Nasty, Brutish, and Short

Lessons and Laughs from an Overseas Officer

Todd Millick

Nasty, Brutish, and Short is a collection of irreverent essays about life overseas. The author no longer has to hold his tongue about his experiences—which means it’s payback time. He now speaks his mind about all the strange people and places he has encountered around the world over the last twenty years.

And he takes the reader on a funny and endearing jaunt to a dozen countries, from England to Egypt, and Afghanistan to Haiti, answering crucial questions like Why are Pakistani driving ranges so dangerous? And, How long can Bulgarians actually hold a grudge?

Unlike other foreign travel books, the author isn’t just passing through. He has lived in these dangerous and difficult places, often for years at a time. He knows their people, streets, and customs like the back of his hand. It was part of his job. Sometimes his life depended on it.

Hamilton Books

Pages: 170 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-0-7618-6782-1 • Paperback • June 2016 • $35.99 • (£30.00)

978-0-7618-6783-8 • eBook • June 2016 • $34.00 • (£25.00)

Subjects: Humor / Form / Essays, Humor / Topic / Politics, Travel / Essays & Travelogues, Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs, Biography & Autobiography / Political

Nasty, Brutish, and Short

Lessons and Laughs from an Overseas Officer

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Nasty, Brutish, and Short is a collection of irreverent essays about life overseas. The author no longer has to hold his tongue about his experiences—which means it’s payback time. He now speaks his mind about all the strange people and places he has encountered around the world over the last twenty years.

And he takes the reader on a funny and endearing jaunt to a dozen countries, from England to Egypt, and Afghanistan to Haiti, answering crucial questions like Why are Pakistani driving ranges so dangerous? And, How long can Bulgarians actually hold a grudge?

Unlike other foreign travel books, the author isn’t just passing through. He has lived in these dangerous and difficult places, often for years at a time. He knows their people, streets, and customs like the back of his hand. It was part of his job. Sometimes his life depended on it.

Details

Hamilton Books

Pages: 170 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-0-7618-6782-1 • Paperback • June 2016 • $35.99 • (£30.00)

978-0-7618-6783-8 • eBook • June 2016 • $34.00 • (£25.00)

Subjects: Humor / Form / Essays, Humor / Topic / Politics, Travel / Essays & Travelogues, Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs, Biography & Autobiography / Political

Author

Todd Millick was in the U.S. government for nearly twenty years. He studied medieval history at the University of Colorado and received a master’s degree from Cambridge. He has also published a collection of poetry called Short and Sweet (Middle Island Press, 2016).

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter One: Looking Backward
Chapter Two: Not a High School Quarterback
Chapter Three: Farid Flintstone
Chapter Four: The Egyptian Brake
Chapter Five: A Quick Geography Lesson
Chapter Six: Friendly Fire
Chapter Seven: Chester
Chapter Eight: Just Kidding
Chapter Nine: Land of the Free
Chapter Ten: Cairo Makes You Crazy
Chapter Eleven: The Other White Meat
Chapter Twelve: Paradise Lost
Chapter Thirteen: Taxi!
Chapter Fourteen: Applied History
Chapter Fifteen: And Now for Your International Forecast
Chapter Sixteen: Land of the Limping Dog
Chapter Seventeen: Kramer vs. Kramer
Chapter Eighteen: Land of the Lost
Chapter Nineteen: Unhappy Drunks
Chapter Twenty: Going Back to See the Elephants
Postscript: Clean and Happy People
Acknowledgements
About the Author

Reviews

Todd is a modern-day ‘Gulliver,’ romping through the babble and absurdity of disappearing worlds. He is an ‘Ugly American’ who not only sees, but thinks and writes, with awareness and irony. This is a book full of fun and biting satire . . . a witty and entertaining read.
— Ken Beeth, Senior State Department Diplomat (Ret.) in Africa

Nasty, Brutish, and Short

Lessons and Laughs from an Overseas Officer

Todd Millick

Nasty, Brutish, and Short

Lessons and Laughs from an Overseas Officer

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