The Fall of Baghdad

The Fall of Baghdad, encompasses the story of the author's life and experiences for the duration of his time spent in Iraq from 2000 to 2004. The first thing that comes to mind when I think back about this book is that it was truly an eye opener that would surprise even the most knowledgeable person about the recent Iraq war. Anderson really manages to bring an epic tale into perspective as he conveys stories of not only his thoughts and experiences, but those of countless Iraqi and other people he meets over time. Throughout his experiences Anderson delves deep into the psyche of everyone he talks to in an attempt to discover information about so many people and things that has never been discussed before. Anderson talks with common Iraqi adults and even children, as well as members of many factions and peoples, even close personal friends of Saddam Hussein's about their knowledge and feelings about Iraq, Saddam, Bush, America, and a multitude of topics that no one living outside of Iraq would have ever thought about. Through his highly detailed story telling, readers are brought right into the streets of Baghdad to experience firsthand the joy, frustration, victories and losses of thousands of people. I don't think I have ever been so moved by a book to have found myself hurrying through pages to see if friends of the author and places he visited survived or were utterly destroyed in the impending American assault on Baghdad and the resistance therein by Iraqi fighters. We all know war is serious, but you really can never put it into perspective until you've read a book like this and experienced almost first hand the horrors and absolute harshness of the reality of war, the triumphs of freedom, the sadness of death and loss, and the elation of finding ones relatives or friends have survived. Jon Lee Anderson and The Fall of Baghdad manage to capture all of this, and so much more.

I was instantly drawn to this book and devoured it, reading it in two sittings. As expected, Jon Lee Anderson is an excellent writer, but more than that, he captures the heart and soul of the people. My take has to be different from most readers, because I was in Iraq in July 1998, and I met many of the same people Anderson writes about his book. Nasra al-Sadoun invited me to her home and I met her very kind husband, (I later heard he had died of cancer? True?) polite and gentle son, lovely daughter, and beautiful grandchildren, so sweet and entirely innocent. (Another guest was a Frenchwoman who insulted me with every sentence, but I found her behavior to be interesting and even fun and didn't take offense as the woman had never met me before that evening. She was so abusive that when Nasra's husband and son drove me back to the Al-Rasheed, they apologized profusely for her rudness, since Arabs simply never attack their guests or allow anyone else to do so. But I think Nasra was so upset about the suffering inside Iraq that she could barely stand the sight of an American, even if that American was appalled by the effects of the sanctions.) And, Nasra gave me the same speech that she gave Jon about the effects of the sanctions, although I had a great deal of sympathy for her and other Iraqis under the sanctions. The sanctions truly hurt the wrong people and gave Saddam and his cronies a wonderful excuse to get even richer. I heard how her family endured the bombing of Baghdad (in their basement) and how insects and all sorts of creatures crawled up through the dirt and got into their hair. Her children were small then, and of course, terrified, and all they knew was that America and Americans hated them and they were attacked violently. Of course, the children were too young to know much about the Iraqi attack on Kuwait, and that the aggressive had begun from Iraq. I admit that during this last war I thought of Nasr and her children/grandchildren constantly, worrying, and would love to know how they are faring, now. Additionally, I met the delightful Farouk Salloum more than once. One of the funniest episodes of my visit occurred in Farouk's office and I've yet to write about that, although I will. I was impressed at how Farouk tried to walk that narrow line, avoiding attacking Saddam, yet not doing Saddam's dirty deeds, as so many other Iraqis did. I wish Farouk and his beautiful wife and child every good thing. He's a good man. Truthfully, there are many many wonderful Iraqis, but we rarely hear anything about them, and the good Iraqis got much worse than they have deserved, much as in the same vein as the Russians under communism and the North Koreans and the Cubans, and so on... Once you put a face to any of these countries with bad rulers, you realize how helpless the people are and they basically have to buckle up and go along for the ride, however dangerous it might be. I commend John on how he captured the true spirit

Jon Lee Anderson is a reporter who has realized the importance of building relationships with people in Iraq so he can tell the story of the country from a person to person perspective. He is obviously trusted and respected by people who are willing to take risks so he can witness the effects of Saddam's rule and the war on the day to day life of those he interviews. I found the book fascinating and adding so much depth beyond the daily news. What the news never relates is how warm and friendly the Iraqi people are even in the face of the current chaos in their country. It is striking and moving when Jon Lee consistently describes how the people he talks with separate the U.S. Government and military from him as an individual American reporter. The reader is made aware that Iraq can't just be seen as "a country" but should be viewed as individual people whose lives are being profoundly effected every day in every way by the Coalition presence and the lack of security. Iraqis seem to see talking to Jon Lee Anderson as an opportunity to give their opinion about the occupation and state their frustrations and questions. He in turn has, through the book, given their thoughts a voice that wouldn't be heard any other way. I wish our leaders would listen to what they are saying.

Jon Anderson has produced a detailed account of the lives of some people of Iraq during the advent and arrival of the American army and the consequent transitional ruling admnistration. More than anyone else in American journals, Anderson captures the daily details and outlooks of the participants as very real and profound shifts in affairs small and big overtake their lives. The book is a journalistic account of months of on-the-ground witness to change and this journalist's drive to confront the protagonists and illuminate their real motives behind actions, past and present. From the humanist doctor who served Saddam to the driver who lost his U-turn privilege after the conquest, Anderson presents real meaning in the changes for Iraqis. The book centers on Iraqis and not Americans. Anderson is almost superhumanly objective, but only as a witness to Iraqi life. The American side is not within reach or attempted here. Anderson risks his life and rescues other lives. A real comment on the man, his effort and his profession. Anderson's achievements in Afghanistan and elsewhere are to be greatly admired. They reach a new height here in the witness to the Fall of Baghdad. The best of journalism.

I must admit to being confused about Iraq. While it is a story still unfolding it is just now that the books are beginning to come out. You have to wait for the books because the news programs are so bad, the expression 'if it bleeds it leads' seems true. Jon Lee Anderson had a different view of the war. He was in Baghdad before the war started and stayed there through the American takeover. This perspective is quite diffferent than those of the embedded reporters covering the war from the viewpoint of the military units. He knew and indeed was friends with a number of Iraqi citizens. He wrote a series of stories for the New Yorker magazine which became the foundation for this book. His stories and more important his analysis provides a stabalizing viewpoint in a situation that is certainly confusing to those of us looking at it from have a world away.