Jack Fairweather

Would you sacrifice yourself to save thousands of others?In the Summer of 1940, after the Nazi occupation of Poland, an underground operative called Witold Pilecki accepted a mission to uncover the fate of thousands of people being interned at a new concentration camp on the border of the Reich. His mission was to report on Nazi crimes and raise a secret army to stage an uprising. The name of the detention centre -- Auschwitz.It was only after arriving at the camp that he started to discover the Nazi's terrifying plans. Over the next two and half years, Witold forged an underground army that smuggled evidence of Nazi atrocities out of Auschwitz. His reports from the camp were to shape the Allies response to the Holocaust - yet his story was all but forgotten for decades. This is the first major account to draw on unpublished family papers, newly released archival documents and exclusive interviews with surviving resistance fighters to show how he brought the fight to the Nazis at the heart of their evil designs.The result is an enthralling story of resistance and heroism against the most horrific circumstances, and one man's attempt to change the course of history.

La increíble historia real de Witold Pilecki, el único hombre que entró en Auschwitz por decisión propia para sabotear el campo desde dentro y conseguir información. Esta es la increíble historia real de la infiltracion de un heroe de la resistencia polaca que entro en Auschwitz voluntariamente para sabotear el campo desde dentro, y su intento de desafiar a la muerte para advertir a los aliados sobre los planes de los nazis de llevar a cabo la Solucion final antes de que fuera demasiado tarde. Para descubrir el destino de los miles de enterrados en un misterioso campamento nazi en la frontera del Reich, un luchador de la resistencia polaco de treinta y nueve años llamado Witold Pilecki se ofrecio como voluntario para una mision audaz: asumir una identidad falsa, ser capturado intencionalmente y enviado al nuevo campamento, y luego informar secretamente sobre lo que le habia sucedido a sus compatriotas alli. Pero recopilar informacion no era su unica tarea: debia ejecutar un ataque desde adentro, alli donde los alemanes menos lo esperarian. El nombre del campo era Auschwitz. Durante los siguientes dos años y medio, Pilecki forjo un ejercito clandestino dentro de Auschwitz que saboteo instalaciones, asesino a informantes y oficiales nazis, y reunio pruebas de abusos terrorificos y asesinatos en masa. Pero mientras reconstruia la horrible verdad de que el campamento se convertiria en el epicentro de los planes nazis para exterminar a los judios de Europa, Pilecki se dio cuenta de que tendria que poner en riesgo a sus hombres, su vida y su familia para advertir a Occidente antes de que todo se perdiera. Hacerlo significaba intentar lo imposible: escapar de Auschwitz. Completamente eliminado de cualquier registro historico por parte del gobierno comunista de posguerra de Polonia, Pilecki sigue siendo casi desconocido para el mundo. Ahora, con acceso exclusivo a diarios previamente ocultos, cuentas de familiares y sobrevivientes de campamentos, y archivos recientemente desclasificados, Jack Fairweather ofrece un documento inquebrantable de supervivencia, venganza y traicion en la hora mas oscura de la humanidad. Y al descubrir el tragico resultado de la mision de Pilecki, revela, asimismo, que su derrota final no se origino en Auschwitz o Berlin, sino en Londres y Washington.Otros autores han dicho...Una historia tan asombrosa que seria imposible de creer si no fuera por la claridad con la que esta contada y la investigacion meticulosa que presenta. Un libro que atrapa, una remarcable plasmacion del Holocausto y tambien un testimonio de todo lo mejor del espiritu humano.Mark Bowden, autor de Black Hawk derribado y Killing PabloExcelentemente escrito y con una investigacion impresionante, El voluntario nos introduce en Auschwitz y nos muestra, como si estuvieramos viendo una pelicula, la historia de un agente polaco que se infiltro en el infame campamento, organizo una rebelion y luego se escapo. Fairweather ha desenterrado una historia de valor incalculable y nos la ha entregado enla prosa mas convincente que he leido en mucho tiempo.Sebastian Junger, autor de La tormenta perfecta y Tribu Un relato fascinante del heroismohumano frente a situaciones extremas. La narracion de Fairweather es simplemente magistral.Jon Lee Anderson, autor de L...

