Peter Stefanovic - Hack in a Flak Jacket

I have always loved reading, especially when it means you can escape into the authors thoughts, and I am sure you are all aware of my respect for the Stefanovic brother's. So, when Pete realised his new book, "Hack in a Flak Jacket", it was only a matter of time before I ran to my closest QBD and picked it up.

Unfortunately for me his new release had done so well that they had sold out, meaning quite the quest to get my hands on the current affairs memoir. I did however find a select few in a corner of Target, it must have been my lucky day.

That resulted in the below tweet which Pete personally replied to. I must admit it was a fangirl moment.

After the excitement of getting recognised by one of my journalism inspirations I gave myself a little time off to sit down and start reading. I don't know about any of you but I love that initial page opening. The smell and the feeling of dipping your toes into something new is one of my favourite things.

I was met with 13 chapters of personal reflections, history of war and gripping recounts of near death experiences. I haven't ever thought about war reporting but Pete's book certainly opened my eyes to the possibility of doing it for myself. The lengths he went to, to ensure the Australian public knew what was happening in war torn third world countries and far way places affected by natural disasters, was simply extraordinary.

The book wasn't exactly what I expected, being a little disjointed rather than chronological. But, somehow that worked. Pete has such a detailed yet simplified way to explain complex situations, another reason I was glued to each page. It's more than just his experience but a sense of being there and understanding how the local people felt. As he covered wars, riots and revolutions there was respect for each person, every interview and all of his aired broadcast packages.

This was certainly something I couldn't put down and spent every waking moment over three days hooked on each and every word.

In my opinion, this book is a must read and something I highly recommend. It's informative, emotional and extremely engaging.

He talks about his time as a foreign correspondent in a humbling way, describing it as a "great honour" and something he never took for granted. I really hope to look back on my career and say the same.

#ashleighdwan #beyondthestory #journalism #peterstefanovic #hackinaflakjacket