The Man Who Tried to Save the World: The Dangerous Life and Mysterious Disappearence of Fred CUNY

I read this book a couple of years ago, and just recently reread it. What a fascinating story. For those who are interested in humanitarian crises, and what it takes to make things happen; within the myriad non-governmental organizations and governments as well; this is the book for you. Cuny's CV reads like a laundry list of the disasters (mostly manmade) of our time. Bosnia and Chechenya are the two most prescient issues in this book. Anyone who engages in these types of activities in the future would do well to read this book to see what kind of energy and fortitude it takes to get things accomplished. Cuny's demise is a tragic story with an even sadder ending, but I will let the reader get there on his/her own... A joy to read about such a remarkable person.

I selected this book because I'd read the author's previous work, wanted to know more about Chechnya, and was curious about a man who would try "to save the world." Anderson's telling of the tale of Fred Cuny is illuminating and thought-provoking. I wanted to share this story with others who also knew little about the world where Cuny lived and worked. The continuing unrest in Chechnya makes this book as timely as it was on the day it was published. Scott Anderson leads the reader down the shadowy path taken by Fred Cuny and leaves one with the certainty that uncertainty like that faced by Cuny still prevails in many parts of the world. Recent events demonstate that even between the relatively safe borders of the USA, terror remains a daily concern. The people of Chechnya and other places where Fred Cuny worked to help others have known terror much longer.

This book documents the amazing saga of Fred Cuny, a person who had no reason to believe he would amount to much, but who through sheer willpower, energy and commitment became one of the most powerful forces for effective responses to disaster in this century.First: full disclosure -- I knew Fred from work we did together in the Sudan, though I did not know him well and certainly knew nothing of the curious path his life had taken up until that point. I had admired his encyclopedic knowledge and his hard, headed and practical approach to the refugee crisis we faced. Next I heard, Fred had disappeared in Chechnya and could not receive the MacArthur "Genius" award he had been granted because he was missing.This is a fabulous book, true to Fred's monumental character and true to the passions and contradictions inherent in trying to save even a little piece of the world -- which Fred certainly did. The author combines hard, strong writing with great research and comes up with a moving story featuring a very human character at its center.Roger Brown

This is a true mystery story about the disappearance of American relief worker (and spy?) Fred Cuny in the cloak-and-dagger environment of Chechnya during the Russian assault in 1995. The book is comparable in many ways to Into Thin Air, although the subject matters are completely unrelated. In both books, the authors themselves took enormous personal risks in getting their stories. Both are true tales of action and adventure incorporating a lot of interesting background information, which is skillfuly woven into the narrative withour slowing down the story. Both read like novels (although they're better written than the vast majority of novels). But Mr. Anderson's book, in the end, is more engrossing and more important. I picked it up on a Friday evening and finished in the early hours of the following Sunday morning; I just couldn't stop until I was done. The book has everything--exotic locales, well-described; bizarre and mysterious personalities; and the constant tension of danger and suspense. Most admirably, Mr. Anderson lays out all of the known facts about Fred Cuny's disappearance, and in the end offers his own conclusion(which is plausible but not airtight), but fully equips the reader to consider the alternative possibilities for him or herself. This is the kind of book that you will devour and then stuff into the Christmas stockings of your friends and family. P.S. In case Mr. Anderson reads this: Why did you attach so much weight in your analysis to the purported fact that the military commander of the Chechens was a "good friend" of Fred Cuny? This "fact" seems to be based on nothing but Cuny's own impression that they hit it off during his first trip in February. But in the environment you have so ably described, where nothing is as it seems and everyone seems to harbor a hidden agenda, Cuny's belief could have been wishful thinking. And if he was wrong, there is no real reason to foist the blame so high up the chain. Great book!

When I arrived in Bosnia in December of 1993, I was stunned to find a lumbering Texan wearing an Aggie sweatshirt in the middle of the wartorn hell that was Sarajevo. Fred and I soon discovered we were both from the same university - Texas A & M. More coincidentally, we both served in the same outfit in the Corps of Cadets - Animal-A; he in 1968, and I in 1984. Fred was the most selfless and heroic man I have known. His personal efforts at INTERTEC to restore drinking water to the city of Sarajevo in itself speaks volumes about this big hearted man. The water purification plant was an engineering marvel -- flown into Sarajevo aboard U.S. Air Force C130 aircraft and installed in record time under cover of the tunnel overlooking the Miljaska River in Stari Grad (Old City), Sarajevo. Fred endured sniper bullets and freezing weather to oversee the monumental effort. More importantly, he dove headlong into many other ambitious projects to release the Serb stranglehold on the largely innocents of Sarajevo. Fred was being considered for a high level post in the Department of State when he tragically went missing in Chechnya. I was stunned to come across this book, and am glad there is a written legacy of this larger than life Texan. Fred's son Craig may be justifiably proud of his brave and optimistic father. Next to the Memorial Student Center at Texas A & M University is a passage from John (15-13) - "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Among all those whose lives Fred touched, there are many friends. Personally, I treasure the photographs of Fred and the insightful memories he left with me. For those who have sought to understand the world's madness and instability, what the military calls Stability and Support Operations, Scott Anderson has hit a home run. An absolutely first class book.