The World's Biggest Arms Trafficker Goes Down Hard

In 'Black Wave', John and Jean Silverwood recount their family's journey aboard their catamaran, the Emerald Jane. The book delves into the family dynamics, the struggles with nature, and the personal battles, particularly John's fight with alcoholism. The narrative is split between Jean's and John's perspectives, with Jean focusing on the emotional and familial aspects, and John providing a historical and nautical context. The story culminates in a dramatic accident where the boat runs aground on coral, leading to a life-threatening ordeal for the family.

The Siege of Mecca by Yaroslav Trofimov recounts the pivotal and often overlooked event of the 1979 uprising at Islam's holiest shrine. On November 20, 1979, gunmen led by Juhayman al Uteybi seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca, trapping 100,000 people and sparking a two-week siege that inflamed Muslim rage against the United States. Trofimov's narrative is based on interviews with direct participants and hundreds of newly declassified documents, providing a thrilling and detailed account of the siege and its long-lasting aftereffects on the Middle East and the world. The book highlights the siege's role in the emergence of modern fundamentalist Islamic threats, including the blueprint it provided for Al Qaeda[1][3][4].