The Pirates of Somalia: Inside Their Hidden World by Jay Bahadur
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Jay Bahadur is a ballsy kid fresh from college that wants to break into journalism and what a better way to do it than obtain interviews from some of the most notorious criminals in the world. With a few connections and naiveté of youth he travels to Somalia to confirm impressions and tell the story of these modern-day pirates.
Bahadur does a great job of framing the problem and clarify things that have become glorified or exaggerated in the media. My impression is that the pirates started off as noble fisherman defending their territory, been taken over by opportunistic junkies looking for fast money but in the future will evolve into professional organized crime if something doesn’t change.
Very interesting detailed account of goings on in a part of the world I will be avoiding at all costs!
