday-times-war-reporter-marie-colvin-through-new-book-on-her-life/


Suggestions from Terrie for an upcoming selection:

"When All is Said" Anne Griffin
"The Gifted School" Bruce Holsinger *chosen
"The Mercies" Brian Millwood Hargrave


Up next:

Michele and her parents

Please enjoy this eclectic list of Michele's other writings (many with her husband, Albert Wu) from her website:

https://www.michellekuo.net/other-writings

Safe reading,
LK