Saddam Hussein: A Political Biography

Rating:
Summary: not as bad as others made it out to be
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A must read about Hussein
Review: This book is one of the greatest anyone can buy about Saddam Hussein. It exposes him for what he is, a ruthless, bloody man who will backstab people just as easily as he will make deals with them. All things and ideals are just pawns in his game to continue his reign. Sanctions, Palestine, Israel, Arab Unity, Iraqi people, each are just pawns that he uses when it favors him, and attacks them when it favors him. The book goes into detail about how to Hussein EVERYTHING is allowed as long it furthers his own goals. An informative book that I would recommend to anyone interested in the topic.

Rating:
Summary: saddam biography by an israeli
Review: this book is very biased,not hard to understand seeing this book was co written by an israeli.israel and iraq has been arch enemies for a long time,how can a person who was taught to dislike and hate hussein write a non biased book on the man.i'm waiting for a biography of saddam hussein written by an iraqi author who can tell us what it really was like knowing saddam hussein and living under saddam hussein years in power in iraq.

Rating:
Summary: Good editorial with questionable merits as biography
Review: This is a flawed book best used for casual reference. The weakness here is not inaccuracy but author bias. From the beginning, Karsh and Rautsi argue that Hussein is a "ruthless pragmatist" willing to sacrifice anyone to stay in power. In doing so, they veer toward criticism, a distracting shift for biographical writing. While the authors detail the history of Hussein's regime in depth, the majority of events singled out for discussion are those that reinforce their image of Hussein as paranoid, narcissistic, disloyal, violent, and ignorant of military and political realities. I don't doubt these observations; they have been made elsewhere. Further, I understand the need for anchoring non-fiction to a theme as a way of holding reader attention. What I question is more fundamental. As journalists, Karsh and Rautsi should know that even a hated tyrant deserves balanced treatment. Nor does it help that their writing suffers from crusty jargon and a flat, inelegant style. The authors and their editors at Grove Press clearly buy into the myth that turgid pacing signifies quality scholarship. The authors also overuse polite yet tired euphemisms common to political writing such as "purge" and "repress." My advice is to use more colorful and direct words such as "murder," "fire," and "abuse." If someone chooses to read about Hussein, it's likely they can stomach the nastiness those particular words signify. These days, the only people using expressions like "purge" and "repress" in a political context are textbook writers who borrow liberally from other textbook writers. Those are the flaws. Good points exist, such as concise editing for relevance, allowing the text to flow from one major event to another unmarred by needless tangents. We don't learn about Hussein's favorite breakfast foods and TV shows, or whether he dyes his mustache. The authors show humility if not style, and the exhaustive bibliography provides a superb starting point for lay readers and students alike. While uninspired writing and a biased orientation do make this a problematic book, the skillful research and chronological structure redeem it for academic use. Buy it used.

Rating:
Summary: Totally Biased
Review: 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.