SADDAM HUSSEIN: The Terrifiying Inside Story of the Iraqi Nuclear and Biological Weapons

Book Description

Authors Efraim Karsh and Inari Rautsi, experts on Middle East history and politics, have combined their expertise to write what is largely considered the definitive work of one of the world's most reviled and notorious figures. Drawing on a wealth of Iraqi, Arab, Western and Israeli sources, including interviews with people who have had close contact with Saddam Hussein throughout his career, the authors trace the meteoric transformation of an ardent nationalist and obscure Ba'th party member into an absolute dictator. Skillfully interweaving a realistic analysis of Gulf politics and history, and now including a new introduction and epilogue, this authoritative biography is essential for understanding the mind of a modern tyrant.

Customer Reviews:

A Standard Text That is Immune from Present-Day Biases.......2007-02-06

I recently began to read this book because it was published in 1991 (following the Persian Gulf War) and thus long predates the current (2007) catastrophe in Iraq, with all the attendant biases arising out of the American invasion and occupation. I am simply a lay reader with a desire to know more about the modern political development of Saddam and Iraq and am not qualified to evaluate this book. HOWEVER, as a reality check I looked at a couple of objective sources to help me make a judgment about whether the book is worth reading. The answer is unquestionably yes.

First, if you check on Amazon.com (or the Library of Congress catalogue at loc.gov) for other books by the principal author, Efraim Karsh, you will see that he has published a large number of academic monographs on many aspects of Middle East politics, both before and after this book was written. The most recent of these was published in 2006 by Yale University Press, and there are many others spanning three decades. He was teaching at King's College, University of London, when he wrote this Saddam biography in the early 1990s and is still there, now as Professor and Head of the Mediterranean Studies program at King's.

Second, I looked at one university on-line catalogue, in this case Princeton University because of its strength in Political Science and International Relations, to see whether they long ago sent this book to off-campus storage (or worse) or still consider it relevant. At Princeton there are SIX copies of this book currently on reserve in the main university library. This suggests that Princeton professors and librarians still consider the book to be of great value for students of the Middle East and the current Iraq crisis.

I have therefore given this book five stars not because I feel qualified to evaluate it but because it has received alot of criticism from other readers who say a variety of negative things about the authors and the book. Given the principal author's outstanding record of publication, and the fact that he holds the senior professorship in Mediterranean Studies at one of Britain's finest universities, I think that the book at least merits serious consideration for those trying to get an understanding of what Saddam and Iraqi politics were like before the United States invasion.

Dull.......2006-03-23

This novel was not bias as other have said but it was very difficult to understand. It is incredibly all-over-the-place in terms of information. Information about a particular event may be scattered throughout the novel, making it difficult to truly understand an event that occured in the book. I had to do a novel study on this particular book and I found it frustrating because it was contradictory. This novel gives you the straight facts and nothing else.

Same old biased and unneccessary demonization.......2005-05-04

I gave this book a try because I at least thought that even though this book is a negative portrayal of Saddam Hussein, I did not think that the authors would be so biased.
This book is just the same old redundant hodgepodge of 'evil Saddam' mania that has been sweeping the US since the early 1990s. While many of Saddam Hussein's acts were ruthless and he certainly did abuse his authority, he DID do some good for Iraq, as strange as it may seem. If anyone here is looking for a fair and balanced book about Saddam Hussein, I highly reccommend 'Saddam Hussein-Politics of Revenge' by Said K. Aburish. The author himself worked for Saddam's regime until he quit because of his objections to Hussein's policies. If you want to read a good book about Saddam, don't waste your time with Saddam Hussein: A Political biography.

not as bad as others made it out to be.......2005-02-11

Having nearly finished this book, I have to say that while the book is not perfect and certainly not the best book on Iraqi politics out there, I found it to be informative and easy to read. Maybe because I've had to read so many books for school that are largely theoretical and unreadable, this book doesn't seem as bad to me as it would to others.

The subject matter is pretty straightforward. The book covers Hussein's political life up until the end of the first Gulf War in 1990. The authors do allow personal opinion to pop up from time to time, but compared to some of the other books on Iraq out there right now, I don't find it to be particularly troublesome in this instance.

If you have only a passing interest in Iraq, this book probably isn't for you. I think that people with an active interest in Iraq or the Middle East should read the book along with many others.

Totally Biased.......2004-05-01

When i first picked up this book, i thought that it would get me to understand Saddam Hussein better, better even without knowing him that well, i knew that this book is biased from the way it described him. I'm not a big fan of him and i think that he got what he deserves, but i know that from what he did in Iraq he deserves more credit for the way Iraq was in the late 80's. i would not recommend this book.

Saddam Hussein: The Terrifiying Inside Story of the Iraqi Nuclear and Biological Weapons

Average customer rating:

An excellent political biography for young readers.

Saddam Hussein: The Terrifiying Inside Story of the Iraqi Nuclear and Biological Weapons
Rebecca Stefoff
Manufacturer: Millbrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Asia | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Middle East | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Teens | Subjects | Books

Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1562944754

Customer Reviews:

An excellent political biography for young readers........2000-05-09

By 1990 Hussein had ruled Iraq for ten years and was leading forces to invade Kuwait, bringing popular attention to his regime. This surveys his life and times, examining his rise to power, the course of Arab politics during his lifetime, and his meaning to the Iraqis people. Over a hundred pages of detail will educate readers in grades 5-7.

Book Description

Jehuda and his family have struggled through hunger, poverty and war in their Russian homeland. Now, at last, the family is heading to begin a new life of freedom in America. But the family's relief is short-lived. In Russia, Jehuda's arm had been injured by a stray bullet, and the health inspectors at Ellis Island are very strict about allowing invalids into the country. Jehuda must convince them that he is well enough to stay, or the whole family will be sent back Russia.

Customer Reviews:

This is a must-use for any middle school classroom!.......2001-03-06

This true story written from the perspective of an 11-year-old immigrant, truly sums up the immigrant perspective. My 4th grade students, journaled each day as if he or she were the central character, and begged for each of the five chapters. This book alone, replaced a 4-week unit that I had used previously to emphasize the impact of immigration on our state. Written by the author's daughter, with photos showing then and now, it is wonderful. FYI: We used, as the final journal entry, an account written by Yehuda when he finds his journal 70 years later and recounts the years since arriving in America.

Character traits nicely parallel our school's program........1999-09-10

The story reads well for any student needing to understand the trials and tribulations of people immigrating to the U.S.Important character traits are developed and their importance in reaching a goal are emphasized. The artwork makes a dramatic statement to anyone who opens the book. Elementary students should be attracted by this outstanding feature. As a school director and recently retired teacher, I purchased a copy for each of our elementary libraries because of the qualiy of this book.

Great book for all ages!.......1999-02-10

This review is from Debbie,Paul,Ryan and Melissa. We all modelled for the illustrator,Laurie McGaw, of this book. It was a wonderful experience since some of our grandparents left Russia and Poland because of the war and we felt we could relate to the people in the book.The book has been presented to the our childrens' school in conjunction with the Holocaust unit. Teachers and kids alike found the book to be very interesting and beautifully illustrated. We recommend it to all nationalities and ages.It is not only a book about Jewish people, but also a book about what any immigrants coming to North America might have experienced.

An absolute treat!.......1998-11-26

A wonderful story with fabulous illustrations. A must read for all ages

Great book.......1998-11-18

Well i actually got this book for reaserch for a projet and i think it helped me a lot because it told me that familys strugle to enter america.I would reccommend this book to anyone doing an interview with an immagrant i know it helped me a lot.

