Lara Marlowe, the Washington correspondent of The Irish Times, has witnessed more than her share of history in three decades as a foreign correspondent. She has reported with clarity and fearlessness on the main conflicts of our era, from the civil war in Lebanon to the break-up of Yugoslavia, the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She has been outspoken in her criticism of the often cruel and misguided actions of the world's leading powers, and invariably seeks out the views of civilians caught up in wars that are not of their making. The human cost of conflict and the absurdity of war come through her work, time and again. In this stunning and moving collection, Lara Marlowe has chosen her finest pieces of writing from her years as a foreign correspondent in some of the world's most troubled countries - notably Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Haiti - as well as the power centers of Paris and Washington. She brings her keen insight to bear on some intractable problems, and shares with the reader the terror of living in a war zone. There are lighter moments too: a wonderful house-warming party in Beirut during a lull in artillery bombardments; meetings with talented celebrities, including Carla Bruni, Isabelle Adjani and Marcel Marceau; the simple delight of the companionship of cats. This is a superb collection from a writer at the height of her powers.