Underground

By interviewing commuters who survived, Murakami investigates the aftermath of the horrifying 1995 nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system. He also includes the impressions of members of the radical religious cult Aum Shinrikyo, which perpetrated the attack.

"...Murakami has produced a human document far more potent than his often sentimental and fantastic fiction." - Catherine O'Brien (Times Literary Supplement, 2/23/01)

"Just as [Murakami's] fiction owes debts to Kafka and Chandler, UNDERGROUND borrows its method from a Westerner: Studs Terkel...The first half focuses on survivors....But...such stories begin to blur when amassed together. One surprise, however, is how many survivors express puzzlement instead of fury at the cult...The second, more memorable half..., fleshes out this theme." - Suzanne Smith Saulniers (New York Times Book Review, 6/10/01)

top political freedom & security - international security books

Underground - Haruki Murakami +w By interviewing commuters who survived, Murakami investigates the aftermath...  read more

2.  Charlie Wilson's War - George Crile +w 3.  The End of Faith - Sam Harris +w 4.  Failed States - Noam Chomsky +w 5.  Cuckoo's Egg - Clifford Stoll +w 6.  Legacy of Ashes - Tim Weiner +w 7.  See No Evil - Robert Baer +w 8.  The 9/11 Commission Report - National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States +w 9.  The Crisis - David Harris +w 10.  Chicken Soup for the Soul of America - Jack Canfield +w

top international books

The Lexus and the Olive Tree - Thomas L. Friedman +w The Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign-affairs columnist for the New York Times...  read more

2.  Hegemony or Survival - Noam Chomsky +w 3.  Jarhead - Anthony Swofford +w 4.  Hunting The Jackal - Billy Waugh +w 5.  Power and Terror - Noam Chomsky +w 6.  Brave New War - John Robb +w 7.  Beyond Fear - Bruce Schneier +w 8.  Globalisation, Food Security, and War - Vandana Shiva +w 9.  Fire - Sebastian Junger +w 10.  Vengeance - George Jonas +w