Author(s): Linda Polman

Non-Fiction

In recent years our televisions have beamed images of young men in blue helmets dropping from the skies into war-torn countries, sent to 'keep the peace'. But what really happens when they reach the front line? Linda Polman witnessed the UN missions to Somalia, Haiti and Rwanda and met their frightened soldiers, mystified locals and jaded mercenaries. In a voice that is utterly compelling she discovers the comic absurdities inside the 'peace-keeping' camps, and the truly horrifying reality outside. As the author pays tribute to the bravery of some, she also exposes, with breathtaking clarity, the human cost of our indifference. We Did Nothing is truly a book for our times. Beautifully written and brutally honest, it is a gripping and yet profoundly disturbing expose of our attempts to keep the peace in the modern world.