The Fear: The Last Days of Robert Mugabe

A caustic and highly emotional account of Zimbabwe under the tyranny of Mugabe's last days In mid-2008, after nearly three decades of increasingly tyrannical rule, Robert Mugabe, the eighty-four-year-old ruler of Zimbabwe, lost an election. But instead of conceding power, he was persuaded to launch a brutal campaign of terror to cower his citizens. Journalist and author Peter Godwin was one of the few observers to slip into the country and bear witness to the terrifying period that Zimbabweans call, simply, The Fear. Told with Godwin's brilliant eye for detail and natural story-telling gifts, this tale of corruption and violence is punctuated by moments of humour and goodwill, and populated by extraordinary characters whose lives have been shaped by The Fear.

About the Author :
Peter Godwin is the author of Mukiwa and When a Crocodile Eats the Sun, both published by Picador. He writes for various publications including the New York Times magazine, National Geographic, Time and Newsweek. He lives in Manhattan.

Review :
""The Fear" is an important book detailing the violent realities, the grotesque injustices, the hunger, the sadness, and a portrait of Mugabe, the tyrant who is the cause of it all. Godwin is passionate and personal, as well as bold in his travel and scrupulous in his documentation."--Paul Theroux, author of "Ghost Train to the Eastern Star" ""The Fear" is an urgent and essential book: a stunning account of a dictator's determination to destroy his people, and of his people's refusal to be destroyed. Written in the teeth of devastation and despair, without recourse to sentimentality or false hope, it is a heroic account of political heroism -- and it makes for relentlessly gripping reading."--Philip Gourevitch, author of "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families" "remarkable.... The depiction of the heroic (if "prissy") liberation leader against white-minority rule turned brutal power-monger is at once personal, well-informed, and at times, heart-racing. Godwin and Georgina tour the economically devastated and state-terrorized cities, farms, and diamond mines at considerable personal risk, gathering candid interviews with dispossessed farmers, marginalized elites, and former insiders to cast a light on the workings of Mugabe's dictatorship and psychology, and the "fear factor" crucial to his control. Godwin's skills as a journalist and his personal connection to Zimbabwe combine to create an astonishing piece of reportage marked by spare, stirring description, heartrending action, and smart analysis."-- Publishers Weekly "A feat of fearless reporting, this shattering story is not only an expose of the horrors of political violence, but a testament to the astonishing courage of ordinary citizens in the face of evil."--Melanie Thernstrom, author of "The Pain Chronicles" "Peter Godwin's latest book is the most powerful indictment of Robert Mugabe's regime yet written, marking out the author as one of the sharpest observers of modern Africa."-- The Economist "There is nothing on the subject of Robert Mugabe's terror state that comes even close to Peter Godwin's brilliant account. It took great courage to pursue this horror at close range, as Godwin did. This book will change utterly readers' perceptions of what is happening in this afflicted corner of Africa."--Norman Rush, author of "Mating" and "Mortals" Peter Godwin' s passionate and courageous memoir catalogues Zimbabwe's descent into horror with such vivid detail.... But this is not just a book about the savagery of Mugabe's goons. It is a testament to the courage and resilience of my fellow countrymen and women.... Godwin's heroes refuse to back down. Again and again they find ways to resist. This remarkable courage runs a thread of hope through the book."-- "The Guardian" "Wilf Mbanga "