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Republic of Dreams: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Struggles, and the Future of Iraqi Kurdistan
352 pages, Hardcover
Published January 14, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 15, 2024
My thanks to NYU Press, Nicole F. Watts and Netgalley.
This book was one of my slow reads. For me, its a difficult subject matter.
I have read quite a bit about the Kurds and I've discovered that I have a very soft spot for them. I fucking despise the way they are treated. Most of all, I'm so very ashamed of the way my government treated them after the Iraq war.
Personally, I love reading about their lives and hardships. I wish my government had helped them more.
This book? I think Ms. Watts did justice to this small part of a bigger story.
My hope is that one day their will be a Kurdistan that is free from Iraq and Iran. Everyone deserves a place...a country of their own.
This book was one of my slow reads. For me, its a difficult subject matter.
I have read quite a bit about the Kurds and I've discovered that I have a very soft spot for them. I fucking despise the way they are treated. Most of all, I'm so very ashamed of the way my government treated them after the Iraq war.
Personally, I love reading about their lives and hardships. I wish my government had helped them more.
This book? I think Ms. Watts did justice to this small part of a bigger story.
My hope is that one day their will be a Kurdistan that is free from Iraq and Iran. Everyone deserves a place...a country of their own.
January 4, 2025
Nicole Watt's Republic of Dreams is predominantly the story of Iraq's Kurdistan Region in its nascent struggle to form its state and institutions, after being granted a semi-autonomous status and a degree of self-government by the 2005 Iraq constitutions, and a dogged affirmation of life and constructive hope.
The heart of the narrative of Republic of Dreams is Peshawa Ahmad. He was as yet unborn in 1988 when Saddam Hussein gassed the Kurdish town of Halabja, driving out its people, Peshawa's parents included, to flee across the border to Iran. (They'd return, to rebuild home in a scarred and ruined place, the inaugural human tragedy of the Kurdish state within Iraq.) As a naïve teenager he'd stumble into and, later, as an idealistic and determined young adult, actively participate in the protest movement that struggled to uphold democracy in Kurdistan. He would be among the first of a generation of liberal-minded professionals, beneficiaries from the opening doors of Westernization, studying in American institutions.
His is the struggle of the double loyalty to self and country, the dilemma of escaping, the idealist choice amid chronic corruption, and resilience in the face of uncertainty — which is the profoundest burden of all those whose safety, the wholeness of the ground under their feet, is stuck in indeterminate precarity.
The end result is something idiosyncratic which read like a third person memoir.
There is a lyrical quality to Watts's writing which I often find to be particular to journalists: an outsider's view drawn close looking in; skilful parallelism and dramatization; a seeking-out of narrative that can sometimes verge on sensationalism; an attention paid to the details of life, as one notices the grain and weight on fabric when wiping stress-sweaty hands on pants' knees.
An insightful, well-written, off-the-beaten-path book.
(Even if I am distasteful of the individualized hope implicitly liberal outlook informed by Peshawa Ahmad's own extra(read: out of the)ordinary material circumstances, and find his lens (or the text's lens, informed by him and his friends and family as primary contributor(s)) to not be the most productive for political analysis.
(The man worked for Facebook, for God's sake.)
(My track record for closing off parenthesis is unfortunately way better in prose than in code.))
{This is a review of an advanced reader's copy generously provided through NetGalley by NYU Press.}
The heart of the narrative of Republic of Dreams is Peshawa Ahmad. He was as yet unborn in 1988 when Saddam Hussein gassed the Kurdish town of Halabja, driving out its people, Peshawa's parents included, to flee across the border to Iran. (They'd return, to rebuild home in a scarred and ruined place, the inaugural human tragedy of the Kurdish state within Iraq.) As a naïve teenager he'd stumble into and, later, as an idealistic and determined young adult, actively participate in the protest movement that struggled to uphold democracy in Kurdistan. He would be among the first of a generation of liberal-minded professionals, beneficiaries from the opening doors of Westernization, studying in American institutions.
His is the struggle of the double loyalty to self and country, the dilemma of escaping, the idealist choice amid chronic corruption, and resilience in the face of uncertainty — which is the profoundest burden of all those whose safety, the wholeness of the ground under their feet, is stuck in indeterminate precarity.
... but anyone from Kurdistan could tell you that God or history or just the dice-roll of fate could chance everything, force you to scrap that map and find a new path.
The end result is something idiosyncratic which read like a third person memoir.
There is a lyrical quality to Watts's writing which I often find to be particular to journalists: an outsider's view drawn close looking in; skilful parallelism and dramatization; a seeking-out of narrative that can sometimes verge on sensationalism; an attention paid to the details of life, as one notices the grain and weight on fabric when wiping stress-sweaty hands on pants' knees.
An insightful, well-written, off-the-beaten-path book.
(Even if I am distasteful of the individualized hope implicitly liberal outlook informed by Peshawa Ahmad's own extra(read: out of the)ordinary material circumstances, and find his lens (or the text's lens, informed by him and his friends and family as primary contributor(s)) to not be the most productive for political analysis.
(The man worked for Facebook, for God's sake.)
(My track record for closing off parenthesis is unfortunately way better in prose than in code.))
