Reading list

When I first heard that I would be going to Iraq, I was told to read as much as possible about the region. Other people with experience in Baghdad have told me that the books recommended by my supervisor aren't particularly useful, but I'll reserve judgment. At the moment, I'm trying to read as much as possible, more because I'm fascinated than because I think it's required. This is a list of what I've read and what I'm working on--some are definitely better than others, but I'm figuring the more the better.

History of Iraq
David Fromkin, A Peace to End All Peace

Fromkin's book is packed with information but an incredibly dry read, so although I'm glad I slogged through it I wouldn't recommend it to people without a very deep interest in the subject--600 pages of the details of Ottoman and British occupation is not everybody's cup of tea. It is a useful point of reference, though; I've gone back several times since finishing it to check something in the index.

William R. Polk, Understanding Iraq

At around 200 pages, Polk's book is perfect for anyone who is curious for some background but who lacks the attention span for Fromkin. Purists would say it's a simplified version of the history, but it is much more digestable and feels less like homework.

The War

Thomas E. Ricks, Fiasco

Ricks is a brilliant Washington Post reporter, and his book will likely be remembered as the definitive history of the U.S. invasion. He is tremendously critical of the Bush administration's handling of the war, but he comes from the perspective of a journalist, not a liberal.

Michael Isikoff, Hubris

I haven't read Isikoff's book yet, and I will confess it's not at the top of my list. Although highly acclaimed, Hubris is primarily about the selling of the war in the United States, not activities in Iraq.

Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Imperial Life in the Emerald City

This is without question the best and most interesting book I've read about Iraq, and not only because Chandrasekaran is one of my favorite working journalists. He takes readers through the "Little America" military officials and diplomats created in Baghdad's Green Zone, where expertise was scarce. My understanding is that conditions in the Green Zone are very different now than they were when Chandrasekaran was there in 2003 and 2004, but his story is still incredibly important. If you're going to read one book about the war, it should probably be this one.

George Packer, The Assassin's Gate

Packer's book is next on my list, despite the fact that my supervisor refers to it as "fatally flawed." This is the one book on my list that is infused with a political agenda (liberal, in this case), and although I'm trying to stay away from political arguments this one is probably too important to ignore. Like Ricks, Packer is heavy on policy discussions and light on scenes from Baghdad.

Jackie Spinner, Tell Them I Didn't Cry

Spinner's book is very light reading, and something that wouldn't typically make it onto my must-read list. The story of Spinner's 18 months in Iraq, the books descriptions of hanging out with fellow journalists and befriending Iraqis are colorful but lacking any depth or broader point. That said, I found myself hanging onto every word trying to glean some advice of how to work as a female in Baghdad.
James Baker III and Lee Hamilton, The Iraq Study Group Report
The book form of the report from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group is more digestible than I thought it would be, and a good crash course on how we got to this point. One question I'm interested in exploring while in Iraq is how many of the recommendations are being followed.
None of these books deal explicitly with religion, despite the fact that understanding Islam is crucial to thinking about the war. The main reason books like The Shia Revival, The Crisis of Islam and others about Islam and Islamic-American relations are not on my current list is because I took several courses in those subjects during college. Religion is probably my primary area of interest in thinking about Iraq, but I chose to focus my crash course reading on aspects I had a weaker understanding of.