Naked in Baghdad: The Iraq War and the Aftermath as Seen by NPR's Correspondent Anne Garrels

by Anne Garrels, Vint Lawrence (Contributor)

National Public Radio's correspondent provides a brilliant, intimate, on-the-ground account of history in the making with Naked in Baghdad.

As NPR's senior foreign correspondent, Anne Garrels has covered conflicts in Chechnya, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. She is renowned for direct, down-to-earth, insightful reportage, and for her independent take on what she sees. One of only sixteen un-embedded American journalists who stayed in Baghdad's now-legendary Palestine Hotel throughout the American invasion of Iraq, she was at the very center of the storm. Naked in Baghdad gives us the sights, sounds, and smells of our latest war with unparalleled vividness and immediacy.

Garrels's narrative starts with several trips she made to Baghdad before the war, beginning in October 2002. At its heart is her evolving relationship with her Iraqi driver/minder, Amer, who becomes her friend and confidant, often serving as her eyes and ears among the populace and taking her where no other reporter was able to penetrate. Amer's own strong reactions and personal dilemma provide a trenchant counterpoint to daily events. The story is also punctuated by e-mail bulletins sent by Garrels's husband, Vint Lawrence, to their friends around the world, giving a private view of the rough-and-tumble, often dangerous life of a foreign correspondent, along with some much-needed comic relief.

The result is enthralling, deeply personal, utterly authentic--an on-the-ground picture of the war in Iraq that no one else could have written. As Chicago Sun-Times critic Lloyd Sachs wrote about Garrels's work in Baghdad, "a few choice words, honestly delivered, are worth more than a thousand pictures . . . In your mind's eye, they carry lasting truth."

Genres: Nonfiction, History, War, Memoir, Journalism, Middle East, Politics

264 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2003

About the author

For almost 25 years Anne Garrels was the senior foreign correspondent for NPR, reporting from Russia and the other former Soviet republics, the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East, China, Mongolia, and Iraq. She arrived in Baghdad six months before the 2003 U.S. invasion, stayed during the U.S. bombing campaign and continued to cover Iraq for the next six years.

Before joining NPR in 1986 she was chief correspondent in Moscow and Central America for ABC, and the State Department correspondent for NBC. She has been honored with numerous journalism awards, including the Peabody and the Polk. Garrels is on the board of Oxfam America and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Reviews

[Will Byrnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anne Garrels - image from AG’s twitter pages

Anne Garrels was an NPR radio reporter. She was one of the few Western journalists who stayed in Iraq during the 2003 War, continuing to report live. The book tells of her time on the ground reporting in Iraq before and during that conflict, reporting from the Palestine Hotel. It is full of small details that enrich understanding about what reporters on the scene must endure. Particularly interesting, to me at least, were her comments about CNN (not laudatory) and some other reporter types. On the downside, she does not seem critical at all about the war, it’s rationale, but could almost be one of the embedded reporters sending dispatches back home to buck up the wives and children left behind. (Garrels actually was an embedded reporter with the US military during one of her returns to the theater or war, in a period after that covered by this book) One aspect of the book that was different, but not actually all that interesting was that much of the text consisted of e-mail reports sent by her husband to friends and relations about Garrels’ experiences. Overall a worthwhile, if not a must read.

Published – September 2004

Read – 2004 – First reviewed 2008

=============================EXTRA STUFF

Links to the author’s FB and Twitter pages

Garrels is a former senior foreign correspondent for NPR, was awarded the Courage in Journalism Award and the George Polk Award for Radio Reporting. She serves on the board of the Committee to Protect Journalists

Her latest book is Putin Country: A journey into the Real Russia

Here is a list of her stories for NPR

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping and insightful, NPR correspondent Anne Garrels' account of events on the ground in Baghdad in 2002-2003 leading up to and during the US invasion of Iraq makes for interesting reading. Lots of details about what a reporter's work there entailed, the regulations journalists were subjected to and ways to get around them, and plenty of firsthand experience of the reactions of Iraqis to the war. Garrels always strives to look beyond the official propaganda disseminated on both sides and instead see for herself where the truth might lie.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was riveted; I really like Anne's voice and I'm impressed by her guts and steadiness. I barely paid attention to the Iraq War in 2003, and it's good to educate myself more about it. I like how Anne shows the individual human stories and opinions about Saddam's regime and the American invasion and Iraqis themselves; it's clear that nothing is simple, that everyone is of mixed feelings, concerns, and allegiances. Thanks, NPR.

[Chloe · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the most dogshit piece of writing I have read in a hot minute.

Garrels forfeited any semblance of journalistic integrity in the first twenty pages: “Crudely put, Iraqi officials blame the sanctions, and the limits on what Iraq can import, for continued health problems. The UN says that if Saddam were to fulfill his obligations the sanctions would be lifted” (11). Either Garrels is really bad at her job and is incapable of critical thinking, or is purposely perpetuating misinformation to justify war crimes (or both), but newsflash - it’s well documented historical fact that the US backed Saddam’s rise to power AND the war against Iran, sold Saddam weapons to use in Kuwait, and goaded him into invading Kuwait so the Bush administration could have a war to improve approval ratings. Also, the US bombed the absolute fuck out of Iraq during the Gulf War, with the explicit intention of destroying infrastructure to build leverage over post-war Iraq and worsen the impact of sanctions (all while Saddam was retreating and calling for a ceasefire). The sanctions were meant to control Iraq, and they quite literally destroyed the country during the 90s (aided, of course, by periodic terrorist bombings by the US). Garrels continually blames Saddam for this, and frame the US as the ones who can “save” Iraq, which is simply irresponsible journalism. If you want an actually credible, nuanced history of the war in Iraq, listen to the podcast Blowback!

Aside from just completely ignoring any sort of history, Garrels is also just plain bad at her job. She asks any Iraqi she interviews leading questions, and, when they don’t give her the answers she is baiting them to give, she just MAKES THEM UP. Take this interview with the conductor of a Baghdad orchestra: “ ‘You are Americans. You can stop it, stop this invasion. You have your own voice.’ Was this an illusion to the fact that this distinguished man doesn’t have his own voice in a police state? He does not, cannot say. It’s impossible to know” (70). B.F.F.R. Be fucking for real. No Annie, he is telling you to use your voice because you are a LITERAL JOURNALIST, it is your JOB to use your voice, and also maybe he just doesn’t want his country invaded and destroyed for oil!!

Oh and Garrels’ shining character and dire lack of self-awareness really pops out once the war starts heating up. She spends one journal entry (92) whining that the war won’t just start already so she can get her story. How out of touch do you have to be, and how little Iraqi lives must mean to you to put that in PRINT. She could care less about the destruction of the US bombing campaign outside of getting a good story, but poor Annie has to be sooo inconvenienced at the lack of room service and the bad food at her hotel once war breaks out. She literally comments on the “inedible” hotel food at least four times. Read. The. Room. The only time she has any sense of wrongdoing on behalf of the US is when the US bombs her hotel (lol).

Also just some other hilarious things that kept me hate-reading this book:

1. Garrels claims that Saddam brought a flourishing Iraq in the 70s to a failed state. Oh but remember who was in charge in the 70s? The communists, but Garrels never mentions that

2. The constant allusions to the surveillance state in Saddam’s Iraq. Girl, the Patriot Act was passed a whole ass two years ago, stop throwing stones from glass houses

3. That classic mainstream media passive voice - “After a week the war between the US and Iraq has finally produced an incident with enough with enough civilian victims to create a shock wave of popular protests” (137). Hmm.

4. Garrels claiming US hits on infrastructure/civilians is just a matter of the limits to their aim, and that the disappointed Iraqi people have “high, perhaps overly high, expectations of how precise the bombing will be” (165). Counterpoint - I’m pretty sure they knew exactly what they were hitting, both in 1991 and 2003.

