Sandstorm is a passionate but measured account of why the battle for Libya happened, how it played out and what may be yet to come. By hanging the distressing but often inspiring stories of a group of Libyans around the central figure of the colonel, she gives a rounded and readable snapshot of extraordinary change in a closed country that few international journalists could claim to have known well before last year's events.-
Financial TimesA nearly incredible, fantastical tale of the rise and fall of the 'mad dog' of Libya...demonstrates not only the criminal megalomania of Gaddafi and his pernicious network of nepotism but also the venality and hypocrisy of the West that kept him in power until the bitter end. A fitting, clear-eyed send-off to an infamous dictator. -Kirkus
As well-paced and exciting as it is authoritative, Sandstorm is an epic account of the revolution that swept Muammar Gaddafi from power. Written by one of the finest war correspondents of our time, this is a must-read first draft of history. -Jon Lee Anderson
Lindsey Hilsum's powerful book is both a history of one of the world's most bizarre regimes and an unforgettable account of Gaddafi's rapid decline and fall. If only all revolutions had such intelligent and observant witnesses. Her prose is all the more effective for being restrained. She is also clear-eyed about the challenges facing Libyans after forty years of relentless repression by a corrupt family dictatorship. Essential reading. -Misha Glenny, author of
McMafia and The BalkansNo reporter was better placed than Lindsey Hilsum to tell the story of Libya's revolution, and she has not failed. She gives us both a compelling account of the rise and fall of one of Africa's most grotesque despots and a portrait of how ordinary citizens set about the task of toppling a regime. This is a kaleidoscopic, humane chronicle of how political convulsion is lived by real people...Hilsum's writing is as lucid, nuanced and intelligent as her pieces to camera, and the pages fly through one's hands. -Michela Wrong, author of
In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz 