A Hundred and One Days: A Baghdad Journal |
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Asne Seierstad
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Pages: 336 (Paperback)
ISBN: 1844081400
Pub: Virago Press Ltd
Pub date: 2004-12-02
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 14203
Reader Reviews:
Only scratches the surface (0/0 people found this helpful)
I really enjoyed The Bookseller of Kabul so I thought I would enjoy this too. It was quite hard to plough through it as most the book is set before the war when journalists were heavily monitored and weren't allowed to ask too many questions. The fact she doesn't speak Arabic is also a hinderance. Seierstad therefore spends a lot of the book moaning about how tedious this is and how she doesn't trust what people tell her because they are just saying what the regime wants them to say.
The most interesting part is written during the fighting and there are some truly chilling sections and it certainly raises questions about the real reason for the war. Sadly this part is over quite quickly as it is the most interesting bit. More of an insight into the life of a war reporter than those of real Iraqis.
Fantastic. Asne Seierstad at her best. (0/0 people found this helpful)
This book is so successful because it deals with a period of history in an apolitical yet riveting way.
The author describes the months leading up to and during the second Gulf War in an engaging and exciting way, so it is not difficult to read or return to after a few days without reading. As a foreign journalist in Iraq, Seierstad experiences the unpredictability of officials and life in general just as normal Iraqis do, and this is where the book is a real winner. It is a constant struggle to report how real Iraqis feel, being constrained as she is with her government minder and official. As time passes, though, she manages to get beneath the surface, and when the Americans enter Baghdad opinions of the country and about Saddam suddenly change - freedom is finally here.
Seierstad does not conclude her story as if it is a fairy tale. Yes, freedom of speech and movement can slowly emerge, but time is needed to rid Iraq of all her problems. Seierstad, though, can say she was in Iraq as history developed, while most foreign journalists left in haste.
No hype, but real life. (1/1 people found this helpful)
Great book, unlike other books on Iraq(by US authors) this books gives an unbiased, non gung ho, real life account of life as an iraqi before, duing and after the war.
Great read and really gives a flavour of issues we have today.
Extremelly emotive! (1/1 people found this helpful)
This book is currently one of my favourites! So much so I have gone out and bought some more writings on the subject.
It is unbelievable how much everyone was so so repressed and "admiring" (note the quotes) of Saddam. After reading this a whole new light has been brought on the Gulf War. It also is very truthful in how the local people were treated and how the American soldiers acted, but also truthful of the sickening regimes that Iraqi people were under.
A great any-time read! You will not want to put it down.
One of my top 3 books of all time (1/1 people found this helpful)
This account of the Iraqi war was honest and so unbiased that it was incredibly refreshing to know that some journalists still possess these qualities. I could not put this book down and highly recommend this.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> History -> General
Books -> Subjects -> History -> Countries & Regions -> Asia -> 1946-Present
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
Books -> Refinements -> Age (feature_two_browse-bin)
Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Paperback