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Gurkha: Better To Die Than Live A Coward: My Life In The Gurkhas
Gurkha: Better To Die Than Live A Coward: My Life In The Gurkhas
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In the summer of 2006, Colour-Sergeant Kailash Limbu's platoon was sent to relieve and occupy a police compound in the town of Now Zad in Helmand. He was told to prepare for a forty-eight hour operation. In the end, he and his men were under siege for thirty-one days - one of the longest such sieges in the whole of the Afghan campaign.
Kailash Limbu recalls the terrifying and exciting details of those thirty-one days - in which they killed an estimated one hundred Taliban fighters - and intersperses them with the story of his own life as a villager from the Himalayas. He grew up in a place without roads or electricity and didn't see a car until he was fifteen.
Kailash's descriptions of Gurkha training and rituals - including how to use the lethal Kukri knife - are eye-opening and fascinating. They combine with the story of his time in Helmand to create a unique account of one man's life as a Gurkha.
'I was completely bowled over by Kailash's book and read it with a beating heart and dry mouth. I felt as though I was at his side, hearing the shells and bullets, enjoying the jokes and listening in the scary dead of night. The skill with which he has included his childhood and training is immense, always discovered with ease in the it actually felt as though I was watching, was IN a film with him. It brought me nearer than I have ever been not only to the mind of the universal soldier but to a hill boy of Nepal and a hugely impressive Gurkha. I raced through it and couldn't put it it reads like a thriller. If you want to know anything about the Gurkhas, read this book, and be prepared for a thrilling and dangerous trip' Joanna Lumley
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A note on book covers: while we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
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One Line Summary
Gurkha hero’s riveting story of courage and survival.
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Who is this book for?
This memoir is a gripping window into the extraordinary life of a Gurkha soldier, and you'll find yourself immersed in his world from the rugged Himalayan roots to the intense battlefield experiences. Kailash Limbu’s storytelling makes you feel like you're right there with him, through harrowing sieges and moments of bravery, all conveyed with remarkable candor and vivid detail. If you're curious about what it truly means to serve and survive in such demanding conditions, this book delivers a powerful and exhilarating read.