

The book's a factual account of the story of Amedeo Guillet, an Italian commander during the second world war, in Italian occupied Libya and eastern Africa. The author mixes Amedeo's personal story with informational, occasionally detailed but always well written historical accounts and backgrounds for Italy's adventures as a colonial power in Africa.
Although Amedeo's story is quite spectacular, nearly being killed on numerous occasions, fighting on for the Italians long after the Italians surrendered to the Allied forces, escaping to the Yemen, struggling to get back to Italy, only to volunteer to continue fighting immediately, the first couple of chapters are a bit confusing at times when the mix of historical fact and personal (although factual) adventure is a bit too fluid. It not always being clear when historical accounts stop and personal memories continue.
Nevertheless, the author has captured quite an amazing story and has been able to write it down in an enjoyable style, keeping the suspense in the personal tale and supplying a very good backdrop of information on Italy's reasons for its conquests.
The book's a factual account of the story of Amedeo Guillet, an Italian commander during the second world war, in Italian occupied Libya and eastern Africa. The author mixes Amedeo's personal story with informational, occasionally detailed but always well written historical accounts and backgrounds for Italy's adventures as a colonial power in Africa.
Although Amedeo's story is quite spectacular, nearly being killed on numerous occasions, fighting on for the Italians long after the Italians surrendered to the Allied forces, escaping to the Yemen, struggling to get back to Italy, only to volunteer to continue fighting immediately, the first couple of chapters are a bit confusing at times when the mix of historical fact and personal (although factual) adventure is a bit too fluid. It not always being clear when historical accounts stop and personal memories continue.
Nevertheless, the author has captured quite an amazing story and has been able to write it down in an enjoyable style, keeping the suspense in the personal tale and supplying a very good backdrop of information on Italy's reasons for its conquests.