Strange Places, Questionable People - John Simpson

A Christmas gift from TJBR, purchased from my Wishlist, this is John Simpson's earliest-written autobiography, and the last one for me to read to get up-to-date with with what's available in paperback. Just the thing for a holiday 'blockbuster', it makes me what to re-read the subsequent books where he revisits some of the narrative in this one, which covers his childhood and first marriage, both of which provide interesting backdrop to his the early days of his career.

In the later chapters, John Simpson moves on to talk about his various roles at the BBC, and the world events on which he reported - ranging from the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first Gulf War and the massacres of Tiananmen Square, as well as some private travels, including the fascinating trip to the lapis lazuli mines in Afghanistan and an expedition up the Amazon to stay with the remote Ashaninica tribe.

Buy it: Amazon link