In its earliest days, the American-led war in Afghanistan appeared to be a triumph - a good war in comparison to the debacle in Iraq. It has since turned into one of the longest and most expensive wars in recent history. The story of how this good war went so bad may well turn out to be a defining tragedy of the twenty-first century - yet, as acclaimed war correspondent Jack Fairweather explains, it should also give us reason to hope for an outcome grounded in Afghan reality.In The Good War, Fairweather provides the first full narrative history of the war in Afghanistan, from the 2001 invasion to the 2014 withdrawal. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, previously unpublished archives, and months of experience living and reporting in Afghanistan, Fairweather traces the course of the conflict from its inception after 9/11 to the drawdown in 2014. In the process, he explores the righteous intentions and astounding hubris that caused the Wests strategy in Afghanistan to flounder, refuting the long-held notion that the war could have been won with more troops and cash. Fairweather argues that only by accepting the limitations in Afghanistan - from the presence of the Taliban to the ubiquity of poppy production to the countrys inherent unsuitability for rapid, Western-style development - can we help to restore peace in this shattered land.A timely lesson in the perils of nation-building and a sobering reminder of the limits of military power, The Good War leads readers from the White House Situation Room to Afghan military outposts, from warlords palaces to insurgents dens, to explain how the US and its British allies might have salvaged the Afghan campaign - and how we must rethink other good wars in the future.

Totally gripping'-- Simon Sebag Montefiore Would you sacrifice yourself to save thousands of others? This is untold story of one of the greatest heroes of the Second World War. In the Summer of 1940, after the Nazi occupation of Poland, an underground operative called Witold Pilecki accepted a mission to uncover the fate of thousands of people being interned at a new concentration camp on the border of the Reich. His mission was to report on Nazi crimes and raise a secret army to stage an uprising. The name of the detention centre -- Auschwitz. It was only after arriving at the camp that he started to discover the Nazi's terrifying designs. Over the next two and half years, Witold forged an underground army that smuggled evidence of Nazi atrocities to the West, culminating in the mass murder of over a million Jews. His reports from the camp were to shape the Allies response to the Holocaust - yet his story was all but forgotten for decades. This is the first major account of his amazing journey, drawing on exclusive family papers and recently declassified files as well as unpublished accounts from the camp's fighters to show how he saved hundreds of thousands of lives. The result is a enthralling story of resistance and heroism against the most horrific circumstances, and one man's attempt to change the course of history.

THE NEW BOOK FROM THE BESTSELLING, COSTA PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE VOLUNTEERThe true story of a Jewish lawyer who returned to Germany after WWII to prosecute war crimes, only to find himself pitted against a nation determined to bury the past.At the end of the Nuremberg trial in 1946, some of the greatest war criminals in history were sentenced to death, but hundreds of thousands of Nazi murderers and collaborators remained at large. The Allies were ready to overlook their pasts as the Cold War began, and the horrors of the Holocaust were in danger of being forgotten.In The Prosecutor, Jack Fairweather brings to life the remarkable story of Fritz Bauer, a gay German Jew who survived the Nazis and made it his mission to force his countrymen to confront their complicity in the genocide. In this deeply researched book, Fairweather draws on unpublished family papers, newly declassified German records, and exclusive interviews to immerse readers in the dark, unfamiliar world of postwar West Germany where those who implemented genocide run the country, the CIA is funding Hitlers former spy-ring in the east, and Nazi-era anti-gay laws are strictly enforced. But once Bauer lands on the trail of Adolf Eichmann, he wont be intimidated. His journey takes him deep into the rotten heart of West Germany, where his fight for justice will set him against his own government and a network of former Nazis and spies determined to silence him.

