Rating:  Summary: Loved This Tabloid Tell All Review: It's a guilty pleasure. You can't put it down. Written in a tabloid journalistic style. Very interesting and true. It is about the "trauma and shock" this guy goes through because he happens to resemble Saddam's son and is coerced into playing the part. He saw a bird's eye view of this unspeakably evil psychopath dictator and his son's lifestyle, or deathstyle. He goes from perks and pleasure to torture, is reeling between the two and can't escape. Gives a real feel to what life is like in this kind of dictatorship hell. A psychological thriller and lesson for all.
Rating:  Summary: thrilling, truthful, terrifying Review: Latif Yahias account of his ordeal at the hands of sadist Oday Hussien is one of the most accurate accounts I have read concerning this family. He is an extremely brave man for coming out and revealing the horrific details of a brutal regime. His reliability must have been scrupuously checked as he has the documents to prove this. A must read.
Rating:  Summary: Unsettling look at the Devil and his family... Review: Latif Yahya has seen things most people cannot even imagine. As a double for Uday Hussein, son and possible successor of Saddam, Latif witnessed acts of depravity and torture that almost sound like something out of a Marquis de Sade novel. This book will open your eyes to the relative value of human life; to the ruling elite of Iraq, people are as expendable as bad batteries. Yahya himself endured harsh torments at the hands of a man who called him a "brother"- one can only, with a great deal of dread, contemplate the atrocities meted out to enemies. After reading this book, I came to the conclusion that the only thing worse than Saddam is his oldest brat, and I would personally throttle the life out of that demon myself if given the opportunity. Even if only a fraction of it is true (and I believe most of it is accurate, as I've seen several of the tales about Uday in other sources), the entire Saddam Hussein regime is following nicely down the path paved by the likes of Hitler and Stalin. The big difference is that the Iraqi government is doing these things, as we speak. Enjoy this book, but pray to whatever god you choose that Uday Hussein does not come to power.
Rating:  Summary: No 1 Review: Thanks Mr Yahia for Your book And you ar NO.1 in IRAQ .
Rating:  Summary: One guy's vivid imagination Review: The author describes several true stories and incidents. However, the author alleges being the double of UDAY without any solid proof of such event. Close circle of the family does agree that Latif was a bodyguard but never a double.The author is just attempting to cash on a story.
Rating:  Summary: Interesting but . . . Review: The life of Latif Yahia is quite an interesting one. I wonder if he has been able to make contact with his children now that the regime of Saddam Hussein is over -- and what his second wife may think of that. Perhaps his book deserves a sequel. However, when did he marry? That was left out of the story. Obviously, he must have been married before his falling out with Uday because he had to smuggle his wife out of Iraq. Who was his wife? Who arranged his marriage or when did he have time to find a wife? It says he had known her since childhood. But he wasn't permitted to have contact with his old friends? I think some things were left out to make Saddam, Uday, and Qusay look even worse than they were. That is not to say the world is worse with the Saddam Hussein family out of power in Iraq.
Rating:  Summary: Interesting but . . . Review: The life of Latif Yahia is quite an interesting one. I wonder if he has been able to make contact with his children now that the regime of Saddam Hussein is over -- and what his second wife may think of that. Perhaps his book deserves a sequel. However, when did he marry? That was left out of the story. Obviously, he must have been married before his falling out with Uday because he had to smuggle his wife out of Iraq. Who was his wife? Who arranged his marriage or when did he have time to find a wife? It says he had known her since childhood. But he wasn't permitted to have contact with his old friends? I think some things were left out to make Saddam, Uday, and Qusay look even worse than they were. That is not to say the world is worse with the Saddam Hussein family out of power in Iraq.
Rating:  Summary: A Fascinating & Terrifying Look into Iraq's Power Structure Review: The reviewer from Saudi Arabia is all too willing to accept the word of a tyrannt like Saddam Hussein and his cabal in characterizing what the author's actual role may have been in the regime. Latif provides ample detail of his training, events in which he was involved and the personalities of the principles to make this a convincing account, to say nothing of the author's striking resemblance to Uday Hussein. This is truly a rare insider's glimpse into the depravity of Saddam Hussein and his phychotic son Uday and a tragic tale of the abuse they have heaped upon their people. The one draw back is the far too detailed accounts of torture witnessed by the author. Though powerful, it bordered on gratutious. A must read for a world which is rushing to the defense of this blood thirsty dictator.
Rating:  Summary: another work of fiction by a Chalabiite Review: There is no way of distinguishing truth from fiction in this book, or this man. The book served its purpose, but has little lasting value.
Incidentally, see The Scotsman 24 July 2003 and Reuters 2 Apr 2003:
Latif Yahia regrets that Uday was not caught and brought to trial for his crimes. "Don't tell me that the US could not have taken him alive," he comments on the 200-soldier operation which took Uday and Qusay's lives. "But the Americans did not want this because if you put these people in the dock, they would tell everyone that a lot of what they did they did because the American agents told them to."
Understandably, Yahia has vehement views about Saddam. But, perhaps more surprisingly for some, he is equally vehement in condemning the war on Iraq and says he would return to fight against American and British troops if he could. War should not be waged on the whole country due to one man, Yahia said. "Iraq is my country and it is called the Republic of Iraq not the Republic of Saddam Hussein."
"It wasn't easy for me when I came to Europe to get over it all," he added. "It took me five-and-a-half years of counseling, psychologists, doctors and medication." Yahia now lives in the Republic of Ireland where he runs a detective agency.
Rating:  Summary: Beyond Bizarre Review: This book captivated my interest, not because it represented any artistic or academic writing but because it was simply riveting. Normally when we are reading about bizarre and disgusting behavior such as the holocaust, slavery or the crusades, we are reading history books. The people of Iraq are exposed to these conditions even as I write this review. While the book possessed some fairly self serving disclaimers from the author it nevertheless communicated a horrendous condition that is hard to absorb. I actually flinched at some of the descriptions of the acts of inhumanity perpetrated by this barbaric family ruling the country of Iraq. When you have completed reading this book just ask yourslef one question: is it good to live in America?
|