The Weight of a Mustard Seed: The Intimate Story of an Iraqi General and His Family During Thirty Years of Tyranny

Impressive writing by someone who was able to sneak around, bravely I might add, throughout the violent streets, alleys and neighborhoods of occupied Iraq. For some, as I see in other reviews, the back and forth caused a little difficulty. But for me, after patiently reading through the first couple of chapters caught the tenor of the book. We really take off when she is interviewing and visiting the family of the General Kamel Sachet, we wonder, where is he all along the discussion. We hear of his exploits from his family and even a faint reminder of one positive battle that made him a hero in Iraq's drawn out war with Iran. As we weave through the many personalities to find and get an almost 360 degree review of him (well, a true 360 would include Saddam.) It was fascinated by the depth of information we get about, not only Colonel Sachet, but of the wars and slow destruction of Iraqi society. How one man, and his family, could control so many disparate and desperate peoples and to see a country that had pride go into such utter chaos. Really, if history is to be read to avoid such things from happening, there are so very many lessons here. The Weight of a Mustard Seed is written with such passion for the peoples involved and as Steavenson shows us, the story is not yet complete.

This book should be read if you are interested in (a) how dictators such as Hitler, Stalin, Saddam, or others can maintain control of their people, (b) how their subjects react to the crazy terror around them, or (c) Iraq's recent history. It is not an easy book to read, There are no real heroes; although quite a few villains. The book is based on numerous interviews Wendell Steavenson made between 2003 and 2007 with a large number of Iraqis. She obviously obtained the trust of Kamel Sachet's family. Kamel Sachet is the general whose life is at times central in the book. But the book is both more and less than his individual story. It is less because of large gaps for which there was no interview data to bring to bear. It is more it presents through differing eyes a kaleidoscopic picture of Saddam's Iraq and Iraq after his fall as seen by some Iraqis. Ms Steavenson also quotes important classic social psychology experiments in an attempt to make sense of peoples behavior. At times these quotes are apt and we are reminded of how limited we are in our ability to be good and just while we are hard wired to obey. At times even she is overwhelmed by the tragedy and frustration of all concerned and unable to understand how the society she describes continues to allow itself to exist. Such was life in Iraq - and such it was and is elsewhere. Ms Steavenson writes well. She brings her subjects to life. The tragedy she relates is one that has obviously affected her deeply.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Steavenson is a lovely, energetic writer, who has taken a fascinating journey through iraq. This book is told with a very interesting vantage point. It is about a particular general of the Iraqi army, and traces his life through Saddam's regime, all done indirectly by tracing the lives of several other people and generals through the pre-Baath, Saddam regime, and American invasion/mess. It gives a strong sense of the lives and character of those involved, and the tragic mess that they found themselves in. The author struggles to find some sense of morality throughout her interviews with people who worked in prison camps, who led battles, who implemented Saddam's policies, and, expectedly, found survival and gray. It is a very interesting read, and shows a very personal side to the Iraqi situation.

I picked up this book just on a whim when I had 5 minutes to spare and an hour later I was still reading it. What an interesting, sad and powerful tale. I really needed to read something like this- I spent years following CNN and the news on the Internet about the war in Iraq, feeling worried about mounting American losses and the devastation there. This book humanized Iraq for me. These are people, humans with feelings and worries and struggles. The author writes with sensitive skill- she brings no ego into the book and lets the cast of characters of the Sachets tell the powerful story. The author is to be commended for the immense compassion he brings to the story. There are so many themes in this tale- courage, betrayal, love, and hope. A wonderful read, indeed! Here is a poignant statement from pg. 6 "But in Iraq, there was never one story, there were always many stories, layers of episodes, each one with a wound".