RaveThe Wall Street JournalOffers not simply an account of Iraq’s troubles but a powerful and beautifully written portrait of the soul and psychology of a nation reeling from one cataclysm to the next ... Mr. Abdul-Ahad delicately evokes the fears and hopes of a nation eager to be rid of Saddam but fearful of the consequences ... Early in the book, images of violence are visceral and shocking ... There is a challenge and a steely optimism there, one that would have rattled my confidence back in 2007, but that gives me hope in 2023.
