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The Wars Against Saddam: Taking the Hard Road to Baghdad
 
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The Wars Against Saddam: Taking the Hard Road to Baghdad [Illustrated] (Hardcover)

by John Simpson (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 415 pages
  • Publisher: Macmillan; illustrated edition edition (7 Nov 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1405032642
  • ISBN-13: 978-1405032643
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 347,650 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
By no means the first Saddam book and certainly not the last, but this is John Simpson, the BBC's World Affair's Editor, and it's a safe bet that of all the Saddam books past, present and forthcoming this will be one of the better reads. He's urbane, wears his learning lightly and writes in much the same way as he delivers copy to camera, which is to say clearly, engagingly, and with just the right number of rhetorical flourishes. There can be a problem with books about contemporary history. Sometimes they lack historical perspective. A broader context can be missing due to limited access to official documents. And there are a lot of them about. But John Simpson was there at the fall of Saddam, has the shrapnel wounds to prove it, and, like any good correspondent, can always be relied on to tell it like it was.

Product Description
'You can't really argue with much that John Simpson says - there is no foreign correspondent left on TV who has a fraction of his recognition and his credibility, a fact which may be unfair on the others, but happens to be true'; That was Simon Hoggart reviewing Simpson's devastating Panorama profile of Saddam Hussein, broadcast in early November 2002. This riveting, important and timely new book is the summation of more than twenty years covering Saddam Hussein's Iraq. The War Against Saddam offers, in five acts, the full story of his rise to power and the West's relationship with Saddam throughout his dictatorship. The fifth act is yet to be played out on the world stage, but Simpson will be there to cover any war with Iraq and to report on its outcome and its consequences. It will be a major work of serious reportage and essential reading for us all.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Wars Against Saddam: Taking the Hard Road to Baghdad
75% buy the item featured on this page:
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Twenty Tales from the War Zone: The Best of John Simpson (Quick Reads)
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Twenty Tales from the War Zone: The Best of John Simpson (Quick Reads) 3.7 out of 5 stars (6)
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Not Quite World's End: A Traveller's Tales
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Super personal narrative, 15 Dec 2003
By A. Foster "AlwaysReading" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
What you must bear in mind when reading Simpson's book is not to confuse what he is writing with a historical assessment of events. To be fair he doesn't claim this to be the case. However when reading what he writes of current and not so current events it is easy to regard what he writes as hard fact. In the most case it probably is, however some of his statements appear affected by his well documented brush with death in Northern Iraq. Namely his stance that the American soldiers were more concerned with keeping themselves alive than protecting the lives of civilians. A statement open to interesting and lively debate one feels. However as with the rest of his books Simpson shows himself to be thoroughly informed, brave, and prepared to admit his errors. The last charateristic makes him eminently more believable.

The coverage of Hussain's rise to power and probable motivations are simply superb. That combined with extensive coverage of both Gulf Wars as well as detail on the now ignored Iran-Iraq war make this book fascinating and impossible to put down.

If you are looking for a dry historical review this is not it. But if you want an inside track and synopsis on the past 20 years in the middle east by the man who has been there and seen it all, this is it and is unlikely to be bettered.

The only reason I have not given five stars, is that one or two sections appeared poorly edited, a repetition of previously stated facts only a page or two before. Not enough to annoy, but enough to notice.

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18 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Will be bought by the fans - and much to commend. But ...., 1 Dec 2003
I fear that fans of John Simpson may buy this book as a matter of faith, and there is much in it to commend. But for anyone who has followed Iraq with any care, there are deep flaws in the book, most obviously in the way that Simpson always puts himself at the heart of the action.

This suits the way in which BBC television news has become more and more a matter of show business, with reporters (invariably wearing flak jackets) standing in front of cameras to utter banalities. But it does not really tell us much about Iraq. The cat came out of the bag in the long film the BBC broadcast about Simpson in Iraq, when with the war about to start he and his crew were learning how to say 'journalist' in Arabic. Given that Simpson, according to the book blurb, had been covering Iraq for 20 years, that was something of an eye-opener.

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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly balanced reporting on mankinds stupidity, 17 Dec 2003
By Wim Wellinghoff (Bedfordshire UK) - See all my reviews
John Simpson has the knack of reporting in the most balanced, often (not surprisingly), emotional way on a war in which he clearly takes no side. I found the book a compulsive read and gave me a better insight in what was going on. The lead up to the main body of the book is superb and shows of deep knowledge of the facts. John Simpson has to be one of the world's leading journalists with a perfectly balanced way of reporting. Thank you John; if only our leaders would show the understanding and common sense you display, the world would be a btter place!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Getting out of hand ?
As a fan of John Simpson, I couldn't help thinking on reading this book that it's all getting out of hand. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2005

3.0 out of 5 stars A knight in shining armour
John Simpson is like a knight in shining armour. He travels the world sharing his wisdom and wit with lesser mortals and then gets his team of researchers to write it all up in... Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars The wars against Saddam....
A riveting read. Since I have read most of of John Simpson`s books I was not sure what new material will be in this book. I need not not have worried. Read more
Published on 26 Nov 2004 by Mrs. Sabiha Ahmed

5.0 out of 5 stars thorough and interesting
mr simpson reveals himself to be a pompous oaf here. he believes himself to be on a par with the world leaders of whom he writes. Read more
Published on 15 Nov 2004

2.0 out of 5 stars Is this the first draft of history?
The idea that John Simpson is at the "centre" of world affairs typifies what's gone wrong with so much journalism. Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2004 by Mrad

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wars Against Saddam
An exceptionally well written book! John Simpson really is becoming a British Institution, somebody for us to be proud of. Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2004 by pdwhite2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Journalism at its best
There have already been many books published about the Second Gulf War. Many of these have been written by people who were there and actually witnessed the events unfolding. Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2004 by Justin

5.0 out of 5 stars great read: a must-buy
I have a shelf of all the Simpson books, he is a must-buy author. His books are informative and unputdownable (don't pick them up if you need an early night!). Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2004 by Gotothrottleup

5.0 out of 5 stars Informed, balanced, devastating portrait of all the players
This is a superb read. Simpson's reputation preceeds him, of course. He has been (unfairly, I think) caricatured somewhat by the British media as an egocentric, self-serving star... Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2004 by Colm P Doherty

5.0 out of 5 stars A great adventurer and journalist !!!
John Simpson seems to go to places now one else will go. He can talk himself out of the most dangerous situations, taking the reader on a journey through the hotspots of the... Read more
Published on 6 Jan 2004 by J. Bruinsma

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