Iraq: An Illustrated History and Guide

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Did you know that every bad thing that's ever happened to Iraq in its 8,000-year history is the fault of the United States? You would think that if you read this book. It seems as if every other page has to find something to make an anti-American comment, especially concerning the damage and destruction to historical sites and artifacts. The author even blames the United States for the looting of a Basrah Museum during the Gulf War One in 1991... which, as I recall, was never occupied by the Coalition during that conflict.

While the book has great facts about many of Iraq's ancient sites, almost everyone one of these is punctuated by a line about "gunfire damage" or "bomb damage" or "looting" at these sites. Even the Mongols don't get as bad a treatment and they made pyramids out of the skulls of Baghdadis when they invaded Iraq. Yes children, before America Iraq NEVER was invaded or harmed by outsiders.

The historical summary is helpful but a chronology of the main period of Iraq's dynastic periods would have been helpful as well.

The book includes a whitewashed bio of Saddam, which fails to mention the killing fields, his televised purge of the government, or even his role as secret policeman during the first Ba'athist revolution in 1963.

The book even whitewashes the now totally-discredited food-for-oil program, failing to mention why sanctions were in place.

The only saving feature of this book are some of the great photos. There definitely better books out there.