This week we decided to give you a taste of our Patreon bonus series, the War Criminals Book Club with friend of the pod Molly Quell. For our very first one, we read Reed Brody’s To Catch a Dictator, The Pursuit and Trial of Hissène Habré. The book tells the 25-year-long journey that led Reed and a group of victims to see former Chad dictator found guilty of rape, sexual slavery, and the killing of over 40,000 citizens in a hybrid tribunal in Senegal. 

Reed came to talk about his work and book a few months ago, in a full-length episode. So you can tell we liked the book, and we tell you all the reasons why, plus whether we would gift it to our non-international law friends and relatives. We also raise a few questions, share the parts that made us laugh, and read our favorite quotes out loud.

So if you are interested in more content like this, consider supporting us on Patreon. We don’t do this podcast for money, so any contribution will help pay for the work of our producer. And if you would rather leave a one-time donation you can visit our support us page. Contribution aside, if you are a listener we would like to thank you for your support!

One more reason we like doing the Book Club is that it gives us a chance to share all we have been reading and watching. Janet suggested the book Vilnius. Wilno. Vilna. Three Short Stories by Kristina Sabaliauskaitė to find out more about different times in the history of Lithuania, where she will be moving for a while. While cycling to the Hague on her new shiny electric bike, Stephanie used to listen to the Radiolab podcast Ukraine: Under the Counter, on how abortion medication was smuggled into Ukraine during wartime. Molly recommended Roberto Bolano’s 2666, a novel of magical realism set in Mexico, and Nobel Price Annie Ernaux’s book Happening, on her experience getting an abortion in France in 1963. And Margherita enjoyed The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and her new outlook on Greek mythology.