Sisters in War: A Story of Love, Family, and Survival in the New Iraq

by Christina Asquith

Caught up in a terrifying war, facing choices of life and death, two Iraqi sisters take us into the hidden world of women’s lives under U.S. occupation. Through their powerful story of love and betrayal, interwoven with the stories of a Palestinian American women’s rights activist and a U.S. soldier, journalist Christina Asquith explores one of the great untold sagas of the Iraq the attempt to bring women’s rights to Iraq, and the consequences for all those involved.On the heels of the invasion, twenty-two-year-old Zia accepts a job inside the U.S. headquarters in Baghdad, trusting that democracy will shield her burgeoning romance with an American contractor from the disapproval of her fellow Iraqis. But as resistance to the U.S. occupation intensifies, Zia and her sister, Nunu, a university student, are targeted by Islamic insurgents and find themselves trapped between their hopes for a new country and the violent reality of a misguided war.Asquith sets their struggle against the broader U.S. efforts to bring women’s rights to Iraq, weaving the sisters’ story with those of Manal, a Palestinian American women’s rights activist, and Heather, a U.S. army reservist, who work together to found Iraq’s first women’s center. After one of their female colleagues is gunned down on a highway, Manal and Heather must decide whether they can keep fighting for Iraqi women if it means risking their own lives.In Sisters in War, Christina Asquith introduces the reader to four women who dare to stand up for their rights in the most desperate circumstances. With compassion and grace, she vividly reveals the plight of women living and serving in Iraq and offers us a vision of how women’s rights and Islam might be reconciled.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle East, War, Memoir, History, Biography, Book Club

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2009

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the absence of a brutal dictator like Saddam, Iraq regressed into all the tribal and religious identities that had reigned for hundreds of years until the British forced the country together in the 1920s. The country was fracturing, and the national government cobbled together by the Americans seemed weaker and weaker. The prospect of U.S. defeat in Iraq—which had seemed inconceivable only a few months ago—suddenly seemed a strong possibility. Iraqis who had stuck their necks out for the Americans were going to be at the top of the assassination lists when the Americans evacuated. If that happened, Zia and her family would be hunted down and killed, just as the Ba’athists had been hunted down and killed a year earlier. When the Americans had arrived last spring, she had thought Iraq’s nightmare was over. But was the real nightmare only beginning?

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing, I took a class on Modern Women in Islam with the author and we had to read her book for it. At first I thought it was another classic case of buy my brand new book for my class so it sells well however when I started reading Sisters in War I could not put it down. This book is such an interesting account of the war in Iraqi from a perspective that you rarely hear about. The authors class was amazing to. A fantastic book all around, I've been recommending it to everyone I know.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this book. I admittedly did not pay much attention to what was going on in Iraq since 9/11. I watched the news but never sought out more information. Reading this story from the perspective of a family living in Iraq through these times was interesting, engaging and really got me thinking. I love books that can do that.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting book showing the experiences of women and the struggle for women's rights in Iraqi from the beginning of the US invasion. The struggles of the lives of women and how life was in Iraqi is very interesting to learn about. It was the first book in a while that I didn't want to put down at night. I definitely recommend it and have passed my copy on to share.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy read, a little long, but considering the mess we made in Iraq, this is something all Americans should read.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought both the book and the audio thinking I would like to listen to it as I read. However, hearing a voice start in on the folly that was the Iraq War was unbearable. I couldn't listen to it, especially since the opening chapter starts out with a rah-rah beginning.

That rah-rah beginning documented the propaganda the Bush Administration would have you believe about the war, but the narrative quickly switched to the reality of the Iraq war. Surprisingly, it was very easy to read and the narrative moved swiftly.

It seems the Bush Administration used women's rights, cynically, to drum up support for the war; this book shows any leadership for helping Iraqi women get adequate representation in the new Iraq did not come from the administration, but rather the ranks, and from the Iraqi women themselves.

I am grateful Christina Asquith captured the folly of this poorly-planned American war fiasco and its impact on Iraqi women. Americans knew nothing about Iraqi culture and it showed in this narrative. American lack of planning for anything other than invading, occupying and securing the oil supply were obvious in real life and the book. American lack of respect for Iraqi institutions (the Army, the National Library, the Archaeology Museum) showed in real life and in the book. This book reinforces the idea that the war was really about a defense contractor free-for-all. Iraqi women were stuck in their homes stagnating trying to avoid the reality of war outside on the streets.

The book also shows that Americans have not been good at helping all of the people who helped them during the invasion and occupation and what an impossible situation those citizens are put into relating to their own culture after working for the Americans. The ones who made it out were the ones with the drive to get themselves out.

May future generations of Americans read this book as a cautionary tale.

[mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

SISTERS IN WAR is journalist Christina Asquith’s account of the War on Terror, 2003 – 2009, Afghanistan/Iraq, from the female perspective; and rounds out my study of that war. [I have read and reviewed: The Unforgiving Moment, written by US Army Ranger Platoon leader, Craig Mullaney; Where Men Meet Glory, written by journalist Jon Krakauer; The Last War, a novel by Ana Menendez; and The Forever War, by NY TIMES foreign correspondent Dexter Filkins who was embedded with the US Marines.] Asquith tells the story of one Iraqi family (Father, Mother, & two Sisters), a female US civil affairs soldier, Lieutenant Heather Coyne, and a female Muslim American NGO aid worker, Manal Omar. The author gives the reader a brief historical perspective, both personal and political, which is important for understanding the reality. That, however, gave me feelings of discouragement and frustration. It is my sense that if you want to measure the state of the human condition—look at the state of women—the givers and nurturers of life. Are they happy? If they are, they will take good care of the children, inspire the men to good works, and everything else will fall into place. From that perspective—we are in trouble. Iraq is a good study of the affairs of women.

In Iraq, the women were/are divided between modern egalitarians and conservative traditionalists, and fear is the dominant shaping factor. Security, as American psychologist Abraham Maslow put forth in his “Hierarchy of Human Needs,” is a necessary condition in the pursuit of happiness (forget about self-actualization.) Men fight with and over women. That is irrefutable and it does not matter the time, place, or culture. So the question is: What do women want? In Iraq today there is confusion. Iraq was, under Saddam Hussein, the most progressive of Arab countries in regards to freedom for women and many took advantage of his rule to become educated, professional, working members of society, as well as mothers and wives. Iraq was a secular nation; but after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Hussein became fearful of a Shia fundamentalist revolt, enticed by the religious leaders of Iran, and took action—the Iraq/Iran war (1980-1988). At that time, Saddam Hussein was America’s friend. That war was fought to a stalemate; but left the wounds and scars of all wars (widows, orphans, and a desire for revenge.) Shortly after, Hussein believed that Kuwait was stealing Iraqi oil (by diagonal drilling) and women (using them for prostitution); and so invaded that country. That spawned The Gulf War (1991) and Osama bin Laden’s deep hated for America. It also led to economic deprivation for Iraq (by way the U.N. sanctions) and the precursor of Iraq’s civil war, 2005 – 2008, which devastated the infrastructure of the country and fanned the flames of hatred, jealousy, and revenge that still simmers under the surface of their society today.

The women of Asquith’s book are living in America today, with the exception of Omar, who is in Baghdad. The book tells of their struggles. All agree that as to the matter of women’s rights and freedoms, the women of Iraq are worse off now than they were under the rule of Saddam Hussein. Are they, in general, happy? Compared to what?

Freedom, both personal and political, comes with a cost—responsibility; and it takes a particular type of person to engage in its quest. Clearly, some people are more than willing to strike a bargain, taking safety and security over the uncertainties of freedom and self-actualization. This is highlighted by the contrast in the two sisters, both who were exposed to the same internal (familial) and external (political) conditions. And also, in the contrast between the American Soldier, who just follows orders no matter how counter-productive, the civilian “contractor,” the insurgent, and the jihadi, who all do whatever they want with no legal constraint.

Asquith does a great job by using anecdotal events to make a larger point. In one instance she recounts how Coyne takes on the task of traffic control, trying to provide order and objective in the movement of cars, trucks, people, goods and services across a bridge. (To be stalled in traffic meant possible death as insurgents sometimes simply executed persons they deemed merited death – it was a case of shooting fish-in-a-barrel.) It took hours and the threat of lethal force to get the traffic flowing, and exhausted, Coyne finally moved on … and then the traffic jam reverted back to a stall, no one going anywhere. Asquith writes: “If the all-powerful U.S. military can’t clear a bridge, how the hell will we run a country?” (Pg. 67-70)

Underlying all manor of terror and horror of “The War on Terror,” is the ancient and pervasive war on women—the attempt by men to elevate themselves by controlling women and children. It is my belief that the real war, the forever war, is intimate terrorism. As long as insecure, inadequate men - cowards – are allowed to use whatever means they can to control women – the world will have war. For an interview with Christina Asquith and Manal Omar click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMRt1S...

