Product Description

In January 2003 Asne Seierstad entered Baghdad on a ten-day visa. She was to stay for over three months, reporting on the war and its aftermath. A Hundred and One Days is her compelling account of a city under siege, and a fascinating insight into the life of a foreign correspondent. An award-winning writer, Seierstad brilliantly details the frustrations and dangers journalists faced trying to uncover the truth behind the all-pervasive propaganda. She also offers a unique portrait of Baghdad and its people, trying to go about their daily business under the constant threat of attack. Seierstad's passionate and erudite book conveys both the drama and the tragedy of her one hundred and one days in a city at war.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45604 in Books
• Published on: 2004-12-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
For THE BOOKSELLER OF KABUL: 'An intimate portrait of Afghani people quite unlike any other ... a compelling read' Sunday Times 'A remarkable portrait ...Seierstad was fascinated by everything she witnessed, and her curiosity and perceptive eye colours every page' Independent 'Stunning and fascinating' Observer

About the Author
Asne Seierstad (born 1970) has worked as a correspondent in Russia, China, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, amongst many other places. She has received numerous awards for her journalism. She lives in Oslo.

Customer Reviews

A Journey to the Heart of Baghdad
Written after her well-known 'The Bookseller of Kabul', Seierstad provides the reader with a compelling account of the run up to, course of, and post war situation in Iraq. The book is as much about the author herself as it is about the people of Iraq. Thus, it is interesting on two levels: firstly as an insight into the life of a war correspondent, and secondly as an exploration of the effects of war on the population of Baghdad.

The book consists of three sections entitled 'Before', 'During' and 'After' respectively. Seierstad doesn't deal directly with the questions surrounding the morality of the Iraq war, but does what all good journalists should do - report the facts and events on the ground as she sees them. Inevitably though, Seierstad hints at her own feelings about the war, particularly when the harsh, blood-stained reality rears its ugly head.

Seierstad is also perceptive enough to have exposed those issues which the coalition forces did not grapple with before taking the decision to go to war; the potentially explosive Shia-Sunni rivalry and the growing influence of Islam. Indeed, the apocalyptic views expressed by some of the Baghdadis Seierstad meets regarding the aftermath of Saddam's overthrow have become eerily true since 2003.

Above all, this book shows that war is not only a destructive force for those directly involved, such as the citizens of Baghdad and the soldiers on both sides, but also for those who find themselves drawn into the war through choice - the war correspondents. Read it for a deeper understanding of what messrs Bush and Blair's 'War on Terror' does to those people who they insist need to be 'liberated' from tyranny.

Great insight into the unseen world of journalism
I loved this book. Along with giving one a glimpse of what things were like in Iraq, before, during and after the war, it also provided an insight on what it's like to be a war correspondent. I read this after Bookseller from Kabul - and this is nothing like it. This is an honest account of Asne's own experience and is a big improvement (imo) from the former book. Definitely worth a read. I can also recommend "Sewing Circles of Herat" by Christina Lamb about Afghanistan.

Only scratches the surface
I really enjoyed The Bookseller of Kabul so I thought I would enjoy this too. It was quite hard to plough through it as most the book is set before the war when journalists were heavily monitored and weren't allowed to ask too many questions. The fact she doesn't speak Arabic is also a hinderance. Seierstad therefore spends a lot of the book moaning about how tedious this is and how she doesn't trust what people tell her because they are just saying what the regime wants them to say.
The most interesting part is written during the fighting and there are some truly chilling sections and it certainly raises questions about the real reason for the war. Sadly this part is over quite quickly as it is the most interesting bit. More of an insight into the life of a war reporter than those of real Iraqis.