If you have heard, seen or read the news this week you will probably know about the assasination attempts on Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. Luckily, incredibly, both men survived.

So a new book, The Long Patrol, tracing Australia’s involvement with East Timor, is a timely one. It covers the turbulent times from World War 2, to invasion in 1975 by Indonesia, to independence in 1999 and beyond. If you want to know more about Australia’s near neighbour East Timor, The Long Patrol is exciting, clear and well worth looking at.

The author Richard Plunkett has done a great job in making a difficult subject clear. He has spoken to people who who there, and spent a lot of time reading and researching. There are some great maps and photos, too. The Long Patrol is a history book that will help a lot in making sense of today’s news.