Nous sommes à Varsovie, le 19 septembre 1940 ; les nazis tiennent la ville. Ils ont envahi la Pologne l’année précédente. Le pays est soumis au règne brutal de la terreur. Des milliers de Polonais –

A gripping account of the moral and political challenges posed by the Iraq war from the Costa Award winning author of The VolunteerWhen Tony Blair plunged Britain into war he thought that, shortly thereafter, Iraq would emerge as a peaceful democracy. Instead the invasion sparked the worst foreign policy disaster since the Suez crisis in 1956. A War of Choice is a compelling and authoritative portrayal of Britains war in Iraq. At the outset, Blair insisted that Britain went to war to influence American decision-making. Based on over three hundred interviews, A War of Choice gives the inside story of Blairs war cabinet, Whitehall power struggles and intrigue at the White House, and traces the evolution of the special relationship, from the secret deals struck by Blair, to Browns desperate bid to save his premiership, which brought already-strained relations with America to the verge of collapse.A story of hubris and honour, betrayal and the ultimate sacrifice, A War of Choice provides powerful insight into one of Britains most controversial conflicts.A timely work that offers a considered appraisal of what went wrong Times Literary Supplement

A gripping account of the moral and political challenges posed by the Iraq war from the Costa Award winning author of The Volunteer.When Tony Blair plunged Britain into war he thought that, shortly thereafter, Iraq would emerge as a peaceful democracy. Instead the invasion sparked the worst foreign policy disaster since the Suez crisis in 1956. A War of Choice is a compelling and authoritative portrayal of Britains war in Iraq. At the outset, Blair insisted that Britain went to war to influence American decision-making. Based on over three hundred interviews, A War of Choice gives the inside story of Blairs war cabinet, Whitehall power struggles and intrigue at the White House, and traces the evolution of the special relationship, from the secret deals struck by Blair, to Browns desperate bid to save his premiership, which brought already-strained relations with America to the verge of collapse. A story of hubris and honour, betrayal and the ultimate sacrifice, A War of Choice provides powerful insight into one of Britains most controversial conflicts.A timely work that offers a considered appraisal of what went wrong Times Literary Supplement

A timely lesson in the perils of nation-building and a sobering reminder of the limits of military power from the Costa Award winning author of The Volunteer.In its earliest days, the American-led war in Afghanistan appeared to be a triumph - a good war in comparison to the debacle in Iraq. It has since turned into one of the longest and most expensive wars in recent history. The story of how this good war went so bad may well turn out to be a defining tragedy of the twenty-first century - yet, as acclaimed war correspondent Jack Fairweather explains, it should also give us reason to hope for an outcome grounded in Afghan reality. In The Good War, Fairweather provides the first full narrative history of the war in Afghanistan, from the 2001 invasion to the 2014 withdrawal. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, previously unpublished archives, and months of experience living and reporting in Afghanistan, Fairweather traces the course of the conflict from its inception after 9/11 to the drawdown in 2014. In the process, he explores the righteous intentions and astounding hubris that caused the Wests strategy in Afghanistan to flounder, refuting the long-held notion that the war could have been won with more troops and cash. Fairweather argues that only by accepting the limitations in Afghanistan - from the presence of the Taliban to the ubiquity of poppy production to the countrys inherent unsuitability for rapid, Western-style development - can we help to restore peace in this shattered land.The Good War leads readers from the White House Situation Room to Afghan military outposts, from warlords palaces to insurgents dens, to explain how the US and its British allies might have salvaged the Afghan campaign - and how we must rethink other good wars in the future.

One of the Sunday Times paperbacks of the Year 2020One of the Financial Times best books of 2020Totally gripping-- Simon Sebag MontefiorePilecki is perhaps one of the greatest unsung heroes of the second world war ... this insightful book is likely to be the definitive version of this extraordinary life -- EconomistWould you sacrifice yourself to save thousands of others?In the Summer of 1940, after the Nazi occupation of Poland, an underground operative called Witold Pilecki accepted a mission to uncover the fate of thousands of people being interned at a new concentration camp on the border of the Reich. His mission was to report on Nazi crimes and raise a secret army to stage an uprising. The name of the detention centre -- Auschwitz.It was only after arriving at the camp that he started to discover the Nazis terrifying plans. Over the next two and half years, Witold forged an underground army that smuggled evidence of Nazi atrocities out of Auschwitz. His reports from the camp were to shape the Allies response to the Holocaust - yet his story was all but forgotten for decades. This is the first major account to draw on unpublished family papers, newly released archival documents and exclusive interviews with surviving resistance fighters to show how he brought the fight to the Nazis at the heart of their evil designs.The result is an enthralling story of resistance and heroism against the most horrific circumstances, and one mans attempt to change the course of history.

WINNER of 75th National Jewish Book Award: BiographyFIVE STARS Magnificent TelegraphCompulsively readable Financial TimesGripping and timely The TimesCrackingly told Philippe SandsA kind of masterclass Sebastian JungerTHE NEW BOOK FROM THE BESTSELLING, COSTA PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE VOLUNTEERThe true story of a Jewish lawyer who returned to Germany after WWII to prosecute war crimes, only to find himself pitted against a nation determined to bury the past.At the end of the Nuremberg trial in 1946, some of the greatest war criminals in history were sentenced to death, but hundreds of thousands of Nazi murderers and collaborators remained at large. The Allies were ready to overlook their pasts as the Cold War began, and the horrors of the Holocaust were in danger of being forgotten.In The Prosecutor, Jack Fairweather brings to life the remarkable story of Fritz Bauer, a gay German Jew who survived the Nazis and made it his mission to force his countrymen to confront their complicity in the genocide. In this deeply researched book, Fairweather draws on unpublished family papers, newly declassified German records, and exclusive interviews to immerse readers in the dark, unfamiliar world of postwar West Germany where those who implemented genocide run the country, the CIA is funding Hitlers former spy-ring in the east, and Nazi-era anti-gay laws are strictly enforced. But once Bauer lands on the trail of Adolf Eichmann, he wont be intimidated. His journey takes him deep into the rotten heart of West Germany, where his fight for justice will set him against his own government and a network of former Nazis and spies determined to silence him.In a time when the history of the Holocaust is taken for granted, The Prosecutor reveals the courtroom battles that were fought to establish its legacy and the personal cost of speaking out. The result is a searing portrait of a nation emerging from the ruins of fascism and one mans courage in forcing his peopleand the worldto face the truth.

Autor vencedor do Costa PrizeLivro vencedor do prémio NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK, na categoria de biografia A verdadeira história do procurador-geral judeu disposto a sacrificar tudo para obter justiça na Alemanha do pos-guerraEm 1946, nos julgamentos de Nuremberga, alguns dos maiores criminosos de guerra da Historia foram condenados a morte, mas muitos ex-nazis ficaram em liberdade. Na Alemanha e entre os Aliados, o desejo de deixar o passado para tras prevalecia, e o Holocausto corria o risco de ser esquecido.Com base em documentos familiares ineditos, registos recentemente desclassificados e entrevistas exclusivas, Jack Fairweather da vida nestas paginas a historia de Fritz Bauer, um magistrado e jurista judeu e homossexual que, ao regressar a Alemanha depois de um exilio forçado na Suecia, trabalhou incansavelmente para obrigar os seus compatriotas a reconhecerem a responsabilidade e ampla cumplicidade nos horrores nazis. O que emerge e um retrato de uma Alemanha sombria, perturbadora, homofobica e racista, mesmo no periodo pos-1945, onde criminosos de guerra ocupavam cargos importantes em ministerios e a CIA financiava a antiga rede de espionagem de Hitler.Muitos tentaram deter Fritz Bauer, mas ele recusou-se a ser intimidado. E, graças a sua luta pela verdade, centenas de nazis foram levados a justiça.Os elogios da critica:"Escrito de forma primorosa e extremamente evocativa, este livro e uma poderosa homenagem ao advogado judeu cuja tenacidade forçou uma naço a confrontar-se com os seus crimes."Katja Hoyer, autora de Para La do Muro"Narrado de forma brilhante."Philippe Sands, autor de Estrada Leste-Oeste"Um livro imperdivel."Giles Milton, autor de Xeque-Mate em Berlim"Uma biografia fascinante e bem fundamentada."The New York Times"Um livro magnifico sobre um homem magnifico."The Telegraph"Uma demonstraço de mestria em pesquisa historica e uma escrita excelente. Le-se como um romance de espionagem. Absolutamente magistral."Sebastian Junger, autor de A Tempestade Perfeita"Um livro importante, bem fundamentado, bem escrito e impactante. No poderia ser mais oportuno."Andrew Roberts, autor de Churchill - Caminhando com o Destino"Meticulosamente fundamentado e bem escrito. Jack Fairweather da vida a um homem cuja historia tambem contem as liçes morais de que precisamos hoje."Anne Applebaum, autora de Autocracia, Inc."Um espantoso trabalho de investigaço com um toque de narrativa."Robert Jan van Pelt, escritor premiado e especialista no tema do Holocausto

La increíble historia real de Witold Pilecki, el único hombre que entró en Auschwitz por decisión propia para sabotear el campo desde dentro y conseguir información.Esta es la increíble historia real de la infiltracion de un heroe de la resistencia polaca que entro en Auschwitz voluntariamente para sabotear el campo desde dentro, y su intento de desafiar a la muerte para advertir a los aliados sobre los planes de los nazis de llevar a cabo la Solucion final antes de que fuera demasiado tarde.Para descubrir el destino de los miles de enterrados en un misterioso campamento nazi en la frontera del Reich, un luchador de la resistencia polaco de treinta y nueve años llamado Witold Pilecki se ofrecio como voluntario para una mision audaz: asumir una identidad falsa, ser capturado intencionalmente y enviado al nuevo campamento, y luego informar secretamente sobre lo que le habia sucedido a sus compatriotas alli. Pero recopilar informacion no era su unica tarea: debia ejecutar un ataque desde adentro, alli donde los alemanes menos lo esperarian.El nombre del campo era Auschwitz.Durante los siguientes dos años y medio, Pilecki forjo un ejercito clandestino dentro de Auschwitz que saboteo instalaciones, asesino a informantes y oficiales nazis, y reunio pruebas de abusos terrorificos y asesinatos en masa. Pero mientras reconstruia la horrible verdad de que el campamento se convertiria en el epicentro de los planes nazis para exterminar a los judios de Europa, Pilecki se dio cuenta de que tendria que poner en riesgo a sus hombres, su vida y su familia para advertir a Occidente antes de que todo se perdiera. Hacerlo significaba intentar lo imposible: escapar de Auschwitz.Completamente eliminado de cualquier registro historico por parte del gobierno comunista de posguerra de Polonia, Pilecki sigue siendo casi desconocido para el mundo. Ahora, con acceso exclusivo a diarios previamente ocultos, cuentas de familiares y sobrevivientes de campamentos, y archivos recientemente desclasificados, Jack Fairweather ofrece un documento inquebrantable de supervivencia, venganza y traicion en la hora mas oscura de la humanidad. Y al descubrir el tragico resultado de la mision de Pilecki, revela, asimismo, que su derrota final no se origino en Auschwitz o Berlin, sino en Londres y Washington.Otros autores han dicho... Una historia tan asombrosa que seria imposible de creer si no fuera por la claridad con la que esta contada y la investigacion meticulosa que presenta. Un libro que atrapa, una remarcable plasmacion del Holocausto y tambien un testimonio de todo lo mejor del espiritu humano.Mark Bowden, autor de Black Hawk derribado y Killing PabloExcelentemente escrito y con una investigacion impresionante, El voluntario nos introduce en Auschwitz y nos muestra, como si estuvieramos viendo una pelicula, la historia de un agente polaco que se infiltro en el infame campamento, organizo una rebelion y luego se escapo. Fairweather ha desenterrado una historia de valor incalculable y nos la ha entregado en la prosa mas convincente que he leido en mucho tiempo.Sebastian Junger, autor de La tormenta perfecta y TribuUn relato fascinante del heroismo humano frente a situaciones extremas. La narracion de Fairweather es simplemente magistral.Jon Lee Anderson, autor de La tumba del leonUn libro fascinante y adictivo, y tan profundo como cualquier gran obra de la literatura, ya que revela el coraje y el salvajismo del ser humano.Elliot Ackerman, autor de Places and Names y Waiting for Eden

