"Eat the Heart of the Infidel"
The Harrowing of Nigeria and the Rise of Boko Haram
Andrew Walker
A Hurst Publication
Reviews and Awards
"A fascinating and disturbing read. Eat the Heart of the Infidel is vital for anyone interested in understanding the origins of Boko Haram." -- Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker staff writer, and author of Guerrillas: Journeys in the Insurgent World
"Boko Haram have often appeared as nothing more than a Nigerian offshoot of Al Qaeda. Andrew Walker's wide-ranging, solidly-researched and grippingly-told story shows a more complex and troubling picture of a group whose historical precedents go back centuries, and whose recent rise owes as much to local social injustice, political instability and local rivalries as to religious fanaticism. The conflict as Walker presents it is over nothing less than Nigeria's identity." -- Anthony Sattin, author of The Gates of Africa
"Global responses to modern day terrorism have been marked by a crisis of imagination and an inability to look back in search of the solutions that would enable us to move forward. Andrew Walker's book provides us with a rare insight into the historical and cultural factors that drive insurgencies, a veritable road map into this complex world." -- Dr Fatima Akilu, expert on countering violent extremism and Director, Neem Institute
"In a sea of shabby work on Boko Haram, from the excessively sensational to the simplistic, Andrew Walker's stands out by going many extra miles, reaching the heart of several matters either unexplored or inadequately dealt with by most previous commentators. Whatever one makes of the connections he teases out between contemporary events and historical figures in northern Nigeria, one thing is evident: Eat the Heart of the Infidel is well-researched, deeply contemplated, and beautifully written." -- Elnathan John, Nigerian novelist, satirist and writer
