To live or to perish forever

"A fascinating account of Schmidle's] years in Pakistan . . . The story of two Pakistans the author discovered: one beautiful and friendly, the other frightening and deadly."--"Booklist"

Nicholas Schmidle beat the Pakistani army into Taliban country. In October 2007, just weeks before thousands of troops, backed by helicopters and artillery fire, marched into the Swat valley to battle the gang of Talibs who had taken over the region, Schmidle rode into the town of Mingora on a public bus. He drove through Taliban-manned checkpoints and took a zipline into a militant camp. Schmidle had spent the previous two years traveling throughout Pakistan, living off a small fellowship which required only that he stay in the country, learn Urdu, and write about what he witnessed.

Schmidle's telling of his gripping adventures, aided by his own deep knowledge of Pakistan's history, explains to readers the many reasons why Pakistan has grabbed the world's headlines. "To Live or to Perish Forever" is an eye-opening and exciting read about this essential place. Nicholas Schmidle is a fellow at the New America Foundation. He writes for the "New York Times Magazine," "Slate," "The New Republic," "Smithsonian," and the "Virginia Quarterly Review," among other publications, and received the 2008 Kurt Schork Award for freelance journalism. As a fellow of the Institute of Current World Affairs, he lived and reported in Pakistan for two years. Schmidle is a graduate of James Madison University and American University. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife. Nicholas Schmidle beat the Pakistani Army into Taliban country. In October 2007, just weeks before thousands of troops, backed by helicopters and artillery fire, marched into the Swat Valley to battle the gang of Talibs who had taken over the region, Schmidle rode into the town of Mingora on a public bus. He found girls' schools burned down and police stations long since abandoned. He drove through Taliban-manned checkpoints, took a zip line into a militant camp, and witnessed a public lashing. Schmidle had spent the previous two years living in Pakistan, a place dubbed "the most dangerous country in the world." Living off a small fellowship that required only that he stay in Pakistan, learn Urdu, and write about what he witnessed, Schmidle traveled to every corner of the country, ducking intelligence agents in Baluchistan, discussing American professional wrestling with mullahs in Karachi, running from tear gas-lobbing policemen in Islamabad, and avoiding the clutches of burly, jasmine-draped tribesmen in the North-West Frontier Province. Yet Schmidle's story is far more than just an adrenaline ride through a chaotic country. With the eye of an anthropologist and the mind of a historian, he explains the setting, the characters, and the background to many of the issues dominating headlines today--and those that promise to make news tomorrow. His unrivaled access and personal audacity, moreover, allow readers a thorough look inside Pakistan during a crucial phase in the nation's history--just as America's longtime ally Pervez Musharraf lost power, and the Taliban gained theirs. With a fresh blend of reportage and analysis, Schmidle weaves his own story into the wider narrative of a nation gripped by social upheaval and radicalization. "Nicholas Schmidle's portrait of Pakistan is worth more than a whole stack of intelligence reports. From remote Swat to teeming Karachi, he humanizes this labyrinthine country--where real danger has grown while the world focused elsewhere. Schmidle's blend of history and travelogue is by turns poignant and terrifying, but always relevant, always engaging, and more urgent now than ever."--Nathaniel Fick, author of the "New York Times" bestseller "One Bullet Away"

"Richly reported . . . Brave enough to seek out some of the country's toughest jihadis despite the grave dangers facing american reporters in Pakistan, Schmidle has amassed a treasure trove of stories."--Joshua Kurlantzick, "The New York Times Book Review
""If Schmidle has had the grandest of luck in the timing of his book's release, it's luck he earned. Still in his 20s and recently married, he took his young wife on a two-year 'honeymoon' to Pakistan, where he worked as a researcher and part-time journalist. Instead of clinging to the ex-pat community, Schmidle did all he could to insinuate himself into every sector of local life--including extended contacts with radical clerics and members of the Taliban. He went where others were afraid to go, and got the stories others couldn't get. The result is a crucial policy textbook disguised as a page-turner travel memoir. Ranging from Taliban rallies on the Afghan frontier, to the riot-torn slums of Karachi, then into the homes of Pakistan's top political leaders, Schmidle's experiences relied on a rare knack for gaining trust. Of course, it helped that he took pains to learn Urdu, Pakistan's dominant tongue--without the language, you don't get the deep story. At the book's center lies the oddly respectful relationship the author developed with radical mullah Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who opened doors sealed to other Westerners in the fundamentalist labyrinth. The son of a Marine Corps general, with a brother in the Marines, Schmidle encountered stunning openness about the extremists' goals as he wandered through the madrassahs and mosques that had lured Daniel Pearl to his death."--Ralph Peters, "New York"" Post
""Nicholas Schmidle's portrait of Pakistan is worth more than a whole stack of intelligence reports. From remote Swat to teeming Karachi, he humanizes this labyrinthine country--where real danger has grown while the world focused elsewhere. Schmidle's blend of history and travelogue is by turns poignant and terrifying, but always relevant, always engaging, and more urgent now than ever."--Nathaniel Fick, author of the "New York Times" bestseller "One Bullet Away
"""To Live or to Perish Forever"