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1001 Nights in Iraq: The Shocking Story of an American Forced to Fight for Saddam Against the Country He Loves
Shant Kenderian's visit to Baghdad in 1980, at age seventeen, was supposed to be a short one -- just enough time to make peace with his estranged father before returning to his home in the United States. But then Saddam Hussein invaded Iran and sealed off Iraq's borders to every man of military age -- including Shant. Suddenly forced onto the front lines, his two-week visit turned into a nightmare that lasted for ten years.
1001 Nights in Iraq presents a human story that provides unique insight into a country and culture that we only get a hint of in the headlines. After surviving the horrors of the Iran-Iraq War, Shant was then forced to fight on the front lines of Desert Storm without being given the proper equipment, including a gun, but miraculously survived to be captured by the Americans and become a POW. He underwent starvation, heavy interrogations, and solitary confinement, but what broke him in the end was his love affair with a female American soldier. Yet throughout this whole ordeal, Shant never lost his respect for people, his faith in God, or his sense of humor.
1001 Nights in Iraq presents a human story that provides unique insight into a country and culture that we only get a hint of in the headlines. After surviving the horrors of the Iran-Iraq War, Shant was then forced to fight on the front lines of Desert Storm without being given the proper equipment, including a gun, but miraculously survived to be captured by the Americans and become a POW. He underwent starvation, heavy interrogations, and solitary confinement, but what broke him in the end was his love affair with a female American soldier. Yet throughout this whole ordeal, Shant never lost his respect for people, his faith in God, or his sense of humor.
304 pages, Paperback
First published August 30, 2005
3 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 19, 2017
Well, I wrote this book, which means I read it a 100 times and like it
September 26, 2020
It is a Desert Storm story from the Iraqi side. Shant's personality, intelligence and his religious faith allowed him to be a survivor while most others would have failed. I will recommend this book to my son who just spent a year in Kuwait with the Army.
August 18, 2024
Compelling and well written
January 29, 2016
There's a popular saying that "truth is stranger than fiction." In the case of Shant Kenderian, the saying certainly applies. In his nonfiction book (once the most popular selling book on BookSurge before being picked up by publisher Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster), Kenderian recounts his own tale of being drafted to fight a war against his own country.
Born in Iraq as an Armenian Christian (already an outsider in a country populated with Muslims), when his parents divorced, Kenderian went to live with his mother and siblings in Chicago. Like many children of divorce, he felt torn between his parents, and after two years of living in the United States, he decided to go to Iraq for a brief visit in 1980.
His goal was to see his father and reconcile their acrimonious relationship (because of his parents' divorce) before returning (after his two week visit) to the US to complete his schooling. Days before he was due to return to the US, Saddam Hussein closed all the Iraqi borders, ordering all men of draft age (between 17-55) into service to fight for Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War. Under the threat of execution for refusing to serve, Kenderian did his time in the Iraqi Navy and returned to Baghdad, where he continued his studies in engineering while awaiting the issuance of his green card from the US Embassy that would allow him to return home.
Two days before he was scheduled to depart Iraq, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, thus pulling Kenderian into yet another war (Desert Storm) before he could leave. Thus begins the saga that is recounted in "1001 Nights in Iraq." As an Iraqi-born US resident, Shant Kenderian was put in the unenviable position of being forced to fight against the country he loved and considered his own -- the United States.
Kenderian recounts with depressing detail his time as an engineer aboard a ship in the Iraqi Navy just off the coast of Kuwait. Forced to service the ship with only a wrench and screwdriver, Kenderian tells of the deprivation faced by most soldiers on the Iraqi side of the conflict. Of his crew, only 2 Iraqis of 15 had guns of any sort; Kenderian himself had none. Food was scarce, as were any other sort of supplies. Every day was a nightmare in which the Iraqi soldiers expected death at any moment by the Americans.
Clearly, Kenderian had to do something to change his fate, and so he devised a plan -- to surrender to the Americans at the earliest opportunity. Kenderian thus hoped to plead his case as a US resident forced to participate in a war not of his own choosing on a side he would not have selected. Kenderian eventually did get captured by the Americans, but not before his ship struck a mine, killing several of his Iraqi crewmates. However, even his capture by US forces meant extreme hardship. As a prisoner of war (POW), again and again, he was interrogated, forced to live in difficult conditions, and plead his desperate case, to return to his family in the United States.
Despite this unbelievable story, Kenderian never lost his sense of humor, his humanity for others (Iraqi or otherwise), or his faith in God that he would eventually be returned to the country he considered home. Only a man of real courage and compassion could have survived this ordeal to tell this story of resilience and hope. Through his book, Kenderian has opened the door into a world few Americans understand or have experienced. His story been featured on public radio's "This American Life," and truly it is a unique one.
