Caught In The Crossfire was written by a close friend of mine, Matina Jewell. She has had an incredible journey to get to this point and hers is a story that must be read to be believed.
We first met at the Australian Defence Force Academy and after seeing her on ABCs Australian Story in 2010 I was moved to get in touch again, even though it had been 14 years since we'd last seen each other.
Much has happened since the airing of Australian Story, Blue Beret Part 1 and 2, and after sharing my love of books and reading with Matti she asked me to proof read her memoir. It was an honour and a dream come true for me and a process I'll always cherish. Throughout the writing and publishing of her book we've formed a fabulous friendship, and I think all Australians should read this informative and engaging Australian memoir.
If you can't see past my enthusiasm you can check out the blurb below and watch the book trailer for Caught In The Crossfire by clicking here.
Blurb: In 2006, while part of an un-armed UN peacekeeping team at the border junction of Lebanon, Israel and Syria, Australian Major Matina Jewell and her colleagues were caught in a full-scale war with tragic consequences. In the days that followed she and her team-mates reported hundreds of violations of the peace agreement as Israeli artillery, tank fire and aerial bombs, as well as rockets fired by Hezbollah fighters, exploded only metres away and shrapnel rained down around them. But the story does not end there...
Matti Jewell is the kind of soldier every country is proud to have - fearless, honourable and highly skilled. A star graduate from Duntroon by the age of only 24, she became a highly valued army commander. In the years that followed, she earned eight war medals, tracking militia leaders in the Solomons, fast-roping out of Navy helicopters and boarding smuggler ships in the Arabian Gulf, as well as serving on operations with the American Navy SEALS and Australian Special Forces.
Caught in the Crossfire is a frighteningly dramatic first-hand account of what really happens in modern warfare and the high price our soldiers pay for their country.
This memoir is published by Allen & Unwin, and is the first in Australia to incorporate QR codes throughout the book. What's a QR code? It's a square icon printed onto a page - similar to a bar code - that you can scan with your phone using a free application. As soon as you've scanned a QR code, a short video relevant to the section you're reading will begin to play. This is exciting and groundbreaking technology for publishers and readers alike and is an Australian first.
When you read the memoir and watch the accompanying video clips, you will no doubt find it amazing, shocking, inspiring and thought provoking. I'm lucky to call Matina a friend.
My rating = *****
Carpe Librum!
It is very helpful!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it.
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