5. The entry from April 12, 2003: “with the war basically over…” (204). Yep. It was pretty much just wrapped up at that point

I read a few quotes to my partner and he said he smelled a spook…and GUESS WHAT. Her husband, the “artist”, was a CIA agent (who was also involved in starting the drug trade in Southeast Asia). I’m sorry, this book is too funny, but something tells me I will not be reading any more of her stories

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listed to an NPR interview with Anne Garrels and was fascinated by the book's title. I didn't realize at the time that she had just died and NPR was re-running an old interview. That said, the book was fascinating. Anne was in Baghdad in 2003 just before the war. The Iraqis knew the war was coming and they were powerless to stop it. She details how quickly things fell apart. The Americans were great at destroying things but sucked at supporting the civilians they were supposedly there to help. No electrify or water, rampant looting, total chaos resulted.

Anne and real investigative reporters are some of my personal heroes and they are in danger all over the world. Anne was a total badass, rewiring things with duct tape, reporting daily using a satellite phone and talking her way into situations to search for the real story. I loved the letters from her husband as he talked about her. He was so supportive and loving. Thankfully she died at home and not in some war torn country.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir of Garrels’ time as an NPR correspondent during the second US/Iraq War takes a while to get going, but then it becomes a gripping portrait of a 50 year old woman doing her job with admirable ingenuity, courage and determination. Read by the author, this remains a sad, valuable listen nearly 20 years later.

[Krushidhar Lekkala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good. I felt it painted a good picture of what it was like to be in Iraq at the time of the war, without the sensationalisation.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting history. This book takes place in the first years of America’s occupation in Iraq after 9/11. I was interested in learning more about the history of Iraq because Brian’s cousin’s wife grew up and evacuated Iraq in 1999.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love books by female war correspondents and have read everything from Oriana Fallaci and Dickey Chapelle to Anne Nivat and Anna Politkovskaya. Unfortunately, Anne Garrels' account of covering the Iraq War left me disappointed. I did not care at all for the way that her account was interspersed with her husband's "Brenda Bulletins;" they were annoying and didn't offer anything original, mostly just rehashing what the author already told us. I also partly blame the audio edition: Anne Garrels' husband read his own bulletins, and I hate to say it, it sounded boring, monotonous, and completely devoid of animation and emotion.

[Robert Ayotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

“‘It is infinitely fascinating’ is the crude answer, but I am really not very interested in the strictly military part of war. Rather I am fascinated by how people survive, and how the process of war affects the attitudes of all sides involved, and how they pull out of it.”

[Gremrien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting journalistic account regarding the 2003 U.S. invasion into Iraq. Honestly, I do not know anything about Iraq and that war, so during and after reading the book I was more confused that enlightened. That's because the book should be read by people who already know the history of the conflict, so I decided that I have to read something more detailed and then re-read Anne Garrels's book again, because it is really worth it.

However, I was able to understand how unique and incredibly interesting this account should be, considering that Anne Garrels was one of only sixteen (!) American journalists who stayed in Baghdad throughout the Iraq's invasion and witnessed these historical 21 days when a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland invaded Iraq and deposed the government of Saddam Hussein.

Again, unfortunately, I feel a large gap in my whole understanding of the situation, but what I understood clearly is that Anne Garrels is a very cool journalist, incredibly brave, independent, ironic, smart, tenacious, dedicated. Just a real journalist in the best sense of the word. "Iron lady" of journalistics. Her account is very interesting and funny, although it's unimaginable for me how she, an American woman, was able to get into the heart of this agressive and oppressive Islamist state to cover its most turbulent events.

The composition of the book is also very original - Anne Garrels not only told what she saw or did but also sent e-mails to her husband, Vint Lawrence; and Vint Lawrence re-told all this in his letters to their friends in a very funny way. So the audiobook is narrated by both Anne Garrels and Vint Lawrence, who read their respective parts of the story.

What was the most interesting for me is that how much Saddam Hussein's Iraq reminded a peculiar mix of modern Russia, the USSR in its last days, and, partly, the USSR in the days of active state secrecy and KGB activity. Anne Garrels often even makes some direct parallels with Russia/USSR and talks about her knowledge of Russian language (which, by the way, was a great help for her there, in Iraq - surprise, huh?), and I learned later that she was in Russia several times, and previously covered conflicts in Chechnya, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, and in other places. So, of course, I was more interested in Anne's impressions about Russia, and I already downloaded her book Putin Country: A Journey into the Real Russia published in 2016, and cannot wait to listen to it. I bet it might be a very interesting and sharp-eyed story.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good example of how a journalist can write about her experiences. Made me think a lot about my career and current events.

[Roberta Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having met the author I can picture her in this environment and hear her voice. She indeed is a brave woman with a mission.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting personal account of a war correspondent before and during the Iraq War from 2002 - 2003.

Garrells is one of NPR's correspondents. Thus she reports on what she has discovered generally three times a day, on National Public Radio. In 2002 she entered Baghdad during the time negotiations on weapons of mass destruction were going on. UN Inspectors are on the ground, trying to obtain the information they need to determine Iraq's compliance with weapons agreements.

Garrells tells us day-to-day details in diary form, notes she took while there, and from time to time she includes copies of emails sent by her husband to friends, reporting on what she has told him (and what he can reveal to others). We learn what it took for her to get into the country, to get into a hotel, to use her satellite phone, to get around the city and beyond. She is required to have a "minder" as well as a driver, and is fortunate to be able to get someone she trusts and values as a minder. She calls him Amer. With the drivers she isn't always as lucky. Either way, she has to be careful what she says in the hearing of Iraqi officials or even in their sight.

Her diary entries bring us to Iraq and back home several times (visas generally were good for only ten days and it was tricky to get back in again), and take us through the escalation into war and finally into the thick of it. She tries to get many different points of view, as not all citizens were united in their positions. Yet they had to be careful what they said.

It is a revealing personal account that gave me a different perspective on some aspects of this war. It reinforced some aspects I had learned elsewhere. It also illuminated what it is like to be this type reporter. We may all be grateful that such people exis

[Julieann Wielga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always wanted to be Anne Garrels.
I was so sad to hear of her death from lung cancer this fall.

I have always been fascinated with a life abroad. I like some excitement and the life I always wished for including writing.

Another thing that has always fascinated me about Anne is her view of herself,, and others, as a beautiful woman. I remember her saying that she loved being over 50 because she no longer had to worry about what others thought of her looks. I don't believe it. I think Anne and all woman are conscious of how they present themselves their whole lives.

Naked in Baghdad is a daily report of Anne dug in BAghdad as she waited than endured the coming of American Soldiers to dispose Iraqi president Sadam Hussein. Perhaps the most interesting part the tedium, discomfort and inconvenience in addition to the terror of being a war reporter. Also the book includes two of her tender relationships with men, one her Iraqi minder who did his best to keep her safe and the other was her husband, Vint, who wrote his own account of this time and his and Anne's personal conversations.

Thank you, Anne.

[Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naked in Baghdad is a gripping memoir by Anne Garrels, a longtime NPR correspondent, recounting her experiences covering the Iraq War in 2003. Written in the form of personal letters, Garrels’ narrative offers an intimate, almost conversational account of her time in Baghdad, bringing readers close to the complex realities of war reporting. Her letter-style writing—informal, reflective, and candid—adds a layer of emotional depth, making her experiences feel immediate and personal. The book's structure allows Garrels to engage with both the immediate dangers of being a journalist in a conflict zone and the larger moral dilemmas of war journalism. Her style is vivid and accessible, providing a rare, humanizing perspective on the war and the challenges of reporting under intense pressure. Naked in Baghdad is a compelling read, showcasing not only Garrels' reporting skills but also her ability to capture the emotional and psychological impacts of living through a war.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!!! It’s always a special treat when the author narrates her own book on Audible. Authors know their own story and what requires emphasis. That Anne Garrels of NPR News has balls of titanium, becomes more and more evident as the story of her time in Baghdad unfurls. Her husband, who also reads his own humorous and devoted missives to their friends, lends the perfect balance to the story. It’s personal and observational and certainly has a viewpoint, but her telling isn’t political. It’s full of sadness and hope and strength and naked observations, if not a few naked bodies as well. 😅 I like this one much better than her book about Russia. Can’t wait to read whatever she might put out in the future. News correspondants always have great stories!

[JoAnna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three-line review: I've read my fair share of military- and/or war-related books over the years, and they tend to keep me at an arm's distance with their jargon, required historical knowledge, and heavy emphasis on strategy, but this memoir placed me front and center of the Iraqi War in 2003 in a very real and raw way. Garrels provides just enough context and background information to establish why America was invading Iraq as she traces her own steps as an NPR correspondent in the days before, during, and after the conflict. Accounts like hers are so important so that the average person can easily understand the misinformation perpetuated by leadership and the consequences of such brazen violence on civilians just trying to be their best selves in a complicated world.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An NPR reporter's account of her time in the weeks immediately before the US invasion in 2003. She describes how a reporter had to work, in complying with Iraqi ministry of information requirements, working with fixers, and gathering news.

It was interesting learning about the hierarchy of journalists (TV crews at the time, and until very recently, were always large and resource-intensive, and thus good targets for extortion; print journalists less so; radio in between, but NPR was more like print in that she went solo.).

The invasion itself was an anticlimax -- aside from when a US tank fired on a hotel full of journalists (mistaking them for spotters...), there was chaos and looting, but that was reported elsewhere.

[Maija Krasts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insights into reporters Anne Garrels work while deployed as a jouranalist in Iraq, when USA was launcing a war towards them (tear 2003). It’s sad and furstrating to hear the interviews from people who, while living in autoritarian state, also realize that the war inflicted by outside power will only make things worse (which obviously happened), and there is nothing that they can do to save their country. I wish she would report more on the US part (how unjustified it was) and the chaos it brought to Iraq afterwards. But I suppose that is a mission for other book. The writing itself was a fascinating and easy read (not by topic), therefore being an absoulte pageturner

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting look behind the scenes of the dangers journalists face when getting the nitty gritty news behind the front. Interesting to see the differences in media, tv vs print, and the way they are respected or not respected. What a sacrifice these journalists make. What a life they decide to live. And the support that Garrels received from her partner and friends and workmates back home. And I was saddened to hear that, after all the dangers she willingly faced in her line of work, she died from lung cancer. Her lifestyle made me rethink my trying to push my older daughter into that field of work.

[Sherry Carman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person who did not pay close enough attention to what was going on at the time, I learned quite a bit about The Iraq War. This book was written well and pushed me to research further. I always thought Foreign Correspondents went too far by staying in these dangerous situations, but reading her book and seeing things from people actually in the situation was very informative. This book was great for a good Book Club discussion.

[Lacey Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was young during the invasion and occupation of Iraq and I don’t understand why nobody listened to people like Anne and others who reported how the people were feeling in Iraq and how we could have done things better. This book is so awesome, it sounds so interesting and crazy to be a war correspondent and Anne is just so amazing. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall or her student/assistant. Really good. I’m going to read her russia book now

[Nykol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the format of this book. The love of her husband is clear from his sections, as is her dedication to the people whom she is reporting on and the people she has to get home safely to. This book was real, though I'm sure there are plenty of other details she could've disclosed, but it certainly prompts a reader to play with different perspectives.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too rare do we get the POV of the female war correspondents. Lovingly told through her own journal entries and missives from her husband, this is an honest look at what it’s like to tell a story you are inevitably outside of, and try to get it right.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published 20 years ago. Unfortunately, I imagine were Garrels alive, she would be writing something very similar about the Israeli-Hamaz conflict.

Excellent inside view of war; of TV vs radio.

[Ricardo Arrechea · Rating 4 out of 5]

About halfway through this I felt a bit old, realizing and a it had been 20+ years since I experienced these events on TV. This isn't so much about the book, but how much of this war I remember. Well written book by the late Anne Garrels.

[Tiara Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I enjoyed this book in the beginning, but it started getting repetitive and uninteresting. Also, the random notes from this one lady was kind of odd, it was confusing me a little. I did learn quite a bit of information on this topic though which was nice.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read -- Garrels shares the human side of this war.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars