Friendly Fire

by Giuliana Sgrena

"Giuliana Sgrena's work is forever curious, powerful, and brave. I salute her."-John PilgerGiuliana Sgrena brings us inside the US occupation of Iraq as no other journalist has done.The leading Italian journalist, whose personal story was featured on 60 Minutes and in other major media worldwide, describes the real story of her capture, dramatic release, and shooting in 2004.While reporting for the Italian daily newspaper Il Manifesto in Iraq, Sgrena was taken hostage by a group of Iraqis on February 4, 2005, and held until March 4, 2005. On the day of her release, as she was being escorted to Baghdad International Airport by Italian security, US forces fired on her vehicle. The attack killed Major General Nicola Calipari, the number-two man in Italian military intelligence, as he shielded Sgrena. In the book, Sgrena describes her experience as a hostage and provides unique insights into the situation in Iraq under occupation, exposing US war crimes there.In her foreword to this edition, radio and television host and best-selling author Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! situates the attack on Sgrena in the context of the increased targeting of journalists in conflict zones around the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle East, War, Italy

208 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Stefania · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Abbiamo promesso alla tua famiglia che tornerai a casa sana e salva, ma stai attenta :gli americani non vogliono che tu torni viva in Italia," sono le ultime parole di Abbas, penso che sia solo uno slogan antiamericano prima della liberazione.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

"[A:]ber auf einmal gerät einer von ihnen ins Zentrum der Aufmerksamkeit, wird zum Symbol, zur Ikone. Warum? Aus vielerlei Gründen: durch die Art und Weise, wie Medien ihre Nachrichten auswählen und verbreiten, weil Menschen das Bedürfnis haben, das Gute, das sie in sich fühlen, auf etwas zu richten, an das es sich zu glauben lohnt, und dafür auch auf die Straße zu gehen."

Die italienische Journalistin Giuliana Sgrena wurde im Februar 2005 während der Recherche im Irak entführt, obwohl sie sich als Autorin für die kommunistische Tageszeitung "il manifesto" eindeutig gegen die amerikanische Invasion ausgesprochen hatte. Ihre Gefangenschaft löste internationales Entsetzen aus. In Italien demonstrierten Hunderttausende für ihre Freilassung. In der Tat konnte Sgrena nach einem Monat das Versteck ihrer Geiselnehmer verlassen. Auf dem Weg in die Green Zone wurde allerdings ihr Auto von US-Soldaten beschossen; der italienische Geheimdienstagent Nicola Calipari kam dabei ums Leben.
Ich hatte "Friendly Fire" bereits vor einiger Zeit zu lesen begonnen, allerdings nach der Hälfte aufgegeben und es mit Lesezeichen zurück ins Regal gestellt. Im zweiten Anlauf liest sich das Werk sogar recht leicht: Es ist nur zu einem Teil der Schilderung von Sgrenas Geiselhaft gewidmet; diese Anekdoten nimmt die Autorin zum Aufhänger, um politische Versäumnisse, religiöse Konflikte und drohende Gefahren im Irak zu erklären. Das macht das Buch heute, nur einige Jahre nach seinem Erscheinen, zu einem vorsichtig zu konsumierenden Werk, denn die tagesaktuellen Bezüge haben sich vielfach überholt.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Irony is hardly the word to describe the situation of this hostage. Not only is she a stalwart champion of the suffering Iraqis including the ones who kidnapped her, but also she has little politically in common with the Italian Prime Minister who negotiates her release.

The book was most interesting when Sgrena spoke to her own experience. Unfortunately, more that 1/2 or more text was devoted to the issues such as utilities and insecurtiry in Baghdad, the factions, the role women, religion, etc. 50% (or maybe more) of the text could have been written by others.

It seems to me, readers interested in Sgrena and her story would be well versed in the Iraqi situation and would buy her book to hear what she has to say that speaks to her experience.

I would have liked this book to be more about her captivity, her understanding of others who have been held hostage in this way, her observations of her captors, and a more precise reconstruction of the negotiations to free her.

[Richp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was somewhat of a frustrating book, because it contains an important story, and important background, but is poorly organized. This likely significantly limited its audience, because well told stories usually get read by more people than poorly told ones.

The background contains a lot of detail from Sgrena's reportage, but is weak when it comes to the war as a whole.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not for the squeamish. Sgrena has an amazing story and she subtly uses her kidnapping/rescue situation as a way to expose the war on Iraq on the ground adn the real motives behind it.