Open AccessUnder Fire is the official autobiography of Oliver North and is available in both hardcover and paperback editions. Although the former is of a considerably better quality and contains more photographs, the softcover is naturally less expensive and contains an extra chapter. From the first page, Under Fire, is a compelling read and remains so throughout, despite the substantial detail which does not lend itself to enhancing one's ability to understand the complex workings of the United States Federal Government, Rather than concentrating solely on the lran-Contra scandal, Under Fire seeks to be much more and might better be described as a personalised history of Middle America, Although the book opens with the scandal and how news of it was broken to the world in November 1986, it soon rearranges itself into a chronological pattern and reverts to the days of Oliver North's childhood in upstate New York.