Overview

The incredible true story of Chucky Taylor, the only American ever convicted of torture.   Chucky Taylor was an average American teenager, until he got a call from his father, a man who would become the infamous dictator of Liberia. Arriving in West Africa and reunited with his father, Chucky soon found himself leading a murderous militia group tasked with carrying out the president’s vendettas. Young and drunk on power, and with no real training beyond watching action films, Chucky spiraled into a binge of drugs, violence, and women, committing crimes that stunned even his father. A work of astonishing journalism, American Warlord is the true story of those dark years in Liberia, cutting right to the bone of humanity’s terrifying and unknowable capacity for cruelty to show just how easily a soul can be lost amid the chaos of war. 

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9780307474995

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Reviews

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

Praise for American Warlord by Johnny Dwyer: What happens when you give a disturbed American teenager unlimited power and weaponry and put him in a zone where the law and morality don t exist? The answer comes in American Warlord, Johnny Dwyer s disturbing account of the gruesome rise and unlikely fall of the son of the Liberian warlord Charles Taylor Charles Taylor Jr., widely known as Chucky . . . Dwyer skillfully meshes interviews, documents and court testimony . . . It is the juxtaposition of [Chucky s] descent into depravity with Chucky s relatively innocuous origins that gives force to Dwyer s fluid narrative . . . [A] brutal but well-told tale. Adam Nossiter, The New York Times Book Review One of the most remarkable biographies that has appeared in recent years . . . Dwyer first wrote about Chucky Taylor for a Rolling Stone article published in September 2008, and he has done a tremendous job amplifying the story with additional research and reporting. James Zug, The Boston Globe Absorbing. . . Dwyer's work here is important . . . The next time chaos breaks out overseas, one can only hope that the decision-makers will be remembering the story told in American Warlord. James Norton, The Christian Science Monitor Chucky Taylor is an American citizen, the only person ever tried and convicted of torture committed abroad under U.S. law . . . Johnny Dwyer s subtitle for American Warlord, his narrative of the life and times of Chucky Taylor, is A True Story, and not for nothing, as even the basic proven facts of the case might otherwise strain credulity . . . A major achievement . . . With a bumper crop of journalistic ethics and corroborative testimony. Brian Castner, The Daily Beast A dark triumph a meticulous geopolitical narrative and gripping tale of an American son lost to evil. Kirkus (starred) Mr. Jordan has done anadmirable job of making these men come alive. He uses their own words to weave a good tale. The Wall Street Journal From the Hardcover edition.

Author Information

Johnny Dwyer is a reporter living in New York City. He has written for Esquire, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Time, Foreign Policy, VICE, and The New York Times. American Warlord is his first book.

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