{This is a review of an advanced reader's copy generously provided through NetGalley by NYU Press.}
June 26, 2024
Peshawa's story was enlightening. The Republic of Dreams allowed me to better understand a person of his background, culture, and perspectives as a Muslim Kurd from Iraq. It also allowed for a deeper understanding of Kurdistan, a region that does not get much attention from the average American or Westerner. In my opinion, it is beyond important to have knowledge of people who exist in all corners of the world, and this book allowed me to begin my study of Kurds. The title refers to the dream of an independent Kurdish state, but also Peshawa's commitment to his homeland and his dreams being actualized within it. These sentiments are woven together beautifully by the author throughout the book.
I very much enjoyed this read, it had a change in pacing as many events happened in rapid succession near the end, but in some ways, this life, and I cannot fault the author for the ways and speed events perhaps unfolded in Peshawa's life. I think that any lover of nonfiction and memoirs would find true value in this book, it teaches a lesson while simultaneously describing the ups and downs of a most interesting life.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for review.
I very much enjoyed this read, it had a change in pacing as many events happened in rapid succession near the end, but in some ways, this life, and I cannot fault the author for the ways and speed events perhaps unfolded in Peshawa's life. I think that any lover of nonfiction and memoirs would find true value in this book, it teaches a lesson while simultaneously describing the ups and downs of a most interesting life.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for review.
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April 12, 2025I was familiar with Nicole F. Watts’ academic work on Kurdish street politics and contentious politics of Halabja, I discovered her thanks to an assigned reading for my class “Contemporary Kurdish Politics”, and I continued to re-read her work for work and university for the past 3 years.
Because of some technical issues at work, we reached out to Peshawa Ahmed and he was not only very helpful, kind and supportive but he also let us know that Nicole has written “Republic of Dreams”, a book about Peshawa, Halabja, Kurdistan’s contentious politics, genocide and the referendum. We helped organize events and book readings in Halabja and Erbil, and Peshawa and Nicole kindly offered me to moderate the reading panel in Erbil! And on I went to read for work, but then I found myself reading this until 3am most days.
This book is political, sociological, historical. It deals with heavy topics, it deals with trauma on a generational and national level. It clarifies Kurdistan’s security problems, within the broader Middle East and within the Kurdistan region itself. It does this in parallel to developments of Peshawa’s personal life. Despite the heavy topics, at no point does this book become difficult to read, because of the book’s perfectly clear structure and chronology, and Nicole’s equally informative and sympathetic (but not heavy-handed) writing.
If someone doesn’t know about the Kurds and is eager to learn, this is the first book I would recommend. It would enable someone to learn about the contemporary history, about contemporary political dynamics but also get to know Kurdish hearts and people on an individual level.
Because of some technical issues at work, we reached out to Peshawa Ahmed and he was not only very helpful, kind and supportive but he also let us know that Nicole has written “Republic of Dreams”, a book about Peshawa, Halabja, Kurdistan’s contentious politics, genocide and the referendum. We helped organize events and book readings in Halabja and Erbil, and Peshawa and Nicole kindly offered me to moderate the reading panel in Erbil! And on I went to read for work, but then I found myself reading this until 3am most days.
This book is political, sociological, historical. It deals with heavy topics, it deals with trauma on a generational and national level. It clarifies Kurdistan’s security problems, within the broader Middle East and within the Kurdistan region itself. It does this in parallel to developments of Peshawa’s personal life. Despite the heavy topics, at no point does this book become difficult to read, because of the book’s perfectly clear structure and chronology, and Nicole’s equally informative and sympathetic (but not heavy-handed) writing.
If someone doesn’t know about the Kurds and is eager to learn, this is the first book I would recommend. It would enable someone to learn about the contemporary history, about contemporary political dynamics but also get to know Kurdish hearts and people on an individual level.
December 1, 2024
"Republic of Dreams" is a powerful and moving account of the Kurdish people's struggle for self-determination in Iraq. Through the eyes of Peshawa, a young Kurdish refugee, author Nicole F. Watts paints a vivid and heartbreaking picture of Iraqi Kurdistan's tumultuous history, from the devastating impact of Saddam Hussein's genocidal campaign to the more recent challenges of civil war, the US invasion, and the Arab Spring.
Drawing on extensive interviews with activists, journalists, and elected officials, Watts provides a nuanced and deeply human perspective on the Kurdish people's resilience and determination in the face of adversity. Her lyrical prose and keen insights into the complex political and social landscape of Iraqi Kurdistan make for a captivating and enlightening read.
"Republic of Dreams" is an essential work for anyone seeking to understand the Kurdish people's ongoing struggle for autonomy and recognition. Watts' compassionate storytelling and expert analysis offer a powerful reminder of the human cost of war and political turmoil, as well as the enduring spirit of a people fighting for their future.
** Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review **
Drawing on extensive interviews with activists, journalists, and elected officials, Watts provides a nuanced and deeply human perspective on the Kurdish people's resilience and determination in the face of adversity. Her lyrical prose and keen insights into the complex political and social landscape of Iraqi Kurdistan make for a captivating and enlightening read.
"Republic of Dreams" is an essential work for anyone seeking to understand the Kurdish people's ongoing struggle for autonomy and recognition. Watts' compassionate storytelling and expert analysis offer a powerful reminder of the human cost of war and political turmoil, as well as the enduring spirit of a people fighting for their future.
** Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review **
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews