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Babylon by Bus: Or true story of two friends who gave up valuable franchise selling T-shirts to find meaning & adventure in Iraq where they became employed by the Occupation...
A pair of scruffy college students describes how they left their retail jobs at Fenway Park to run the desk in Baghdad's Coalition Provisional Authority that served as an interface between the CPA and the Iraqi people, a job during which they witnessed firsthand the stresses of war on everyday people, as well as a range of disturbing illegal activities. 60,000 first printing.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published August 3, 2006
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324 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
March 22, 2014
This is a story about two guys from the east coast who decided they were bored with the college scene (and considering their ages, it's probably a good thing), bored with the concert scene, bored with the stadium sports scene, bored with the tourist scene, and even bored with the backpacker scene. They were super awesome dudes, just ask them.
Seriously.
These are the guys who spend hours talking about how awesome they are sure they are to anyone who will listen. These two losers go to Iraq due to the jaded status they imposed upon themselves, and spend the entire book comparing Iraq to Disneyland. No, I take that back. The 'Iraq is Disneyland' theme is eclipsed by their constant rambling about the Red Sox.
Everyone they meet is below them. They are the smartest people ever. They can see things no one else can see, do things no one else can do, and the world would do well to ask them for their opinions (if only they had a 7 demon bag!). They go on and on about their personal superiority for chapters upon chapters. They get volunteer jobs without pay, they stay in Iraq only a couple of months (sorry, some of us spent a little more time in theater), they become instant experts in everything, and then they go on vacation to Jordan as soon as the violence starts. While on vacation, they accost a local business man, and attempt to use Army issued pass cards to get out of jail. They then cry to the embassy, the State Department bails them out, and the Army has them sign documents promising to never claim to be associated with the United States government ever again. These boys had only one fear: that their drug money would run out before they got home.
If you're looking for a book about two guys who haven't yet grown into manhood by their late 20s/early 30s and make up for this by wandering around promoting how awesome they think they are, then this book is for you!
Seriously.
These are the guys who spend hours talking about how awesome they are sure they are to anyone who will listen. These two losers go to Iraq due to the jaded status they imposed upon themselves, and spend the entire book comparing Iraq to Disneyland. No, I take that back. The 'Iraq is Disneyland' theme is eclipsed by their constant rambling about the Red Sox.
Everyone they meet is below them. They are the smartest people ever. They can see things no one else can see, do things no one else can do, and the world would do well to ask them for their opinions (if only they had a 7 demon bag!). They go on and on about their personal superiority for chapters upon chapters. They get volunteer jobs without pay, they stay in Iraq only a couple of months (sorry, some of us spent a little more time in theater), they become instant experts in everything, and then they go on vacation to Jordan as soon as the violence starts. While on vacation, they accost a local business man, and attempt to use Army issued pass cards to get out of jail. They then cry to the embassy, the State Department bails them out, and the Army has them sign documents promising to never claim to be associated with the United States government ever again. These boys had only one fear: that their drug money would run out before they got home.
If you're looking for a book about two guys who haven't yet grown into manhood by their late 20s/early 30s and make up for this by wandering around promoting how awesome they think they are, then this book is for you!
January 3, 2008
This book would've been great if the two men who wrote it didn't spend the entire book defending their irresponsible actions. Admitting that they were completely unqualified for the jobs they recieved in Iraq, LeMoine and Neumann never recognize that their immature and reckless behavior may have contributed to the failure of the US in rebuilding Iraqi civil society. While the book starts interestingly enough, the end is a cringe-inducing narrative that jumps from fist fights with the locals to debauched parties and then ends with the men indignant that they were fired because of their behavior. While Babylon by Bus does do a good job of providing the reader with an inside look at the expatriate community of Baghdad, the arrogance and hyper-defensiveness of the authors makes the book hard to read.
August 28, 2010
You know something is wrong with the military when two druggies accomplish more goodwill with the Iraqi people than the rest of the US government. They have very positive things to say about the people on the ground in Iraq, but not much positive about the leadership.
These guys charm, lie, cajole and manipulate their way into being the most effective NGO in Iraq at the time.
These guys charm, lie, cajole and manipulate their way into being the most effective NGO in Iraq at the time.
August 23, 2007
Amazing! Absolutely amazing. I was hooked in by the rediculous title, and then held captive as these guys tell a story about Iraq that you are not gonna hear anywhere else. They kinda stumbled into Iraq and started volunteering for Non-Government-Organization aid centers and rather haphazardly attempt to help out and do some good in the middle of Baghdad - both in the Red and Green Zone. What we get is a point of view that is not told on the news, and is also not told by any other visitors, cause after all, who visits a war? Amazing. I find myself looking at and listening to the news of Iraq today in a different light, having learned what I did from reading this book. I was hooked, and this is a story that is gonna stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended!!!
Oh, and I am pretty sure that these guys have some connection to the Hardcore scene, as there are references to touring with their bands around the world, and other points (like comments about crust punks in Israel) that would only come from "inside". In My Eyes is the only band I could link Jeff too, though they are a straight edge band and he is anything but in this tale. An interesting possible connection none the less.
Oh, and I am pretty sure that these guys have some connection to the Hardcore scene, as there are references to touring with their bands around the world, and other points (like comments about crust punks in Israel) that would only come from "inside". In My Eyes is the only band I could link Jeff too, though they are a straight edge band and he is anything but in this tale. An interesting possible connection none the less.
January 4, 2008
This book kinda sucked. In 2004, two entrepreneurial guys in their 20s head off to Iraq as civilians because they have nothing better to do (well, actually, it was because the Red Sox lost the pennant race and the guys lost all motivation). They had interesting experiences while in Iraq, but the writing is clunky and lacks depth.
For instance, there's an experience when they're in Jordan where one of the authors picks up a newspaper at a newspaper stand to read the headlines (and presumably put the paper back down) and then gets into an argument because the shop owner demands that the author pay for/buy the paper. The author refuses and then a fight ensues. Afterwards, the authors are like "WTF?" They tell the rest of the story, but they don't supplement it with anything that may have explained why the shopkeeper would have expected the guys to have paid for the paper in the first place. A better written book would have seamlessly explained that to the reader.
For instance, there's an experience when they're in Jordan where one of the authors picks up a newspaper at a newspaper stand to read the headlines (and presumably put the paper back down) and then gets into an argument because the shop owner demands that the author pay for/buy the paper. The author refuses and then a fight ensues. Afterwards, the authors are like "WTF?" They tell the rest of the story, but they don't supplement it with anything that may have explained why the shopkeeper would have expected the guys to have paid for the paper in the first place. A better written book would have seamlessly explained that to the reader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2008
This book only gets 4 stars because i have never reviewed a book before, and while i thought this book was excellent, i guess i don't want to set the bar too high on the first attempt.
That said, this truly was a well written, genuine account of the U.S. occupation of Iraq told rather plainly and eloquently by two young men who put themselves in the thick of it. As any tale of war it is of course gritty and often heartbreaking, but still manages thoughtful insight and healthy doses of humor throughout. The only strike against the story's readability comes from the authors' extensive use of anagrams and abbreviations used by occupation officials and military staff to denote the various locations and organizations in and around the Green Zone in Baghdad, which does after some time become a bit confusing. What really makes this book extremely important and immediately relevant though, is not in the way it is told, but in it's authors' sheer lack of allegiance or affiliation to anything. To call them freelancers would be inaccurate, as the motivation for this journey from the outset was for strictly personal reasons, and not for any particularly altruistic or economic reasons. These guys were not sent or paid by the media, the government or any other third party organization, and the result is what amounts to about the most honest and explicit account of what has happened there as anyone is likely to find.
i would certainly recommend this book to anyone interested in the conflict in Iraq, regardless of one's opinions concerning the U.S. presence there, as the book speaks neither to a "liberal" or "conservative" audience. This would make a fantastic text for high school or college students studying current events or political science.
January 28, 2008
The subtitle says a lot. What it doesn't say is that despite the fact that the book is somewhat inchoate, you just might read it all in one night. I did. And in the morning, when my boyfriend, who used to live with one of the authors, asked me if I liked it, I replied, "Not really". But there's some good stuff here....Some surprisingly astute observations about the mess in Iraq, a few portraits of truly dedicated, smart, and large-hearted women who are serving in and alongside the armed forces, and a cogent analysis of what went wrong with the CPA. That said, the main problem here is that our narrators - who decided to go to Iraq as the war was starting because they were "bored" - are not very likeable. They take a lot of valium, gamble, and sell some steroids to soldiers (all while conducting humanitarian operations for our government. Yes, our government truly hires only the best and most qualified...). Ultimately, though, they seem to grow over the course of the journey. Maybe its the humility that comes from having a close friend/colleague die? Or a sense of purpose from their roles as providers of aid in a war-ravaged country? The book loses focus at times, but the perspective is unique and the critique unflinching.
March 6, 2018
Babylon by bus is not only a funny sad/read, it is a surprisingly poignant addition to literature arising from the Second Iraq war. Stylistically, it's a cross between Ray & Jeff's Big Adventure and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with an emphasis on sedatives. Ray and Jeff, creators of the Yankees Suck T-shirts, world travels in the off-season, find their way to Iraq, where they find gainful unemployment trying to establish NGOs for Iraqis. We follow our anti-heros through several months that not only expose the sordid, ego-driven underbelly of the occupation, but also bring us face to face with plenty of decent people in the military or otherwise who were more often than not thwarted by the assholes upstairs.
Though the reporting is now ten years old, it's relevant for anyone who is interested in keeping the United States out of expensive, imperial adventures. Four stars for being a damn good read.
Though the reporting is now ten years old, it's relevant for anyone who is interested in keeping the United States out of expensive, imperial adventures. Four stars for being a damn good read.
January 24, 2008
I really don't know what to think about this book. Part of me is impressed with these guys and their insights, but a much larger part of me is stunned that these two fools wandered into such positions with the CPA. In many ways they were another symptom of the problem.
February 20, 2022
A sometimes compelling, often frustrating book that feels like a draft of what could have been a far better work.
The book acts as a sort of memoir of two young guys - LeMoine and Neumann - who head to Iraq in late 2003 to "make a difference." They had no training. No education on the area. No Arabic language skills. No background in providing aid of any sort, let alone in a war-torn foreign nation. They were basically two aimless dudes who had a cottage industry from making and selling "Yankees Suck" T-shirts in and around Boston Red Sox games. They got bored and decided to go to Iraq. In the roughly four or five months they were there, they wormed their way into an NGO and carved out a small group that gathered and dispersed some aid to poor Iraqis in the form of clothes and other goods. When not doing that, they made friends with a wide variety of folks, mostly internationals there with widely varying purposes. In early 2004, when Iraq was really starting to descend into brutal sectarian violence, they were essentially relieved of their responsibilities due to getting into a fistfight with a couple of Jordanian shopkeepers while on vacation.
This book does have value in that you get an inside look at the dysfunction of the U.S. occupation there and its wildly ill-advised attempt at nation-building in a land far, far different from our own. From the perspective of these two Rosenkrantz and Gildenstern types, we see how the U.S. Defense Department oversaw a nasty, violent money-grab for all sort of outside interests, U.S. and otherwise, who had only marginal interest in the actual welfare of the Iraqi people. There is a sense of absurdity that does come through the pages, and does paint what feels like a certain, accurate picture of some of what was going on at that time.
But it's hard to like the two authors much at all, and this isn't intentional. There is a disturbing lack of self-awareness on their part, and very little reckoning of their own as to just how irresponsible and self-absorbed much of what they did was. Towards the very end, there are a few pages where we get some real regret after one of their closest Iraqi friends was assassinated and other associates they made get killed while still working in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, but by that time it almost feels like it's too little, too late. A better writer and more perspective of the parts of LeMoine and Neumann probably could have produced a far more thoughtful, introspective look at their own actions, decisions, and the broader American mission. Alas, the book mostly feels slapped together of various recollections, often showing little to no connection with each other or a broader theme - a theme that could have been made very clearly and artfully. These two guys do seem like they're reasonably intelligent and did go there with some good intentions, but these were outweighed by their utterly misguided sense of wild adventure and disturbing lack of awareness of what they were getting into. These issues are not addressed in this book nearly as much as they could and should have been.
The book is a fast, easy read, though. Just be ready to grow irritated by the focal subjects throughout, despite the fact that they were trying to do good in their way. It's just that their way involved a lot of oblivious bungling and more than a little self-involvement.
The book acts as a sort of memoir of two young guys - LeMoine and Neumann - who head to Iraq in late 2003 to "make a difference." They had no training. No education on the area. No Arabic language skills. No background in providing aid of any sort, let alone in a war-torn foreign nation. They were basically two aimless dudes who had a cottage industry from making and selling "Yankees Suck" T-shirts in and around Boston Red Sox games. They got bored and decided to go to Iraq. In the roughly four or five months they were there, they wormed their way into an NGO and carved out a small group that gathered and dispersed some aid to poor Iraqis in the form of clothes and other goods. When not doing that, they made friends with a wide variety of folks, mostly internationals there with widely varying purposes. In early 2004, when Iraq was really starting to descend into brutal sectarian violence, they were essentially relieved of their responsibilities due to getting into a fistfight with a couple of Jordanian shopkeepers while on vacation.
This book does have value in that you get an inside look at the dysfunction of the U.S. occupation there and its wildly ill-advised attempt at nation-building in a land far, far different from our own. From the perspective of these two Rosenkrantz and Gildenstern types, we see how the U.S. Defense Department oversaw a nasty, violent money-grab for all sort of outside interests, U.S. and otherwise, who had only marginal interest in the actual welfare of the Iraqi people. There is a sense of absurdity that does come through the pages, and does paint what feels like a certain, accurate picture of some of what was going on at that time.
But it's hard to like the two authors much at all, and this isn't intentional. There is a disturbing lack of self-awareness on their part, and very little reckoning of their own as to just how irresponsible and self-absorbed much of what they did was. Towards the very end, there are a few pages where we get some real regret after one of their closest Iraqi friends was assassinated and other associates they made get killed while still working in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, but by that time it almost feels like it's too little, too late. A better writer and more perspective of the parts of LeMoine and Neumann probably could have produced a far more thoughtful, introspective look at their own actions, decisions, and the broader American mission. Alas, the book mostly feels slapped together of various recollections, often showing little to no connection with each other or a broader theme - a theme that could have been made very clearly and artfully. These two guys do seem like they're reasonably intelligent and did go there with some good intentions, but these were outweighed by their utterly misguided sense of wild adventure and disturbing lack of awareness of what they were getting into. These issues are not addressed in this book nearly as much as they could and should have been.
The book is a fast, easy read, though. Just be ready to grow irritated by the focal subjects throughout, despite the fact that they were trying to do good in their way. It's just that their way involved a lot of oblivious bungling and more than a little self-involvement.
April 28, 2024
A Tale of Beavis and Buthead Going to Iraq
In the beginning of the audio book the adrenaline junkie authors decide to go to Iraq. In preparation and in order to have enough cash, one sells all his worldly possessions and then goes gambling to increase his bank account. Needless to say, he loses just about all of it. The other author, while in Jordan, picks and reads a newspaper In a newsstand without paying the 7S or so cents It costs, though it seems to be the custom there to pay there after having done this. An altercation with the newsstand owner follows that leads the author in jail. Later that same day, after being released from prison, the author refuses to pay "tourist" rates for a taxi ride. This also leads the author back to jail. Both authors, while in Iraq, spend a good deal of their time stoned or attempting to get buy narcotics of one type or another, mostly valium. It never seems to occur to them that not being in a tip top mental state would increase one's chances of surviving the deadly threats that they seem to face on a day-to-day basis. Not that they make much of an effort to avoid them to begin with. They seem drawn to the most dangerous situations like moths to a light. Coming from two people who attended numerous schools but dropped out of all of them all of these things do not exactly strike one as a coincidence. Needless to say, if one is looking for a book providing some deep and profound analysis of U.S. policy in Iraq or thoughts (of any type) on events this is not the book.
This is, however, the book to buy if the reader is interested in the experiences and views of two individuals with such backgrounds who actually do go to Iraq and manage, in some strange manner, to come out in one piece. Never a boring moment though the reader has to be able to cope with the perpetual stupidity of these two authors and their expected antics (I.e., experiences with narcotics, trying to find an apartment in war torn area outside of the Green Zone, wrecking vehicles, etc.). Many times, despite the comedy and entertainment value, the experience can be quite nerve wracking.
On the positive side, the audio book's voice is always enthusiastic, never monotone and hence never boring. As a result, it can keep the listener entertained even on long trips. The only thing missing is the Beavis and Butthead theme music in the background.
In the beginning of the audio book the adrenaline junkie authors decide to go to Iraq. In preparation and in order to have enough cash, one sells all his worldly possessions and then goes gambling to increase his bank account. Needless to say, he loses just about all of it. The other author, while in Jordan, picks and reads a newspaper In a newsstand without paying the 7S or so cents It costs, though it seems to be the custom there to pay there after having done this. An altercation with the newsstand owner follows that leads the author in jail. Later that same day, after being released from prison, the author refuses to pay "tourist" rates for a taxi ride. This also leads the author back to jail. Both authors, while in Iraq, spend a good deal of their time stoned or attempting to get buy narcotics of one type or another, mostly valium. It never seems to occur to them that not being in a tip top mental state would increase one's chances of surviving the deadly threats that they seem to face on a day-to-day basis. Not that they make much of an effort to avoid them to begin with. They seem drawn to the most dangerous situations like moths to a light. Coming from two people who attended numerous schools but dropped out of all of them all of these things do not exactly strike one as a coincidence. Needless to say, if one is looking for a book providing some deep and profound analysis of U.S. policy in Iraq or thoughts (of any type) on events this is not the book.
This is, however, the book to buy if the reader is interested in the experiences and views of two individuals with such backgrounds who actually do go to Iraq and manage, in some strange manner, to come out in one piece. Never a boring moment though the reader has to be able to cope with the perpetual stupidity of these two authors and their expected antics (I.e., experiences with narcotics, trying to find an apartment in war torn area outside of the Green Zone, wrecking vehicles, etc.). Many times, despite the comedy and entertainment value, the experience can be quite nerve wracking.
On the positive side, the audio book's voice is always enthusiastic, never monotone and hence never boring. As a result, it can keep the listener entertained even on long trips. The only thing missing is the Beavis and Butthead theme music in the background.
July 10, 2018
I thought it was going to be a travel book about two guys going through the Middle East ad it morphed into a story of two irresponsible (but well-intentioned) guys spending several months working in Baghdad during the latter stages of Bremmer's Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) as it slid into the brewing civil war and uptick in violence against American occupation. Is it ok to say "what a shit show"? So much inexperience coupled with rampant greed and corruption (both sides). Not everyone seemed to be trying to grab their piece of the pie, but the exceptions seemed to make the rule. And you know we are only getting a small (seedy) portion of the story. Why more people are not horrified by what went on there, I don't know. And I kept thinking "these are the same folks now running Trump's administration, no?" How they didn't get kidnapped or killed is amazing. Some people are just lucky. And they did have a front-row seat to the disaster. Even if you take most of this book with a large dose of salt, it adds to an understanding of how badly the Bush administration botched things over there.
February 16, 2025
Jeff and Ray provide a unique perspective into the Iraq war straight after 9/11 (though at that point I guess it wasn't full blown war quite yet). They're vagabonds of a type, seemingly floating through life looking for the next enjoyable way to pass the time, and decide to head to Baghdad. Due to their complete distance from the formal military structure, or even the more formal structure of those there in official capacity of existing NGO's or news reporters, they are able to exercise much more freedom in what they do. They describe the interconnectedness of their little Green Zone conclave so interestingly, not to mention the sheer amount of partying it seemed many non-Iraquis got up to in between their formal duties.
One of the lines that will stick with me for a long time something along the lines of "They said they didn't shoot any civilians, and they didn't, they dropped bombs on them." I think it summarily describes the way the government dances around the truth. It was such a startling statement. I would highly recommend this book.
One of the lines that will stick with me for a long time something along the lines of "They said they didn't shoot any civilians, and they didn't, they dropped bombs on them." I think it summarily describes the way the government dances around the truth. It was such a startling statement. I would highly recommend this book.
July 4, 2018
It didn't hit me until the last page that this book is actually a memorial for two people that the author's felt deeply indebted to. When I first picked this book up I wanted to research some events that had a huge impact in the media during the second year of the war in Iraq. I enjoyed reading this book which was written from Ray's perspective. Their personal lives would never be the same after their short tour in Baghdad, and the memories they treasure are an eye-opening recount for events outside the wire. Citing Ray: "If we were the good news from Iraq, then the CPA had a problem." A little cocky but all-so-true. Their humanitarian efforts will forever be remembered by a community that forget "You will not!"
October 29, 2020
two twenty-something white, drug taking, hard drinking, do gooders travel to post-liberation Iraq. In the green zone they end up living surreptitiously in a govt building surrounded by metal head contractors, crazy NGO’s, news reporters, and a cast of characters as weird as you might expect to find in the Paul Bremer controlled Iraq. Our boys start a aid distribution organization that surprisingly does well until the Shia and Suni radicals take aim at everything American. Predictably the boys get out in the nick of time. I’ve read it twice in the last 20 years. A good tale of adventure and American hubris. 4****
February 5, 2019
This book made me cringe - a lot. Yes, I cringed for the death and violence, but I also cringed that these two men were representing America in a foreign country. They were privileged and rude (unfortunately, they were also aggravatingly typical of Americans you do meet). Even though they made me embarrassed to be a fellow countryman, I am still glad I read the book because it was a unique perspective occupied Iraq.
July 22, 2021
I loved this look at the aftermath of the Iraq war from inside the U.S. agency that was tasked w rebuilding. The authors are immature party animals, but they had a lot of down-to-earth insight to share based on their non-partying experiences. It's kind of a clumsy book, but I'm really glad I read it.
February 28, 2020
Really just awful. Does not age well.
Read
December 14, 2022hate America libs travel to Iraq to see what's going on
July 4, 2023
Just reread it after 15 years and it packed the same punch as the first time. A front row seat at the failed "Nation Building" exercise in Iraq, with humor, irreverence and pathos.
February 9, 2008
OR, the true story of two friends who gave up their valuable franchise selling YANKEES SUCK T-shirts at Fenway to find meaning and adventure in Iraq, where they became employed by the occupation in jobs for which they lacked qualification and witnessed much that amazed and disturbed them.
The subtitle really does say it all. These two guys, Ray and Jeff, were entrepreneurs of that special breed - they had a mix of natural business sense, imagination and brass cojones that allowed them to lead far more interesting lives than you or I ever will....
Basically, they endured the horrors of the 2003 American League Championship Series in which the Yankees beat the Red Sox after a grueling seven game grudge-match. Like many Sox fans, they had trouble dealing with the emotional enormity of what they had just witnessed, so they thought the best thing they could do to take their minds off things was to go to Baghdad. Never let it be said that Sox fans have no sense of perspective.
So they made their arrangements and headed off to Occupied Iraq, whereupon they bluffed their way into getting jobs - volunteer positions, really - with the Coalition Provisional Authority organizing NGOs. For four months they lived and worked in Baghdad, making excursions to outlying cities and tried to do right by the Iraqi people despite the best efforts of the CPA and its military bureaucracy. During that time they observed and questioned, were inspired and horrified and got out just before all hell broke loose. And they learned a whole lot about nation-building that would have been nice to know before we got involved in it.
Like having the Department of Defense rebuild a country is a bad idea. Mercenaries are assholes. Soldiers don't perform well in an unwinnable scenario. The people who try their hardest to help the most people have the best funerals. And so on. As far as they could tell, from the moment they set foot in the city there was nothing that could have prevented it from spiraling into chaos. Nothing except, perhaps, not having come in in the first place. Or, barring that, not putting political hacks and power junkies in charge of reorganizing a country of which they are, essentially, completely ignorant.
It's a fascinating book. The political angle is there, certainly - I can't imagine a book on the Iraq Invasion without one - but it seems to have been come by honestly. Hell, they start out the book with a fairly even-handed assessment of the Israel-Palestine problem (There's assholes on both sides and none of them are ever going to back down). Most of their conclusions about the war, the military, the CPA and the eventual insurgency seem to come from observation and rational thinking, two things which seemed to be pretty thin in the CPA decision-making process....
Check it out. And many thanks to Soulman for sending it my way.
The subtitle really does say it all. These two guys, Ray and Jeff, were entrepreneurs of that special breed - they had a mix of natural business sense, imagination and brass cojones that allowed them to lead far more interesting lives than you or I ever will....
Basically, they endured the horrors of the 2003 American League Championship Series in which the Yankees beat the Red Sox after a grueling seven game grudge-match. Like many Sox fans, they had trouble dealing with the emotional enormity of what they had just witnessed, so they thought the best thing they could do to take their minds off things was to go to Baghdad. Never let it be said that Sox fans have no sense of perspective.
So they made their arrangements and headed off to Occupied Iraq, whereupon they bluffed their way into getting jobs - volunteer positions, really - with the Coalition Provisional Authority organizing NGOs. For four months they lived and worked in Baghdad, making excursions to outlying cities and tried to do right by the Iraqi people despite the best efforts of the CPA and its military bureaucracy. During that time they observed and questioned, were inspired and horrified and got out just before all hell broke loose. And they learned a whole lot about nation-building that would have been nice to know before we got involved in it.
Like having the Department of Defense rebuild a country is a bad idea. Mercenaries are assholes. Soldiers don't perform well in an unwinnable scenario. The people who try their hardest to help the most people have the best funerals. And so on. As far as they could tell, from the moment they set foot in the city there was nothing that could have prevented it from spiraling into chaos. Nothing except, perhaps, not having come in in the first place. Or, barring that, not putting political hacks and power junkies in charge of reorganizing a country of which they are, essentially, completely ignorant.
It's a fascinating book. The political angle is there, certainly - I can't imagine a book on the Iraq Invasion without one - but it seems to have been come by honestly. Hell, they start out the book with a fairly even-handed assessment of the Israel-Palestine problem (There's assholes on both sides and none of them are ever going to back down). Most of their conclusions about the war, the military, the CPA and the eventual insurgency seem to come from observation and rational thinking, two things which seemed to be pretty thin in the CPA decision-making process....
Check it out. And many thanks to Soulman for sending it my way.
May 20, 2009
I actually heard this as a book on CD, but I think it still counts. This is definitely what I would call a "dude-bro" book, in that the authors come from a macho, woman-objectifying, partying point-of-view. Readers, be prepared for descriptions of lewdness from the all-American male perspective. That said, this book was fun to hear as its authors describe grandiose true tales of adventure in the Middle East. First, the two protagonists take off for Israel/ Palestine, then make their way to Baghdad where they walk into an NGO office, say they have experience, and are hired as volunteers right off the bat. From there, they weave their tales of hijinks in and around the Iraqi city, which include parties, getting driven around in sports cars by wealthy Americans and Iraqis alike, and almost getting killed numerous times. The book also gives an inside perspective on the workings of the US military and NGOs during the war in 2003-04 and how the people who live in Baghdad were reacting to American presence there.
In closing, it's a fun read, but also is quite exploitative in that these 2 American guys are basically going to Baghdad because they have nothing better to do and they're looking for adventure. They did do some admirable work while there, and gave a good sense of what was going on in 03-04 from an American perspective. But, even though the authors seemed somewhat conscious of this fact in their writing, it still feels like they are treating Baghdad like Disneyland.
In closing, it's a fun read, but also is quite exploitative in that these 2 American guys are basically going to Baghdad because they have nothing better to do and they're looking for adventure. They did do some admirable work while there, and gave a good sense of what was going on in 03-04 from an American perspective. But, even though the authors seemed somewhat conscious of this fact in their writing, it still feels like they are treating Baghdad like Disneyland.
September 3, 2009
Two self described hippy slacker drop-outs defy common sense and head to Iraq in 2003. They load up on Pot, Mushrooms, Valium, Xanax and whatever else they can score from the pharmacy and proceed to try to run a charitable organization delivering clothing to the residents of Faluja, Samara, Kirkuk, etc.
The story is a rambling, disjointed tale that introduces some characters only to never mention them again and others who are not mentioned for 150 pages only to be brought in with a familiarity that was never established for the reader.
I have opposing views on on this book. I really like the authors' sense of adventure and their giving spirit. Their willingness to take risks, albeit some very stupid ones, to help others rather than waiting for he easy way, is honorable.
What ruined the book for me is being lectured by inexperienced know-it-alls about how to build a country that one has just destroyed by ripping out its "nervous system." I understood their researched data that Iraq was being built by the Defense Department rather that the State Dept. that built Germany and Japan, but left out was that Japan and Germany didn't have multiple and continuous civil wars within its citizenry. Their sermonizing and cozying up to America haters finally added up to my breaking point of not being able to finish their tale.
The story is a rambling, disjointed tale that introduces some characters only to never mention them again and others who are not mentioned for 150 pages only to be brought in with a familiarity that was never established for the reader.
I have opposing views on on this book. I really like the authors' sense of adventure and their giving spirit. Their willingness to take risks, albeit some very stupid ones, to help others rather than waiting for he easy way, is honorable.
What ruined the book for me is being lectured by inexperienced know-it-alls about how to build a country that one has just destroyed by ripping out its "nervous system." I understood their researched data that Iraq was being built by the Defense Department rather that the State Dept. that built Germany and Japan, but left out was that Japan and Germany didn't have multiple and continuous civil wars within its citizenry. Their sermonizing and cozying up to America haters finally added up to my breaking point of not being able to finish their tale.
June 19, 2016
I really don't even know where to start with this one, so we'll default to the beginning. Most people, despite the old adage, DO judge a book by its cover: I thought this would be a raucous, but interesting look at Iraq through the eyes of two "interesting" characters. The best review would probably be the book's sub-title, whose "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" vibe is carried on throughout. Also carried throughout the book are copious amounts of drugs, which are frivolously intermixed with cheap alcohol and wanton self-endangerment. These two are QUITE the pair. At the end, though, despite all the crude and unsavory paths taken, I did actually feel like I learned something. Not your typical war memorial, this will resonate with those who have gotten off into the streets and seen life in Iraq and the Middle East. Lots of people, lots of problems, lots of opportunities to do and be better - I guess maybe more of us could take a cue from these self-admitted stoners. At least they (purportedly) took time to help, when others simply stood by looking out for number one. The ending is also a poignant reminder of, well, I won't spoil it... but hopelessness and chaos are definitely themes that leave space for reflection. I recommend it for people who don't mind vulgarity (in all possible forms) and are interested in life in Iraq right after the 2003 invasion.
September 8, 2012
Are you someone who went to school, got a solid job, is paying off a mortgage and saving for your retirement? This book ain't about someone who makes such safe life choices. A couple professional partiers head to Iraq with no contacts, no prospects, no qualifications, little money and lots of drugs just to see what everyone's talking about. It's a great read. Almost right away they're hired as volunteer NGO workers. They meet all kinds of people from peaceniks to military contractors, and they spread around beefs and bouquets about everyone they meet in equal measures. Not coming from any particular left or right camp, they've got pointed comments for all as well as the bigger picture. They criticize the overall approach by the US in Iraq but find a lot of good people doing good things for good reasons. Lot of little stories of daily life in Baghdad for NGO workers, journalists, soldiers and other visitors to Iraq provide a great inside-out perspective. Listening to the audiobook enhances the feel of sitting around with your cool friends telling of their adventures while you shake your head at the crazy risks they took and secretly harbour some admiration. The audiobook presenter has just the right kind of wry delivery for it.
April 21, 2025
I don't know why this book doesn't have a higher rating. It's entertaining, it's informative, and it's an incredibly depressing look at how the U.S. government conducts itself in "times of war". Ray goes from being a novelty t-shirt seller to a liaison between military officials and various Iraqi interests. He has zero skills besides being in Iraq, having no military affiliation, and being willing to work for peanuts. This, along with David Packouz's "War Dogs", is American adventurism at its most ridiculous.
Essentially, the U.S. government was willing to let any warm American body do the job because they 1) had no idea what they were doing in Iraq 2) didn't really care beyond scoring points with the media so they'd feed Americans more propaganda about how well the war was going. Ray's a great storyteller and paints a fascinating picture of the wild cast of characters: the peacenik clowns (actual clowns, not an insult), the straight out of college neocons working for Paul Bremer, and the roided-out mercs that ruin every good party.
I don't know if it's all true - every memoir gets embellished. Even if they're only half-truths, it's a amazing adventure and worth a read.
Essentially, the U.S. government was willing to let any warm American body do the job because they 1) had no idea what they were doing in Iraq 2) didn't really care beyond scoring points with the media so they'd feed Americans more propaganda about how well the war was going. Ray's a great storyteller and paints a fascinating picture of the wild cast of characters: the peacenik clowns (actual clowns, not an insult), the straight out of college neocons working for Paul Bremer, and the roided-out mercs that ruin every good party.
I don't know if it's all true - every memoir gets embellished. Even if they're only half-truths, it's a amazing adventure and worth a read.
April 23, 2008
The authors, a couple of pill-junkie global wanderers, freely point out how stupid and reckless it was to wander into Iraq, but they were able to get into the Green Zone in Baghdad, become volunteers, and make themselves useful by distributing aid to the Iraqis.
Unarmed, without escort, and un-armored, they went with Iraqi friends in flip-flops, jeans and t-shirts into the Sadr City slums to give out boxes of aid in areas where US troops would not dare set foot.
While no masterpiece, the book is written decently, and highly critical of the US government's mis-management of post-war Iraq.
The civil unrest and violent insurgency, after their few months in early 2004 Iraq, has drastically risen, so I'm not sure how much relevance this book has today.
I give them credit for trying to help, but the book jacket blurb says it is like Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing" meets Mark Twain's "Innocents Abroad", but it clearly pales with either of those books.
August 14, 2009
I can't give this book 5 stars because it isn't exactly a literary work of art. I had heard an interview with the authors on NPR, and was really intrigued and excited to read the book. However, it took me ~60 pages in to think I might end up caring about the story as it was told, since it started out as an account of Jeff & Ray making a string of irresponsible decisions while under the influence of a long list of illicite substances. I gave it some time though, and came to feel that that Jeff & Ray were including these details not because they were proud of all the decisions they had made, but moreso in an effort to give the truest account possible of everything that brought them to Iraq and influenced their story there. In the end, that's what I got out of this book: the most raw, honest, extremely personal account I've come across yet in the 6 years of this war of what it is (or was at one time) like on the ground in Baghdad and the surrounding areas.
August 6, 2007
I've had a hard time deciding what to say about this book, because I reacted to it in so many different ways.
I fault it for excessive use of acronyms and flagrant use of foul language. Also, it should have had an index.
Still, it offers a fascinating, disturbing, sometimes entertaining, sometimes sad glimps of Iraq during the early days of the U.S. occupatiion -- even if it is told through the eyes of two 20-somethings who apparently were seldom sober and never free of the influence of pills.
Not surprisingly, it's a dark, cynical, negative book. But there are glimmers of light. The authors encountered and wrote about Americans -- including some in the military -- who were intelligent, creative and compassionate in their efforts against incredible odds to help Iraqis rebuild their country.
I couldn't help but wonder, as I read "Babylon by Bus," if it might possibly have worked.
I fault it for excessive use of acronyms and flagrant use of foul language. Also, it should have had an index.
Still, it offers a fascinating, disturbing, sometimes entertaining, sometimes sad glimps of Iraq during the early days of the U.S. occupatiion -- even if it is told through the eyes of two 20-somethings who apparently were seldom sober and never free of the influence of pills.
Not surprisingly, it's a dark, cynical, negative book. But there are glimmers of light. The authors encountered and wrote about Americans -- including some in the military -- who were intelligent, creative and compassionate in their efforts against incredible odds to help Iraqis rebuild their country.
I couldn't help but wonder, as I read "Babylon by Bus," if it might possibly have worked.
January 31, 2008
I picked this out on a lark and discovered a great insider story on what was going on in Iraq in the days of the Coalition Provisional Authority's power trip, told by a couple of misdirected but earnest guys who have no underlying agenda -- they just wanted to tell the story with unveiled honesty. And if you're a news junkie who enjoys geeking out on snippets of back stories re: big events in Iraq as experienced by non-military Americans and lifestyles of war correspondents (like poker parties at NPR's Adam Davidson's house including Anthony Shadid), you'll find another layer of interest in this book. I must confess that I "read" the audiobook, and the reader's style (actor Jeremy Davidson) was such a great fit for the content that I'm not sure I would have enjoyed this as much if I was staring at the pages. If you're curious and want to know more, let's chat!
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