American Warlord

“One of the most remarkable biographies that has appeared in recent years.” —The Boston Globe

“[A] brutal but well-told tale. . . . Dwyer skillfully meshes interviews, documents and court testimony to reconstruct in painful detail the full panoply of . . . ghastly crimes.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Excellent.” —The Washington Post
 
“A first-hand glimpse at the effects of both the meddling and the indifference of foreign powers in Western Africa. . . . The next time chaos breaks out overseas, one can only hope that the decision-makers will be remembering the story told in American Warlord.” —The Christian Science Monitor

“Dwyer charts Taylor’s evolution from an average American thug into a notorious loose cannon in a war-torn region. . . . American Warlord hits its stride in explaining how U.S. authorities discovered how much misery Taylor personally inflicted in Liberia.” —The Miami Herald
 
“A major achievement. . . . A bumper crop of journalistic ethics and corroborative testimony. . . . Dwyer’s subtitle for American Warlord . . . is A True Story, and not for nothing, as even the basic proven facts of the case might otherwise strain credulity.” —The Daily Beast
 
“A twisted bildungsroman about a juvenile delinquent running with a bad crowd, and whose tough facade hides a vulnerable soul. . . . [A] complicated tale, moving backward and forward with narrative deftness, without losing sight of its moral and legal underpinnings.” —The Nation
 
“American Warlord is required reading for human rights advocate. . . . A story this unbelievable is legitimized by every detail.” —Macleans
 
“A dark triumph—a meticulous geopolitical narrative and gripping tale of an American son lost to evil.”—Kirkus (starred)
 
“A powerful tale about the dark side of power.” —Paste magazine
 
“Humanize[s] the inhumane story. . . . Important for readers interested in conflicts in West Africa.” —Library Journal