Working Toward Whiteness: How America's Immigrants Become White. The Strange Journey from Ellis Island to the Suburbs

Average customer rating:

Uncovering history
The explanatory power of this book is phenomenal!
Outstanding History
Joseph R. Goldman, University of Minnesota
Roediger focuses on Southern & Eastern European immigrants

Working Toward Whiteness: How America's Immigrants Become White. The Strange Journey from Ellis Island to the Suburbs
David R. Roediger
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Emigration & Immigration | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Emigration & Immigration | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0465070736
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Book Description

By an award-winning historian of race and labor, a definitive account of how Ellis Island immigrants became accepted as cultural insiders in America

At the vanguard of the study of race and labor in American history, David Roediger is one of the most highly respected scholars in his field. He is also the author of the now-classic The Wages of Whiteness, a study of racism in the development of a white working class in nineteenth-century America. In Working Toward Whiteness, he continues that history into the twentieth century, recounting how American ethnic groups that are considered white today, such as Jewish-, Italian-, and Polish-Americans, once occupied a confused racial status in their new country.

While some historians have claimed that these immigrants were "white on arrival," Roediger paints a very different picture, showing that it wasn't until the 1920s (ironically, just when immigration laws became much more restrictive), that these ethnic groups definitively became part of white America, primarily thanks to the nascent labor movement and a rise in home-buying. From ethnic slurs to racially restrictive covenants -the real estate agreements that ensured all-white neighborhoods- Working Toward Whiteness explores the murky realities of race in twentieth-century America. In this masterful history, which is sure to be a key text in its field, David Roediger charts the strange transformation of these new immigrants into the"white ethnics" of America today.

Customer Reviews:

Uncovering history.......2007-04-05

Roediger's book, Working Towards Whiteness helps to illuminate a gap in most American's historical knowledge, the shifting line of racial classification. While we often accept that current definition of race, including whiteness are givens, Roediger does a great job of laying out the process of how many European immigrants, while "white" wouldn't have been the beneficiaries of the privileges of "whiteness" they share in today.
While we've got a long way to go towards being a fully inclusive country, we could make a great deal more headway towards that goal if people took the time to read this work.

The explanatory power of this book is phenomenal!.......2006-12-27

As a teenager, one of the most common questions I heard on a regular basis was people of all racial/ethnic backgrounds asking "Are Italians white?" If only I could have given them a copy of David Roediger's Working Toward Whiteness for the full story on this matter...

Roediger effectively demonstrates that racial categories are social/cultural constructions, and not inherent biological realities. Anyone who tries to argue otherwise simply needs to read this book first. Roediger meticulously illustrates that "white" is not only NOT a biological category, but many of the people who Americans today regard as "white" (Jews, Italians, Slavs, Poles, Irishmen) were overwhelmongly regarded as members of "inferior races" who threated "white" (Anglo-Saxon Protestant) America in the not-so-distant past. From 1900-1960, the meaning and conceptualization of "whiteness" underwent a dramatic transformation that came to include peoples of Eastern and Southern European descent.

From the mines, sweatshops, and factories of America's cities at the beginning of the 20th century, Eastern European immigrants toiled and labored in a sort of racial/ethnic limbo in America where they occupied an intermediate status - clearly more socially desirable than blacks, Asians, or Mexicans, but clearly inferior to "Nordic" and "Anglo-Saxon" Americans of Northern European heritage and Protestant religious beliefs. Following World War II and the post-war economic boom of the 1950s, these peoples came to become "white ethnics" - fully accepted into the American mainstream. Roediger's book is a must-read to understand how this metamorphosis occurred.

A great feature of this book is that it is NOT written in heavy, technical, academic jargon! A layperson will have no idea grasping the concepts and arguments in Working Toward Whiteness. Roediger is a hawk for detail, and this book is loaded with an incredible amount of small, intricate historical events that serve as wonderful illustrations of his larger points. For example: were you aware that Italian-Americans during the 1930s resisted "whites only" housing projects in South Philadelphia because they feared it would result in an influx of Jews, Greeks, and Irishmen into their neighborhoods?

If you are a "white ethnic" yourself, interested in learing how racial categories came into being in American society, or just want to learn the true version of American history (that wasn't taught to you in school), then you owe it to yourself to read this outstanding and important work.

Outstanding History.......2006-08-29

Roediger does a great job refrenceing his case in other historians. This is VERY importnat when discussing challenging topics like this.

Joseph R. Goldman, University of Minnesota.......2005-09-09

This is one of the finest sociological treatises on American immigration of a former "underclass"- -working Whites from southern and eastern Europe who came to this country in droves between the 1880s and 1930s. Roediger presents a solid analytical framework for readers to use as a compass through the complex history and transformation of "foreigners" of the same color into "gradual natives" whose color is a badge of acceptable passage over time. Here we see Jews, Italians, Poles, Ukrainians and other "undesirables" sweat their way across factory floors, climb to academic heights, even get elected to high national offices beyond the dreams of their ancestors. The data are presented clearly; the interpretations are crisp and penetrating. Roediger does a great service to his subjects who happened to be "Americans in the making". A must study for any scholar of race and assimilation, and a good read for anyone interested in how some of us got to be "Americans" even with the wrong religions, national origins, or accents as impediments fueled by homegrown bigots of an earlier time!

Roediger focuses on Southern & Eastern European immigrants.......2005-08-31

David Roediger has been toiling for years in the historical trenches, documenting the social construction of race. This is another solid entry in that category. It's not exhaustive, but compiles material on how Eastern and Southern European immigrants to the U.S. "became white." The category of "white people" is treated as a given, and as a constant in the U.S. today, but Roediger and others reveal the shifting meaning of the category, and the fight that various groups have waged to gain entry into the "white club" with its privileges. Just one example: the club was established by the British, of course, and from their point of view the Irish were certainly not white. The ruling WASPs had the power to keep the Irish out, viewing them as practically subhuman, and it took the Irish many decades to fight their way in. So "white" is a marker of group boundary between the more and less powerful, pure and simple, a marker of division, not an inherent biological OR cultural category.

One of the original works in this field was Ted Allen's THE INVENTION OF THE WHITE RACE. Noel Ignatiev, inspired by Allen, wrote HOW THE IRISH BECAME WHITE, and launched the journal RACE TRAITOR as well, with the slogan "treason to whiteness is loyalty to humanity." In the meantime, Roediger had emerged as a major voice in history, legitimating the line of research that led to Allen gaining a wider audience and Ignatiev writing his Ph.D. thesis. Another recent book that covers much of the same territory as WORKING TOWARD WHITENESS is WHITENESS OF A DIFFERENT COLOR by Matthew Frye Jacobson, which I highly recommend. Yet another valuable work in the field by a sociologist is THE ETHNIC MYTH: RACE, ETHNICITY AND CLASS IN AMERICA by Stephen Steinberg, which documents how ethnic/racial boundaries have been used to justify and enforce economic (class) subjugation in the U.S.

Working Toward Whiteness: How America's Immigrants Became White: the Strange Journey from Ellis Island to the Suburbs

Average customer rating:

Working Toward Whiteness: How America's Immigrants Became White: the Strange Journey from Ellis Island to the Suburbs
David R. Roediger
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Emigration & Immigration | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0465070744

Book Description

A preeminent scholar explores the history of the "new immigrants" who came to the United States in the late nineteenth century and describes how they became insiders by the end of World War II

At the vanguard of the study of race and labor in American history, David R. Roediger is the author of the now-classic The Wages of Whiteness, a study of racism in the development of a white working class in nineteenth-century America. In Working Toward Whiteness, he continues that history into the twentieth century. He recounts how American ethnic groups considered white today-including Jewish-, Italian-, and Polish-Americans-once occupied a confused racial status in their new country. They eventually became part of white America thanks to the nascent labor movement, New Deal reforms, and a rise in home-buying. From ethnic slurs to racially restrictive covenants--the racist real estate agreements that ensured all-white neighborhoods--Roediger explores the murky realities of race in twentieth-century America. A masterful history by an award-winning writer, Working Toward Whiteness charts the strange transformation of these new immigrants into the "white ethnics" of America today.

