Review of "The Gun" by C.J. Chivers, (on the AK-47)

[josquin]

I just came across this review in today's (Oct.31) New York Times of a comprehensive book by on the Kalashnikov by "NY Times correspondent and former Marine", J.C. Chivers. The reviewer concludes by saying:

Chivers is a first-rate war correspondent and a prodigious researcher who has tracked down every relevant document (or so it appears). He even interviewed the aging Kalashnikov. He is less adept as a writer, and “The Gun” is full of infelicitous phrases. I am still struggling to figure out the meaning of this sentence: “Whenever an idea organizes for battle it gathers around its guns.” There are also too many repetitions and distracting detours, like the lengthy story of a Kurdish bodyguard who was badly wounded by an AK-47. But these are only quibbles. “The Gun” is likely to become the standard account of the world’s standard assault rifle.

nytimes.com/2010/10/31/books/review/Boot-t.html?pagewanted=1&ref=world

Stuart