Warriors: Life and Death Among the Somalis Paperback – May 10, 2005

Spectacular. The juxtaposition that informs the warrior nature of Somalis - should be mandatory reading for anybody tasked or opting to work with this amazingly tough culture.

Outstanding story, well told. Moving portrait of British officers persevering in isolated and desolate conditions. Haunting and unforgettable.

Even though a lot have changed from the somali people as Gerald knew, I find this book very fascinating and true to the core of the Somalis.

this is one of the greatest reads for me so far. This book often made me cry because as a young somali woman the hardship my people put each other through. and at times it made me laugh, it brought laughter due to how true it was of us somalis. our hardheadedness especially!!!i would definitely recommend!!!

Gerald Hanley reveals insights of the vast desert areas in and around Somalia during his tour as a young officer in British Army during WWII. Remote and arid, Hanley deals with his isolation through personal introspection, gaining insight into many realms of inquiry. Raw, real and authentic.

The author, stationed among Somali tribal warriors, in the Somalia desert scrubland, gains new insights about the definition of who are really the "savages"' the Somali tribal warriors who occasionally fight over scarce water and grazing resources with casualties of a few at a time or the Western powers slaughtering people by the hundreds of thousands during that World War II period.

If I loved Hemingway, I might enjoy this book. But, except for THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, I really don't enjoy Hemingway. Too male focused; not a female in the story anywhere.I was in Somalia for two years (Peace Corps), and my view of Somalis is quite different. For example, Hanley gets excited about a "magical" experience that a group of men participated in. Frankly, I thought it sounded like a q'at (hashish) party with everyone fairly delusional. I lived in the Rahahwein region where this theoretically happened, and q'at is far more likely than a gathering of men for "magic".Hanley's depiction of Somali men is obviously from a British army perspective. These are not normal Somalis with families and routines of their own. Everyone in the book responds to Hanley or to the army in general. I doubt that their Moslem ethic is mentioned even once. This is a book about Hanley, not about Somalis. Keep that in mind, and if you enjoy the macho tales of Hemingway, you will likely enjoy this book.

Philosophical and introspective. This book is truly a gem and I would recommend it to anyone looking to understand British colonialism in Somalia.