Additional information
by Larry Kahaner (Author)
No single weapon has spread so much raw power to so many people in so little time--and had such a devastating effect--as the AK-47 assault rifle. AK-47 tells the story of this most vicious and effective weapon, and how those who wield it have changed the world. Cheap and easy to use, it is the fuel that keeps alive protracted "small wars" in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East, and domestic crime almost everywhere. This book takes aim at the AK's lethal legacy--which will continue for years to come--from a uniquely appropriate perspective: the barrel of a gun.
Front Jacket
The world's most popular and lethal weapon goes by many names--"The African Credit Card," the "$10 Weapon of Mass Destruction"--and you see it every day in movies, on TV, in magazines and newspapers. You see it in the hands of legitimate armies but more often brandished by insurgents, terrorists, and even child soldiers.
AK-47 tells the story of this most vicious and effective weapon, and how those who wield it have changed the world. Known simply as the AK or AK-47 (for the year it was created), no single weapon--save the atomic bomb--has had as profound an impact on modern warfare and global stability. Despite its low price and simple workmanship, this powerful rifle rarely jams, is almost indestructible--a well-maintained rifle can last fifty years--and is easy to fire with no training. It is the quickest, easiest, and cheapest way to turn a farmer, teacher, peasant, or even a teenager into an effective killing machine. Overnight, it can transform ragtag forces into formidable armies. It is the fuel that keeps alive protracted "small wars" in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East, and domestic crime almost everywhere. Each year, some 250,000 people die by it.
As many as 100 million AKs have been produced by more than twenty countries, and it has become a cultural icon. Its distinctive banana-shape silhouette defines what a deadly small arm is supposed to look like. Osama bin Laden is purposely photographed with his custom AK, rappers sing its praises, vodkas are named after it, and even haute designers such as Philippe Starck have produced furniture using its deadly image.
No tool has spread so much raw power to so many people in so little time--or has left such a wide swath of destruction. This book takes aim at the AK's legacy--which will continue well into the twenty-first century--from a uniquely appropriate perspective: the barrel of a gun.
www.AK-47book.com
Back Jacket
The world's most popular and lethal weapon goes by many names--"The African Credit Card," the "$10 Weapon of Mass Destruction"--and you see it every day in movies, on TV, in magazines and newspapers. You see it in the hands of legitimate armies but more often brandished by insurgents, terrorists, and even child soldiers.AK-47 tells the story of this most vicious and effective weapon, and how those who wield it have changed the world. Known simply as the AK or AK-47 (for the year it was created), no single weapon--save the atomic bomb--has had as profound an impact on modern warfare and global stability. Despite its low price and simple workmanship, this powerful rifle rarely jams, is almost indestructible--a well-maintained rifle can last fifty years--and is easy to fire with no training. It is the quickest, easiest, and cheapest way to turn a farmer, teacher, peasant, or even a teenager into an effective killing machine. Overnight, it can transform ragtag forces into formidable armies. It is the fuel that keeps alive protracted "small wars" in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East, and domestic crime almost everywhere. Each year, some 250,000 people die by it.As many as 100 million AKs have been produced by more than twenty countries, and it has become a cultural icon. Its distinctive banana-shape silhouette defines what a deadly small arm is supposed to look like. Osama bin Laden is purposely photographed with his custom AK, rappers sing its praises, vodkas are named after it, and even haute designers such as Philippe Starck have produced furniture using its deadly image. No tool has spread so much raw power to so many people in so little time--or has left such a wide swath of destruction. This book takes aim at the AK's legacy--which will continue well into the twenty-first century--from a uniquely appropriate perspective: the barrel of a gun.
Author Biography
LARRY KAHANER is an award-winning journalist and author of eight books, including the groundbreaking Competitive Intelligence, which was translated into seven languages. He was a Washington correspondent for BusinessWeek magazine and covered the infantry training center at Fort Benning for Knight-Ridder newspapers. Kahaner has been a guest expert on many shows including Larry King Live, NPR's All Things Considered, and CBS Evening News, and his articles have appeared in the "Washington Post," the "International Herald Tribune," the "European Magazine," and the "Christian Science Monitor."
