A Hundred and One Days: A Baghdad Journal

I really liked how the author describes her experience as a journalist in tremendous detail. She makes you feel as if you are living it. In addition, she teaches you about the Iraqi culture, differentiates between the Moslem groups and shares the feelings of the natives. The characters were very real and added to her story. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning about the culture, politics and religion of the Middle East. I highly recommend the book, "In the Land of Invisible Women:.." by Qanta A. Ahmed about a female doctor who practices in the Saudi Kingdom.

She documented in this book her report before, in and after the 2003 American Iraqi invasion in a grass root level with the Iraqi people. As an European reporter, she made friends with many locals. With their respect and trust,she was able to write down what they think, see and feel. Shock and awe may initiate a regime change but it is not easy to restore peace and stability despite the huge military and financial power. The Iraqi people can decide what is important: electric power or voting power. This Baghdad personal journal gives an inside look on the state of affairs in Iraq and how difficult for a woman European reporter tried to get visa extension without dollars. It is an in-depth report from an independent source not available on our daily coverage. The politicians promise of flowers and candies for the incoming soldiers was not materialized and the three parties democracy is not reality. This book helps us understand and evaluate the situation and cost.

Something of a modern-day Scheherezade, Norwegian journalist Seierstad continued reporting by satellite to TV audiences in Europe during the 101 days preceding and then during the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. For readers interested in the gathering of news in war zones, her book provides extensive insight into off-camera footwork and dealing with bureaucratic and political obstacles that prevent access to the hearts and minds of everyday citizens, her primary interest as a reporter. When the missiles and bombs begin to rain down on Baghdad, the risk of death itself becomes a primary obstacle. For readers interested in Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the collapse of his government, Seierstad's book reveals what is often forgotten, given subsequent events, that Iraq had been in the grip of terror and decline for 30 years thanks to a ruthless dictator, whose military adventures in Iran and Kuwait cost countless lives and produced economic sanctions that had their severest impact on a shrinking middle class and the poorest citizens. The country had been run into the ground economically, socially, and spiritually long before the American invasion. That Iraq clings to life at all is a testament to the human will to survive. Americans will not find their military presence in Iraq regarded in the same way that embedded journalists portrayed it at the time. Seierstad gives a mixed picture of "trigger happy" young men on one hand and other soldiers who reflect an ambivalence about the U.S. government's intentions in Iraq. Likewise, there is a wide range of opinion among Iraqis, from those who welcome the invasion to those who see themselves as trading a hated dictator for an army of occupation that cannot maintain security or provide water and electricity, while dreading the prospect of civil war. Meanwhile, bearded foreigners have gathered at Saddam Hussein's request, to begin a campaign of suicide bombings. This is a compelling, illuminating, and disturbing book, written with considerable skill, and a worthy follow-up to the author's "Bookseller of Kabul."

The author's honesty and sincerety shine through this tale of the fall of Baghdad. Her portraits of the Iraqi people, both before and after the war, really made them real to me.

Asne Seierstad has managed to combine empathy, compassion, emotional attachment to the city and people of Baghdad with phenomenal objective reporting. Refreshing to read about the war from a non-US perspective. Highly recommended.

Written after her well-known 'The Bookseller of Kabul', Seierstad provides the reader with a compelling account of the run up to, course of, and post war situation in Iraq. The book is as much about the author herself as it is about the people of Iraq. Thus, it is interesting on two levels: firstly as an insight into the life of a war correspondent, and secondly as an exploration of the effects of war on the population of Baghdad. The book consists of three sections entitled 'Before', 'During' and 'After' respectively. Seierstad doesn't deal directly with the questions surrounding the morality of the Iraq war, but does what all good journalists should do - report the facts and events on the ground as she sees them. Inevitably though, Seierstad hints at her own feelings about the war, particularly when the harsh, blood-stained reality rears its ugly head. Seierstad is also perceptive enough to have exposed those issues which the coalition forces did not grapple with before taking the decision to go to war; the potentially explosive Shia-Sunni rivalry and the growing influence of Islam. Indeed, the apocalyptic views expressed by some of the Baghdadis Seierstad meets regarding the aftermath of Saddam's overthrow have become eerily true since 2003. Above all, this book shows that war is not only a destructive force for those directly involved, such as the citizens of Baghdad and the soldiers on both sides, but also for those who find themselves drawn into the war through choice - the war correspondents. Read it for a deeper understanding of what messrs Bush and Blair's 'War on Terror' does to those people who they insist need to be 'liberated' from tyranny.