La increíble historia real de Witold Pilecki, el único hombre que entró en Auschwitz por decisión propia para sabotear el campo desde dentro y conseguir información. Esta es la increíble historia real de la infiltracion de un heroe de la resistencia polaca que entro en Auschwitz voluntariamente para sabotear el campo desde dentro, y su intento de desafiar a la muerte para advertir a los aliados sobre los planes de los nazis de llevar a cabo la Solucion final antes de que fuera demasiado tarde. Para descubrir el destino de los miles de enterrados en un misterioso campamento nazi en la frontera del Reich, un luchador de la resistencia polaco de treinta y nueve años llamado Witold Pilecki se ofrecio como voluntario para una mision audaz: asumir una identidad falsa, ser capturado intencionalmente y enviado al nuevo campamento, y luego informar secretamente sobre lo que le habia sucedido a sus compatriotas alli. Pero recopilar informacion no era su unica tarea: debia ejecutar un ataque desde adentro, alli donde los alemanes menos lo esperarian. El nombre del campo era Auschwitz. Durante los siguientes dos años y medio, Pilecki forjo un ejercito clandestino dentro de Auschwitz que saboteo instalaciones, asesino a informantes y oficiales nazis, y reunio pruebas de abusos terrorificos y asesinatos en masa. Pero mientras reconstruia la horrible verdad de que el campamento se convertiria en el epicentro de los planes nazis para exterminar a los judios de Europa, Pilecki se dio cuenta de que tendria que poner en riesgo a sus hombres, su vida y su familia para advertir a Occidente antes de que todo se perdiera. Hacerlo significaba intentar lo imposible: escapar de Auschwitz. Completamente eliminado de cualquier registro historico por parte del gobierno comunista de posguerra de Polonia, Pilecki sigue siendo casi desconocido para el mundo. Ahora, con acceso exclusivo a diarios previamente ocultos, cuentas de familiares y sobrevivientes de campamentos, y archivos recientemente desclasificados, Jack Fairweather ofrece un documento inquebrantable de supervivencia, venganza y traicion en la hora mas oscura de la humanidad. Y al descubrir el tragico resultado de la mision de Pilecki, revela, asimismo, que su derrota final no se origino en Auschwitz o Berlin, sino en Londres y Washington.Otros autores han dicho...Una historia tan asombrosa que seria imposible de creer si no fuera por la claridad con la que esta contada y la investigacion meticulosa que presenta. Un libro que atrapa, una remarcable plasmacion del Holocausto y tambien un testimonio de todo lo mejor del espiritu humano.Mark Bowden, autor de Black Hawk derribado y Killing PabloExcelentemente escrito y con una investigacion impresionante, El voluntario nos introduce en Auschwitz y nos muestra, como si estuvieramos viendo una pelicula, la historia de un agente polaco que se infiltro en el infame campamento, organizo una rebelion y luego se escapo. Fairweather ha desenterrado una historia de valor incalculable y nos la ha entregado enla prosa mas convincente que he leido en mucho tiempo.Sebastian Junger, autor de La tormenta perfecta y Tribu Un relato fascinante del heroismohumano frente a situaciones extremas. La narracion de Fairweather es simplemente magistral.Jon Lee Anderson, autor de L...