The Bomb in My Garden: The Secrets of Saddam's Nuclear Mastermind

by Mahdi Obeidi, Kurt Pitzer

Praise for The Bomb in My Garden "This one book will tell you more about Iraq’s quest for weapons of mass destruction than all U.S. intelligence on the subject. It is a fascinating and rare glimpse inside Saddam Hussein’s Iraq–and inside a tyrant’s mind."
–Fareed Zakaria
author of The Future of Freedom "The Bomb in My Garden is important and utterly gripping. The old cliché is true–you start reading, and you don’t want to stop. Mahdi Obeidi’s story makes clear how hard Saddam Hussein tried to develop a nuclear weapon, and the reasons he fell short. It is also unforgettable as a picture of how honorable people tried to cope with a despot’s demands. I enthusiastically recommend this book."
–James Fallows
National Correspondent, The Atlantic Monthly "Obeidi was the key scientist in Saddam’s centrifuge program, and he was central when they tried to conceal it. He was already thought to be too friendly to the weapons inspectors, and he showed considerable personal courage in coming forward as he did during very unsettled conditions after the war."
–David Kay
former UN weapons inspector and Head of the Iraqi Survey Group in charge of searching for weapons of mass destruction

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Steven]

I read an excerpt of this book in a magazine which instantly captivated me. So then I read the whole book and thought it was great. I then did some searching online and couldn't find anything else about the author anywhere. So I started to doubt how authentic the accounts in the book were. I haven't read anything that he's been discredited, but I'm skeptical now.

[Holly Gellender]

WOW. I couldn’t put this down I started reading this on the train to work this morning and just finished it at 1 am. What an incredible story

[Gopi Sait]

It's absolutely one of the most amazing stories I've read this year. Gripping and enlightening about a story that I was completely unaware of.

[Barry Lewis]

This is a book about how coercion and fear can force people to participate in horrific things. It provides an insight into how a despotic regime attempted to assemble the means to build an atomic bomb and how difficult it was to resist. Also the complicity of greedy people with no morals. It explains the whole WMD landscape which became so infamous.

[Jerry]

To some degree a self serving description on conditions and events, but a realistic choice may not have been possible.
Politics have been described as the queen of sciences.
It has the ability to determine which of the other "hard sciences" will be permitted to be developed and to what ends.

[Jhawn]

A perspective on what it is like to live under a dictator where all your actions are constrained. We often think people should just get out, do something, anything. This book will help you see that it isn't so simple.

It also sheds a light on the U.S. involvement in the Iraq wars; done without point fingers or over-hype. You'll also learn a lot about nuclear enrichment processes.

[Marc]

Truly enlightening and a great introduction for those interested in the history of Iraq under Saddam's rule and the true story of his WMD efforts. Must read for everyone who bases their opinion only on the grounds of "war is bad".

[Katrina Koehler]

This was a very interesting read. Well written and excellent descriptions of the physics for a lay person.

[Ali AlZubaydi]

An eyewitness testimony to the love of work, ambition, and living under the shadow of fear

[E]

Christopher Hitchens recommendation: 'Saddam didn't have nuclear weapons - yet.'

[Mike Barretta]

Though cliche, I'd describe this as a real life spy novel, filled with international intrigues, life and death situations, etc. Aside from a fine addition to the historical record, it's also an easy reading narrative that breeds sympathy in the author, who also happens to also be responsible for nearly giving the boogie-man of the 1990-2004 (Saddam) an atomic weapon. Deft trick?

I did really enojy this, though, as a story of how the international black market, quests for knowledge (the scientists) and power (the obvious), and a fear of death brought uranium enrichment to Iraq

[Matt]

A very interesting look inside the Iraqi nuclear program from one of the top scientists under Sadaam. If you are looking for insight into how close Iraq got to having nuclear capabilities, this book will undoubtedly interest you. A well written account of the pressure and ridiculous deadlines the regime put on their scientists. Highly recommended.

Also, Mahdi Obeidi went to graduate school at School of MInes, which I think is pretty cool. :)

[Deanna]

This was a very interesting read about how close Iraq came to developing a nuclear weapon. It amazes me how easy it was to gain access to top secret designs back in the 80's and early 90's. From this book, I learned to question others' motives more frequently and it reaffirmed my belief that we needed more inspections before invading Iraq. I'm happy the author of this book was an honest man and didn't sell his secrets on the black market.

[Dominic Neesam]

A captivating first hand account of life in Saddam's Iraq & the nuclear programs attempted, aborted & carried out in the country plus the pressures, dangers and ridiculous demends put on the scientists.

[Stephen]

Have to take what Obeidi says with a grain of salt; he's a bit self-aggrandizing. But, with the dearth of information on the Iraqi nuclear program before 1991, it's a valuable book.

[Jon]

This book teaches you more about Iraq than the media or the US government did. It gives a rather frightening glimpse into the life of someone working for the regime of a fascist police state.