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a subject I would like to learn more about but the the writing did not propel me to finish. I finally gave up two thirds through the book.

[Danielle Lelio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t feel terribly genuine

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women’s Voices as Historical Record

Sisters in War, by Christina Asquith, documents the lives of four women in war-ravaged Iraq. Asquith anchors her story with names and events that are the memorable war headlines of American news in 2003-2004. She then reveals truths that were not known state-side: details of events and their effect on women’s lives, and how the continued American military presence affects the Iraqi people outside the enclave known as the Green Zone.

Iraqi sisters Zia and Nunu experience pre-Sadam and post-Sadam Iraq, and find their daily lives, education and sense of a future interrupted and altered beyond their control. American Army reservist Heather arrives in war-ravaged Iraq, with a naïve dream and official mandate to bring American-style women’s rights, as defined by American military strategists, to a traditional conservative Muslim society. She collaborates with American aid worker Manal, who understands both cultures and attempts to bridge West and Middle East in Iraq, as she has in her own life. The day-to-day details of four women’s lives chillingly reveal the impact of war, in ways that more formal reports of troop movements and statistical analyses do not.

We know that soldiers are horribly traumatized by war. Still, if one considers the broad cultural devastation perpetrated by war, it is written indelibly in the minds, hearts and lives of the non-combatants: most often women, children and the elderly. Civilians in war zones are murdered, gang-raped, tortured, displaced and bereft of home, food, clothing and education. Families and communities are disrupted, often destroyed. Rarely are the day-to-day details of civilian war experience honored in the recording of political change. The bystanders are unknown, stripped of identity and dignity, marginalized by historical record, and transformed into riveting anonymous photographs and textual footnotes.

Asquith’s telling of the inept arrogance of American military decisions reveals a narcissistic political solipsism, reminiscent of the 1958 novel The Ugly American, by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer. Tell it she does, with flawless straightforward prose that clearly exposes the suffering caused by a protracted war that did not have to happen. Asquith is equally articulate as she describes details that reveal the strength and determination of women whose choices are restricted by cultural constraints and military regulations.

History books and the documentation of political conflict and war have been written primarily about powerful men, by powerful men. Even with the inclusion of women in government, on foreign battlefields and in major newsrooms, war and history are still, officially, first and foremost, male domain and enterprise. Through the writing of Sisters in War, Asquith contributes significantly to correcting this omission in historical documentation. More women’s stories need to be told.

There is a fifth sister in this Iraq war narrative. We can read this story because Christina Asquith, a compassionate and committed journalist, spent two years reporting from Baghdad. It is through her willingness to tell the truth of the Iraq War, that we can know Zia, Nunu, Heather and Manal. Asquith’s dedication to writing has given eloquent voice to women’s experience in war.
Sisters in War: A Story of Love, Family, and Survival in the New Iraq

[Amanda Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

American journalist Christina Asquith was sent to Baghdad on assignment in 2003, where she spent the next two years on the front lines of the war. By the fall of 2004, all journalists living in Baghdad were under death threat, and Asquith was forced into hiding in a Baghdad house with two of her Iraqi girlfriends.
Living with an Iraqi family gave her a first-hand look at how Iraqis were affected by the war, especially women. Women went from holding respectable positions in society, to not even being able to leave their homes unaccompanied by a male relative. From this experience, Asquith got the idea to write “Sisters in War.”
Asquith follows the lives of four women affected by the American attack/invasion of Baghdad. Two Iraqi sisters, Zia and Nunu; one U.S. soldier, Heather; and a U.S. aid worker, Manal, who is an American Muslim.
Heather worked inside the area of Baghdad where most American soldiers work from, called the Green Zone. American soldiers live and work there, and it is considered safe. Based out of one of Saddam’s former palaces, the Green Zone is also where Iraqis working alongside Americans can go freely to and from work on a daily basis. However, once outside the Green Zone’s gates, Baghdad is a free-for-all where violence is rarely brought to justice, and women are treated like lower-class citizens since the Americans took Saddam from power.
Manal and Heather meet up through the work that Heather is wanting to do installing womens’ centers in Baghdad. Heather has big ideas and Manal has the means to carry out the ideas, and together they make a good team. However, Heather’s idea of building nine centers throughout Baghdad within a few weeks is simply impossible. When they open the first, and only, center several months later, Heather has finally come to terms with how slowly the American bureaucracy works, and how little the extremists in Iraq want women to succeed.
At first Zia and Nunu and their families saw the Americans coming to Baghdad as something wonderful that would free them and deliver to them the opportunities they’ve always longed for. However, several years after the war began, both Zia and Nunu fear for their lives daily, and Zia has been fired from her job within the Green Zone because the Americans have stopped trusting Iraqis. Their neighborhood still does not have stable electricity or clean water. They are no longer safe attending university or even leaving their home without having to be veiled to cover most of their body and head.
Interestingly enough, how most Iraqis view America’s involvement in their country is still optimistic and hopeful, no matter how weary they are about how things appear to be worse than when Saddam was in power. They hope that once the militants and extremists are taken care of, their country can be handed back over to them as a democracy. There is even a law, when followed, that calls for 25% of their governing council be female.
Asquith has hit the nail on the head with following these four women and getting their aspects on this entire situation. Their lives are so different from anything we can imagine in America, and so interesting in how they have to live versus how they want to live. Definitely a different perspective, a sympathetic one that thinks perhaps there will be some good to come out of the war, yet still fearing there won’t be.