"A cogent analysis of culture and race in early 20th-century America that ranks with such classics as Grace Hale's Making Whiteness and Linda Gordon's The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction." (Kirkus)

Average customer rating:

Not just a children's book

The Ellis Island experience in vivid detail

Island Of Hope: The Journey To America And The Ellis Island Experience
Martin Sandler
Manufacturer: Scholastic Nonfiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

1800s | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
1900s | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Emigrants & Immigrants | Social Issues | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

I Was Dreaming to Come to America: Memories from the Ellis Island Oral History Project

Ellis Island

The Ellis Island Collection: Artifacts from the Immigrant Experience

Journey to Ellis Island

If Your Name Was Changed At Ellis Island (If You.)

ASIN: 0439530822

Book Description

On January 1, 1892, a fifteen-year-old Irish girl named Annie Moore made history when she became the first person to be processed at a new immigrant station at Ellis Island in New York Harbor. In the next 62 years more than 12 million other immigrants would follow. Many of these newcomers would be "pushed" into America--fleeing religious persecution, political oppression, or economic harships in their native lands. Millions of others would be "pulled" into the United States by the promise of new opportunities.Once they arrived at Ellis, they were put through the traumatic experience

Customer Reviews:

Not just a children's book.......2005-10-23

I picked this up at a school book fair and could NOT put it down until I had read from cover to cover. I thought I knew about Ellis Island. Turns out I didn't have a clue about what a massive operation it was. This is a book about heroes. Brave people who just wanted to work hard and improve their lives. I teared up several times while reading this book. The author did a great job in putting you right there with the people while they slowly worked their way through the immigration process. The author himself adds to the story with his final testament (another lump in the throat!!) With all our flaws, it's nice to remember that America is still the best place in the world to live.

The Ellis Island experience in vivid detail.......2004-04-13

This story of Ellis Island will reach grades 5-7 with almost 150 pages of detail on the immigrants to the island and their different experiences. Vintage black and white photos and first-person accounts capture the Ellis Island experience in vivid detail.

10 Quick & Fun Internet Field Trips: Instant Activity Sheets That Guide Kids on Internet Learning Journeys--From Ellis Island to Mars--And Enhance the Topics You Teach!

Average customer rating:

10 Quick & Fun Internet Field Trips: Instant Activity Sheets That Guide Kids on Internet Learning Journeys--From Ellis Island to Mars--And Enhance the Topics You Teach!
Deirdre Kelly
Manufacturer: Instructor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Pedagogy | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Lesson Planning | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0439271657

Book Description

Instant Activity Sheets That Guide Kids on Internet Learning Journeys‹From Ellis Island to Mars‹and Enhance the Topics You Teach!
Perfect for Independent Learning!
Visit famous landmarks and historical places, such as Plymouth Rock, Ancient Greece, Washington, D.C., and more.

Average customer rating:

Journey Through Ellis Island
Eleni Mylonas
Manufacturer: Sammass Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KVDJ7K

Average customer rating:

Journey to Ellis Island

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

I Was Dreaming to Come to America: Memories from the Ellis Island Oral History Project

ASIN: 0439106222

The Journey: Inspirational Writing Journal

Average customer rating:

The Journey: Inspirational Writing Journal
Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation Inc.
Manufacturer: Statue of Liberty-Ellis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Stationery

General | Journals | Accessories | Formats | Books

Blank Books | Journals | Accessories | Formats | Books

General | Journals | Book Accessories | Our Favorites | Gift Ideas

General | Journals | Our Favorites | Gift Ideas
ASIN: 097295421X

Average customer rating:

Remember the Journey
Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation Inc.
Manufacturer: Statue of Liberty-Ellis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Average customer rating:

Journey through Ellis Island
Eleni Mylonas
Manufacturer: Sammass Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Pamphlet
ASIN: B00071P4YO

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books