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Title: Inside Iraq: The History, the People, and the Modern Conflicts of the World's Least Understood Land by John Miller, Aaron Kenedi, David Rose ISBN: 1-56924-480-4 Publisher: Marlowe & Company Pub. Date: February, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: great articles, sloppy editing
Comment: This compilation of previously-published articles about Iraq was evidently rushed to press in December 2002 when it looked like the United States might go to war with Iraq, and unfortunately the haste shows. Still, I have to recommend this book on the basis of its fascinating and very readable content.
The writers include journalists (such as Milton Viorst of the New Yorker), academics (such as Efraim Karsh of King's College London) and even a couple of "adventurers" (such as Freya Stark). The articles were well-chosen and from the first page to the last I was learning new things about Iraq, the Middle East, and politics and international relations in general. For example, while I had a vague idea about Kurds and Sunnis and Shiites before, now I really understand the historical tensions between the groups, the key figures involved and the future implications for the country. "Inside Iraq" achieves what it sets out to do, providing an excellent introduction to a country that claims much of our attention these days. Whether you are a hawk or a dove or are undecided, you'll benefit from reading this book. The articles do sometimes overlap, but it was actually nice to hear the story from another writer's perspective. Likewise, a few pieces were dated, but it was interesting to see what was known/believed at the time.
On the down side, there are an inexcusable number of typographical errors, which I am confident did not appear in the original versions of the articles (if the essay by Tony Horwitz is anything to go by). For example: "Hussein does not lake [take] criticism well...Ibrahim suggested that Hussein step dawn [down] temporarily in order to pave the way far [for] a negotiated cease-fire...Whether or not this incident actually task [took] place..." Ugh. To find so many errors in one chapter would be bad enough, but on one page? One can only conclude that transcription of the articles was done electronically, and whether for reasons of budget or time no human was involved in proofreading the final document.
Biographies of Miller and Kenedi are not provided, but in addition to this book they have edited "Inside Islam", "Inside Israel" and the somewhat less impressive sounding "Muhammad Ali: Ringside" and "San Francisco Stories".
Rating: 4
Summary: A Quick Iraq Sampler Overview
Comment: Short articles by various authors with varying opinions is the strength of this collection. .....BR>I found it to be a fine introduction to the topic and it prompted me to read more. Paul Williams Roberts piece had me in stitches. Considering the serious nature and how upsetting the reality of life in Iraq can be, this was no small feat.
I learned a tremendous amount for a small bit of reading. The articles can be redundant and certainly overlapped topics. I actually found this helpful from a credibility and retention standpoint.
If you can get a copy on loan or at a discount price, I highly recommend it. .....
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Title: A History of Iraq by Charles Tripp ISBN: 052152900X Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 27 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
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Title: The New Iraq: Rebuilding the Country for Its People, the Middle East, and the World by Joseph Braude ISBN: 0465007880 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: 25 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: The Complete Idiot's Guide To Understanding Iraq by Joseph Tragert, James S. Robbins ISBN: 0028643984 Publisher: Alpha Books Pub. Date: 07 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: The Shi'is of Iraq by Yitzhak Nakash ISBN: 0691115753 Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr Pub. Date: 27 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: The Iraq War Reader: History, Documents, Opinions by Micah L. Sifry, Christopher Cerf ISBN: 0743253477 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: May, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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