[Daniel Landsman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for the storytelling aspect. The characters grew on me and by the halfway point, I was heavily invested in the story of Zia, Nunu and Mamina (who constitute about 40% of the book). I didnt care much for Manal, but Heather was another character I liked.

2 stars for the books message. It was a bit too preachy, especially when describing Manal's struggles. I appreciate the candor of the story and how it tried to show the frustrations of the characters, but one point was far too belabored: the ineptness of the CPA and the military to reconstruct Iraq. I got it--America "blew it" and after toppling Saddam, we "let the situation get out of control". However, other than Zia's story, you are left with little to no understanding of the causes of the rising insurgency other than "America didnt do enough". What about Iranian influence, and other instigators? Somehow you are left feeling that America is responsible for all the chaos that ensued, and while that is convenient and in many respects true, it is way too one-dimensional. It left me feeling as though the author did not do enough independent research into the insurgency and its roots.

However, in the tales of Nunu and Zia, there is plenty of acknowledgement of the evils of the insurgency, though still far too little acknowledgement of the brave Iraqi and American soldiers who were fighting them every day. A favorite part was when Nunu is holed up in her house, when the fighting was at its worst:

"Despite the death toll and the horrible cruelty of the [insurgent] attack, there was little coverage on Western channels. On the Arab channels, there was none of the outrage expressed if the [American] troops accidentally killed even one Iraqi. Nunu could never understand why the foreign press was so much more interested in the few crimes of their own soldiers, than the much worse atrocities committed by the Islamic fundamentalists. Nunu and Mamina personally knew dozens of innocent Iraqis killed by the irhabeen, the terrorists, but no one who had been harmed by Western forces."

This kind of honest reporting shows through a few times, but it is swallowed up by a far greater drumbeat of how America failed. The Surge and the Awakening is then portrayed almost as an inevitability, as opposed to a brave uprising of Iraqis and courageous second effort by the Americans.

Anyway, I should mention my bias (former American Soldier deployed to Iraq).

This book deserves to be read if for no other reason than the point of view it shows in the story of Zia. There are many books about the war, but few from this key perspective. Asquith does Zia's tale justice. The Manal and Heather storylines are less of a contribution. My recommendation might be to read just the Zia portions, and skip chapters on Manal and Heather. It wont affect the tale, as they are not interconnected.

[Kathleen Hagen]

Sisters in War: A story of Love, Family and Survival in the New Iraq, by Christina Asquith, Narrated by Miriam Laude, Produced by Audible Inc., downloaded from audible.com.

This book will be with me a long time. The narrator does a wonderful job of finding different voices and nuances for the four women mainly covered in this book. The publisher’s note describes this book as well as I could so I have included it.

After the war, women in Iraq could be groped for not veiling, dragged out of their cars and whipped for driving, and beheaded for talking to an American.
Yet before the war of "liberation", Iraqi women were professors, lawyers, and engineers. They enjoyed more privileges than most other Arab women. How and
why did the US's involvement in Iraq result in greater oppression for Iraqi women? In Sisters in War, journalist Christina Asquith tells the story of the
Iraq war and its aftermath through the eyes of four women who survived it: Iraqi sisters Zia and Nunu, US reservist Heather Coyne, and Washington, D.C.
women's rights activist Manal Omar. Asquith weaves their fascinating stories together to create a larger picture of women's experience in Iraq during the
occupation. From Zia, who chooses to work for the Americans, engage in a relationship with an American man, and ultimately emigrate to America, to Nunu,
who goes from a shy student to a defiant advocate of women's rights, to Heather, whose faith in the US's moral obligation to spread freedom and democracy
in the Middle East is shaken by what she sees, Asquith shows us a side of the Iraq War that has received far too little attention. Sisters in War is not
simply about sharing a few women's stories. Asquith uses these narratives as opportunities to explore the choices many women in Iraq faced in the aftermath
of the war: to endure violence if they would not veil, to emigrate, or to give in to the pressures of rising fundamentalism and sectarian violence. No
other book has told the devastating and painful story of women in the Iraq war, and Christina Asquith, who spent two years in Baghdad on assignment for
the New York Times, tells it with the compassion, grace, and rightful outrage of a dedicated reporter.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be a true story of life in Iraq after the war. It matched what I had already read about the americans invasion with intent to instill democracy and how badly they failed at things. This book follows a family that was full of hope when the americans came to Iraq. For years they had been repressed by Saddam and they welcomed the opportunities that the americans promised. Unfortunately, the main focus was on oil and privatization was the way the Americans dealt with Iraq. Blackwater was vicious to the Iraqis and was absolved from blame. The promise of women's rights was a hoax. Cheney's wife received funding but never entered Iraq or did anything for women. the story highlights an educated woman who went to work for the americans in the Green zone. It also highlights an armed services woman, a woman's rights leader and an aide worker who tried to work tirelessly for women's shelter, womens' center and the rights of women. Two of them lost their lives in the cause. The two militia's in Iraq, the Sunni's and the Shiites targeted the families and organizations trying to make Iraq a better place. finally the woman who had worked in the Green zone (Zia) found herself and her family targeted. Their lives had been better under Saddam than under the americans. After two years of loyal service, as things fell apart due to the militia attacks, they refused to give her any sort of protection and let her go. she was a strong person and campaigned for herself and managed to get to Aman. From here she contacted US govt officials and worked to get asylum in the US. Eventually she married a serviceman she had fallen in love with in the Green zone and worked towards citizenship. She advocated daily for her mother and sister to be allowed to come to the US since they were being targeted daily. This is a story of character, stamina, and the realism of the war and its' cost to the citizens of Iraq. In the end, their is triumph for this family but so much was lost in our sloppy endeavors in a country we wanted for their oil.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sisters in War follows the struggles and accomplishments of three women during US-occupied Iraq following the Iraq War. Manal is an Iraqi ex-pat from the US who returns as an aid worker. Heather is a US Army reservist who arrives in Iraq believing that she can personally make a difference and that her country has Iraq's best interests at heart. The heart of the story, however, lies with Zia, a young, educated Iraqi woman who finds employment with the US headquarters in Baghdad. Despite the propaganda depicted in broadcasts outside Iraq, not everyone in the country is welcoming the American occupation with open arms. Zia experiences not only resentment from fellow Iraqis at her association with the Americans, but ultimately both her and her family's very lives are put at risk.

Although Zia's story was compelling, it's hard to imagine how many other young Iraqi women are in similar threatening or oppressive situations whose stories will never be told. I also found it nearly impossible to come away from the book without a continued feeling of dismay and hopelessness for the Iraq situation. Worth reading, but don't expect closure of any kind.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not so far into this book yet, but I am absolutely loving it. It reminds me why I love books about true stories so much. Zia's, Manal's and Heather's experiences are captivating. I am learning so much about the way Iraq was and it makes me think, "wow, good thing we went in there and helped". I am big on the fact that women shouldn't be forced into marriage and all the "duties" the Iraqis think they should do.


I have now finished reading this book and I enjoyed it SO much. Zia and her family's story was by far my favorite of the book. She is a very strong woman and I applaud her for that especially coming from a country like Iraq where women are constantly belittled. I recommend this book to everyone. It is so uplifting even though there are many sad parts that give you a glimpse of things that have been going on in Iraq since we arrived in their country.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really opened my eyes to the struggle of the Iraq people. I was a teenager in the 90's when the Golf War started and in College when the Iraq war started. I was very ignorant as to what had gone on over there and really wanted to read a book that would enlighten me on the topic. This book is well written and at times filled with an overwhelming amount of facts. It follows the story of 2 sisters, a female US soldier and an Iraqi born US women's rights activist. I was shocked to learn how poorly Saddam had treated the people of his own country. I'd thought he'd only attacked other countries, but the death toll at his own hand of the Iraqi people was appalling. And the fact that the Iraqi people continued to fight and kill each other after the US soldiers had moved in makes little sense to me. What a lot of senseless death.

[Jennifer Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this at this time when everything about Iraq is 'resurfacing' basically for common Americans like myself was very interesting. Although I wasn't really pulled in emotionally to their stories, I think because it was written by a reporter so it was very factual, I was amazed at the information I learned that I didn't know. I do think politically it leaned in one direction since it was written during Bush's era and said everything that was wrong and find it interesting how wrong it still is with a democrat and so sad for the people of that nation and the women who live there. War really is a horrible thing and it just reminds me of how grateful we should be to live in America, proud of our soldiers and keep defending our rights.

[Amanda J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of good information that if you are interested in the Iraq war and/or women's rights issues you will be certain to appreciate. The author is a journalist and the book reads more like an exposé than a novel. Sometimes you are hit with so many facts it feels like you are reading the morning newspaper. Asquith always brings it back around, however, to the plights of the 4 women featured in the novel. She gives a voice to the countless women caught up in the tradegy that is the Iraq War.


In compliance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that this book was recieved for free through Goodreads First Reads Program.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first free read and I was anxiously looking forward to reading it. It is a powerful story about two Iraqi sisters and two American women and their struggles in Iraq after the invasion. The Americans were trying to improve life for the Iraqi women but politics, religion and the differencs in the Iraqi culture made it an almost impossible task. The sisters were very different and each did what they had to do to survive. After reading this I better understand the plight of the women in Iraq before and after the war. Asquith is very knowledgeable about her subject but I did find parts of the book tediuos.

[Mary Turos · Rating 5 out of 5]

We had so much opportunity to help Iraq become democracy. We did a good job of getting rid of Saddam and opening possibilities for equality, but sadly, we did not have a plan for the transformation into a democracy. Foot soldiers, without experience or knowledge of the cultural and organizational challenges, were left to figure out how to run the country. We failed the Iraqis, especially the women. And as three protagonists, an American soldier, an Iraqi working for the Green Zone, and a NGO worker all stated, "War hurts women the most."

[Carrie Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an enlightening book on the hardships of war on women. Women, in some ways, are the collateral damage during times of war. We are unaware of what is suffered by so many on a daily basis. Opens the door to realize that the fates of many are in the hands of a few. This book brings the Iraq war to a personal level that makes my daily freedoms much more precious but also helps me realize that freedom cannot be fully appreciated until it has been taken away.

[Florence Buchholz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of war, told from a woman's perspective, and from the scene of the atrocities. It takes not particular position about the American invasion, but wisely concentrates on the scenes of tragedy and carnage that resulted. What has all of this violence acheived? Ordinary Iraqis have seen their country destroyed. Although Saddam is gone, so is most of their infrastructure and civil society.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stop what you are doing and read this book.

You will learn why Iraqis wanted Saddam out. You will learn why Americans wanted to improve the lives of Iraqis. You will learn what women in Iraq experienced before, during, and after the overthrow of Saddam.

The book focuses on women and women's rights but it is about people making a difference.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories of 4 women during the US invasion of Iraq and subsequent years: an American aid worker, an American soldier, and 2 Iraqi sisters. A fascinating personal account of what it felt like and looked like from a woman's perspective.

[Suzanne Auckerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of Iraqi family, a returning Iraqi, and a soldier that wanted to improve women's rights in Iraq. The women in the Iraqi family tell of the same stresses and difficulties from what I heard from women in Afghanistan. I just don't get subjugating 50% of the population.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book - it gives a very clear picture of what the early day of war were like for women and how it has adversely affected women's rights in Iran, all while keeping the story personal and interesting.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very informative about the state of affairs especially for women after Saddam fell on the 1990s. It was too political for my taste, and much like a news report. I am much more grateful to live as an American with the freedoms that we have.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-fiction account from several women's perspective of life in Iraq after the American Invasion. Well documented..but, not a happy story. Not pleasurable reading...but, informative. This book raised my awareness beyond the newspaper page of reality in this divided country.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every American should read this book. Scratch that. Everyone should read it. I'm sure there are many books out there about the Iraq war, but this one focuses on an Iraqi family, an American soldier and an aid worker. The different perspectives of these women are what makes this book unique.