Born in Iraq as an Armenian Christian (already an outsider in a country populated with Muslims), when his parents divorced, Kenderian went to live with his mother and siblings in Chicago. Like many children of divorce, he felt torn between his parents, and after two years of living in the United States, he decided to go to Iraq for a brief visit in 1980.
His goal was to see his father and reconcile their acrimonious relationship (because of his parents' divorce) before returning (after his two week visit) to the US to complete his schooling. Days before he was due to return to the US, Saddam Hussein closed all the Iraqi borders, ordering all men of draft age (between 17-55) into service to fight for Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War. Under the threat of execution for refusing to serve, Kenderian did his time in the Iraqi Navy and returned to Baghdad, where he continued his studies in engineering while awaiting the issuance of his green card from the US Embassy that would allow him to return home.
Two days before he was scheduled to depart Iraq, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, thus pulling Kenderian into yet another war (Desert Storm) before he could leave. Thus begins the saga that is recounted in "1001 Nights in Iraq." As an Iraqi-born US resident, Shant Kenderian was put in the unenviable position of being forced to fight against the country he loved and considered his own -- the United States.
Kenderian recounts with depressing detail his time as an engineer aboard a ship in the Iraqi Navy just off the coast of Kuwait. Forced to service the ship with only a wrench and screwdriver, Kenderian tells of the deprivation faced by most soldiers on the Iraqi side of the conflict. Of his crew, only 2 Iraqis of 15 had guns of any sort; Kenderian himself had none. Food was scarce, as were any other sort of supplies. Every day was a nightmare in which the Iraqi soldiers expected death at any moment by the Americans.
Clearly, Kenderian had to do something to change his fate, and so he devised a plan -- to surrender to the Americans at the earliest opportunity. Kenderian thus hoped to plead his case as a US resident forced to participate in a war not of his own choosing on a side he would not have selected. Kenderian eventually did get captured by the Americans, but not before his ship struck a mine, killing several of his Iraqi crewmates. However, even his capture by US forces meant extreme hardship. As a prisoner of war (POW), again and again, he was interrogated, forced to live in difficult conditions, and plead his desperate case, to return to his family in the United States.
Despite this unbelievable story, Kenderian never lost his sense of humor, his humanity for others (Iraqi or otherwise), or his faith in God that he would eventually be returned to the country he considered home. Only a man of real courage and compassion could have survived this ordeal to tell this story of resilience and hope. Through his book, Kenderian has opened the door into a world few Americans understand or have experienced. His story been featured on public radio's "This American Life," and truly it is a unique one.
March 16, 2016
[Audiobook]
I can't figure out why this book isn't more widely known. Why aren't more people reading and talking about this amazing story? Then again, a portion of it was featured on a This American Life episode a few years ago, and I remember the segment being very compelling...and yet I didn't seek out the book, either.
Now that mistake has been rectified, and I'm so glad. This is one of those stories that you love to read (because you know it has a happy ending) and love to talk about with everyone you see. Just this very moment as I was writing this review, I had to turn to my co-worker next to me and tell her about it (she remembers it from the TAL episode, too; yes, I have a Finnish co-worker who listens to TAL. I am blessed).
In the early chapters, Shant comes off a little bit too much the hero - he's always smarter than everyone around him and can fix problems that no one else can and is never getting enough credit for his brilliance. But by the end of the book, you realize that dude, this guy really IS smarter than everyone around him. And I sympathize with his feelings of not belonging anywhere (he's a Christian Armenian Iraqi), even though he sometimes seemed a little petulant about being surrounded by Arab Muslims.
I appreciated what detail the book included about the complex immigration procedures that were undertaken on Shant's behalf. However, I would have liked to know more. I've been through immigration paperwork a few times myself for different countries, including the Middle East, and I'm always curious how the process goes for other people. I wanted to know more about why he couldn't return to the US between the two wars - those circumstances are given only brief treatment, and I do take the word of other immigration officials in the story that he did his due diligence, but I wanted the gory details of missed deadlines and red tape (both Iraqi and American) and lost documentation. I guess I'm weird like that.
In conclusion, this is a good book and you should read it.
I can't figure out why this book isn't more widely known. Why aren't more people reading and talking about this amazing story? Then again, a portion of it was featured on a This American Life episode a few years ago, and I remember the segment being very compelling...and yet I didn't seek out the book, either.
Now that mistake has been rectified, and I'm so glad. This is one of those stories that you love to read (because you know it has a happy ending) and love to talk about with everyone you see. Just this very moment as I was writing this review, I had to turn to my co-worker next to me and tell her about it (she remembers it from the TAL episode, too; yes, I have a Finnish co-worker who listens to TAL. I am blessed).
In the early chapters, Shant comes off a little bit too much the hero - he's always smarter than everyone around him and can fix problems that no one else can and is never getting enough credit for his brilliance. But by the end of the book, you realize that dude, this guy really IS smarter than everyone around him. And I sympathize with his feelings of not belonging anywhere (he's a Christian Armenian Iraqi), even though he sometimes seemed a little petulant about being surrounded by Arab Muslims.
I appreciated what detail the book included about the complex immigration procedures that were undertaken on Shant's behalf. However, I would have liked to know more. I've been through immigration paperwork a few times myself for different countries, including the Middle East, and I'm always curious how the process goes for other people. I wanted to know more about why he couldn't return to the US between the two wars - those circumstances are given only brief treatment, and I do take the word of other immigration officials in the story that he did his due diligence, but I wanted the gory details of missed deadlines and red tape (both Iraqi and American) and lost documentation. I guess I'm weird like that.
In conclusion, this is a good book and you should read it.
May 25, 2008
A memoir of a young man whose parents had split. An Armenian, he was living in America with his mother when he decided to visit his father who lived in Iraq. During his visit, Saddam issued an order that all males of military had to serve in the military. As a result, he was conscripted and was part of the fight against Iran and then in Kuwait before being captured by the Americans. The account describes his interrogations and events while a POW. Initially considered a spy, he was finally able to return to America where he obtained a Phd. It's a quick read verifying the unreadiness of the Iraqi army to resist and the difficulties of surviving as a POW.
September 21, 2012
This book is a story with determination as its theme.In this book Shant owns a green book to Iraq and America.He has an American mother and a father from Iraq.He moves to America with is Mother and graduates from high school.When he find out his dad is getting remarried he goes to the wedding.while in Iraq,Saddam takes control.He gives every male between 18 and 55 three days to sign up for the military or be shot.He has no choice but to fight the country he loves.He shows lots of determination in hopes to be captured by the Americans.The author shant is showing the readers his amazing story.I liked this book a lot and it is not very long.
June 8, 2009
I don't know what I would do in this guy's situation. I certainly wouldn't write a book about it. Although I do respect the man for not firing a shot against an American or coalition troop, I still can't get over the fact that an American was enlisted in the Iraqi army. However, this book does show the compassion that US troops have towards enemy combatants; in short, this is a side to war that the liberal media will not report (my God, an American soldier did something to better the life of an enemy. News at eleven).
June 22, 2017
My wife brought home this book after hearing Shant’s presentation at the Rotary club. His story really is stranger than any fiction. Before his senior year in a Chicago high he goes to Iraq to visit his father and becomes a captive in the country for 10 years having to serve in the military in 2 wars without a gun. His plan to return to the US is to be captured by American forces. Shant has to the unluckiest and luckiest guy at the same time. This is a fast read because it is such an improbable story.”
January 6, 2014
This book was a great first hand account of Desert Storm from an Iraqi's (although very unique) point of view. I actually met Shant while he was a prisoner in the Prison Camp run by the Pittburgh Marine MP's - and I can vouch that his account is very accurate. If you want a glimpse of what life is like for the average person in the middle east - you will certainly walk away with a much clearer image after reading this book.
June 30, 2009
A decent story about an Iraqi/American's struggle as he was forced to fight in both the Iran/Iraq war and Dessert Storm. It was a fairly good look at the innards of the American POW camps albeit through the eyes of an American who did get special treatment later on in his POW "career". In the end it was an interesting read and I did come out learning a few things.
July 16, 2011
Very interesting! I wasn't really sure I would get into it at first, but by the end I felt like I knew Shant personally. As a christian, I was also inspired by his faith throughout the story. The only thing I want to know is... what happened to Monica?!!
July 11, 2014
A must read. This I am sure is a recurring event some where. What a nightmare...in order to survive you have to enlist with the country of your birth (even though you are a legal resident of another country) to fight.
Thank you for telling your story Shant Kenderian.
Thank you for telling your story Shant Kenderian.
April 18, 2015
An amazing story that would have been captivating even if it had not been well-written, which it was. This story made me appreciate the everyday freedoms and luxuries I enjoy without even realizing it. Recommend to everyone.
January 16, 2017
Really interesting story. It's fascinating to get a glimpse into what life was like in the POW camps during the Iraq war and the whole idea of being forced to fight against your chosen side was repugnant and compelling.
Want to read
November 1, 2007can't wait to get to this amazing story!
November 28, 2007
An interesting story told by a so-so storyteller.
December 20, 2007
Shant's story is incredible...stranger than fiction.
January 21, 2008
Militarily Saddam was a fool and cared for no one but his own family.
December 6, 2009
You have to read this story to believe it, to let it sink in fully. Kenderian himself couldn't tell this story this well if we had sat down for hours and I said hardly anything at all.
October 18, 2010
Entertaining story. Gives good anecdotal insight into life in the Iraqi army. I much enjoyed that Shant went to same high school as my sister when he lived in the states.
November 30, 2016
Shant is my Career Mentor and I respect him a lot. This book just 10Xed my respect for him.
Want to read
February 22, 2010Visited dad in Iraq and borders closed with war with iran
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews