With the Internet, we are now able to read accounts of war by noncombatants who are not journalists - while the war is happening, even as armies invade and bombs fall. Someone has called Iraq the first postmodern war in that we get simultaneous reports of what is happening from many different points of view besides the "official" ones. This remarkable blog by a young woman in Baghdad is a day-by-day record of the experience of the war in her city - and told from the perspective of someone not unlike her Western readers (so convincingly that some readers consider her blog a hoax). She writes fluent English and is familiar with American culture; she is educated, urbane, politically informed, and computer savvy (having worked at a software company before the war - a job that was lost at least in part because she is a woman in a rising tide of fundamentalist sentiment). Most of all, she demolishes any stereotypes of Iraqis that Westerners might have - stereotypes that often serve to justify the war itself.

In the 13 months covered in this published volume of her blog, we see the American invasion become an occupation, and the initial sporadic resistance to it evolve into a widespread insurgency with a mounting death toll. The focus, unlike news coverage, is on the casualties among noncombatants, and we are reminded on nearly every page of what it is like to live life literally "under the gun." And in a city where law and order are up for grabs, citizens must arm themselves for protection, while running the risk of being taken for "terrorists" because they are armed. Added to that, there are daily explosions, kidnappings, home invasions, and the continuing problem of power shortages. Meanwhile, the TV and internet news reveal the blunders of the American authorities and the follies of a do-nothing, American-installed provisional government. Then we hear again of the siege of Fallujah, with its staggering loss of civilian life, and finally the humiliations on all sides of the photos released from Abu Ghraib. Most poignant and disturbing is her retelling of the 1991 Amiriyah Shelter massacre, in which 400 women and children were killed by an American missile during the Gulf War.

There is understandably a lot of anger in this book. While certainly justified - often even restrained and measured - the book avoids becoming an endless and wearying diatribe. The mood modulates among a range of emotions and attitudes. We are treated at times to interesting descriptions of Iraqi culture, accounts of daily routines (like filling the water tank on the roof), and reports, laced with irony, of the laughable incompetence of appointed public officials, plus rejoinders to readers who have sent her emails revealing their own ignorance. Finally, the book is a record of clinging to sanity in a world gone very wrong. For those who support the war, don't support it, or are indifferent about it, it's important to read for what it has to say about the impact of foreign policy decisions on those whose lives are - through no fault of their own - suddenly in harm's way.

I really liked that this was a real blog, I can't wait to read the next one. Riverbend does talk alot about politics in the book and I am not real good w/ politics so I was having a hard time following it all and those parts were kinda boring me to death, so I skipped around alot. What I was hoping to read more of was her daily life, what she does around the house or outside or where ever. Just what HER day to day life is like during the war. But even though I had to skip around alot, I absolutely love the book. Her blog is so long I have alot of catching up to do. I hope they put her whole blog into books, its so much easier to take it everywhere or even in bed than be stuck at a computer reading it.

I have been to Iraq (recently)and e-mail daily with many Iraqis. This blog was NOT written by a genuine Iraqi girl. My suspicion is that it was written by someone from the US who is/was over there. There is a cadence in the writing of Arabs writing English that this blog totally lacks. Her opinion are those of what an American (probably living in the Green Zone) thinks Iraqi girls should write. I have never heard any young Iraqi woman (and I know several) who know so little about Iraqi history, Arab culture, Islam etc. Her vocabulary choices are completely wrong for a non-native speaker. I do humanitarian work in Iraq and I agree with many of her sentiments (I hate Bush, the war etc), but I still think this is not what it claims to be. Sadly, people seem to want it to be real, instead of listening to actual Iraqi girls/ women who have more interesting things to say.

"When Bush 'brought the war to the terrorists,' he failed to mention he wouldn't be fighting it in some distant mountains or barren deserts: the frontline is our homes, and the 'collateral damage' is our friends and families."

Riverbend, a young Iraqi woman, writes jarring dispatches from her deteriorating city of Baghdad as it descends into the chaos following the 2003 invasion. Her blog, which is clearly aimed at American readers, provides a window into Iraqi life under occupation far beyond the sanitized reports filling our TV screens and newspapers. She describes daily battles we seldom hear about, such as the battle for sleep in the hellish summer heat when the electricity is cut off most of the time; the battle for an education when schools are raided and the country suffers marked 'brain drain' with the flight of many of its intellectuals; the inner battle for the courage to go out shopping after fundamentalist militias begin beating and abducting women. She tells of sleeping in her clothes every night, pockets stuffed with valuables and identification papers...just in case...and the aunt who orders Riverbend's brother to keep watch on the roof while she bathes, because she doesn't want to be caught naked should American troops suddenly burst into their home. Tragedy is always close by, with the abduction of a cousin, arrest of a neighbor, and violent death of another neighbor while visiting relatives.

Riverbend's moving personal narrative is complemented by biting, often witty political commentary and passages from various 'links' on Riverbend's blog. Her depiction of life as an Iraqi woman completely dismantles the claim that the war 'liberated' the country's women, who are now forced to cope with U.S.-backed Shiite fundamentalist militias such as Badir's Brigade, known for terrorizing women who refuse to wear the hijab. As a female, Riverbend is forced to give up a good job as a computer programmer, and watches with dread as the Coalition Provisional Authority installs extremists on the Iraq Governing Council, which she deems "the most elaborate puppet show Iraq has ever seen."

Though her blog paints an ominous picture of the situation in Iraq, Riverbend uplifts her many readers with the very humanness we are so rarely allowed to glimpse through the dehumanizing rhetoric of war. The ability of an ordinary (though in many ways extraordinary) young woman to reach audiences around the world is an inspiring testament to the democratic potential of the dawning Information Age.

I have staunchly opposed the invasion of Iraq even before it became a reality, but not even I, with my distate for the neocons and the mockery of America that is George W. Bush, expected this to turn out this poorly. But we only see, for the most part, the bad things when the victims are US - Americans.



I'm so glad this book is out. It shows the reality Iraqis face, and it shows that by and large this immoral war made their lives worse.



To end my review, I'm not surprised some Americans wrote in her blog that she wasn't Iraqi (I guess speaking English makes one NOT non-American?) and one even said that had it been up to him, he would have vaporized Iraq 10 minutes after the WTC fell... this after Bush went on national TV and admitted Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11.

I have staunchly opposed the invasion of Iraq even before it became a reality, but not even I, with my distate for the neocons and the mockery of America that is George W. Bush, expected this to turn out this poorly. But we only see, for the most part, the bad things when the victims are US - Americans.

I'm so glad this book is out. It shows the reality Iraqis face, and it shows that by and large this immoral war made their lives worse.

To end my review, I'm not surprised some Americans wrote in her blog that she wasn't Iraqi (I guess speaking English makes one NOT non-American?) and one even said that had it been up to him, he would have vaporized Iraq 10 minutes after the WTC fell... this after Bush went on national TV and admitted Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11.

A fascinating, moving, angry and sometimes funny look at daily life in Iraq, written from the inside. Whether writing about the "puppet government" of returned exiles ruling her country or describing the repression of women in the new "liberated" Iraq, Riverbend is always worth reading.

I actually bought these books (part 1 & 2) for a couple of friends, but I have read the original blogs online since the beginning of the Iraq war. The author, a young woman with a good job in the computer field loses her job after the war starts and begins a blog about the daily life and politics of Iraq. Written nder the ghost name of "Riverbend", it is a fascinating insight into what it's REALLY like to live in Baghdad during this period of war and unrest. She is extremely articulate, witty and has a great sarcastic sense of humor. She evokes laughter at times, but mostly sadness, anger and frustration as the situation continues to deteriorate. As I read her blogs, I found myself always anxious to read the next one. The first-hand account insight you will get is invaluable in understanding the greater impact on the REAL people who are living through this nightmare that was forced upon them. Her writings have won several awards, and having read many blogs from Iraq, I believe hers is the best. Those who I bought the book for said they were engaged from the start and couldn't put it down. It is a fast read, but you will have to visit her website to see how the story continues. I urge everyone to read her books, especially if you want to know what it's REALLY like living in a war zone from an intelligent Iraqi perspective.

What has it really been like for the middle-class Iraqi people?
This is a first hand account by a bright young woman with a sense of humor and an honest heart. Had the bush administration really wanted to improve the lot of the Iraqi people, they would have been well served to read her blog. She made predictions a year ago that people in the west are just finding out.
Best of all, she shows the human side of their life as they try to live a normal life in oppressive dangerous conditions. A must-read.

What has it really been like for the middle-class Iraqi people?
This is a first hand account by a bright young woman with a sense of humor and an honest heart. Had the bush administration really wanted to improve the lot of the Iraqi people, they would have been well served to read her blog. She made predictions a year ago that people in the west are just finding out.
Best of all, she shows the human side of their life as they try to live a normal life in oppressive dangerous conditions. A must-read.

I've been in Baghdad for 17 months, and comparing the author's experiences with what my Iraqi friends tell me, I can completely believe everything the author says. Its depressing to watch the trend of her blog go from hope to dispair, but that's life here.

One of the great emotional traumas I have suffered was caused by the revelation that my first and most cherished childhood idol did not exist. Santa Claus. It was probably a decade later, about the time I discovered what "round yon virgin" meant that I began to wonder what else my parents and my culture were deceiving me about. As a sexagenarian I have come to realize the answer to that question is damned near everything. One of the most dangerous of these tenants that are incorporated into our world view is that we as educated white people or green, as Jews or Christians or Britains, Rotarians or feminists with indoor plumbing or whatever, are somehow superior to others who do not share our values our achievements and our understandings. Even worse is the conclusion that lack of a similar understanding in other people is somehow a threat to our own survival and that we are therefor justified in their slaughter because of these perceived differences. These differences that have been carefully manufactured and carefully nurtured in our minds by our media, our cherished institutions and our government since earliest childhood.
Several months after our "coalition" of enlightened humans, had wrecked the barbaric devastation of "Shock and Awe" upon the defenseless country of Iraq, in order to "free" these blighted humans from their ignorance and opression, something wonderful happened. A remarkable young Iraqi girl began, day by day, to tell the story of her life in Baghdad on her online blog "Bhagdad Burning" as her way of life and her civilization were gradually torn apart around her.
In perfect English, with humor and the insight of a native she explains the history and culture of her beloved Iraq where Sunni and Shia, Christian and Jew lived side by side in peace. She shares the events in the daily lives of her family and friends during the grizzly events of the first year of the occupation. This is what has been compiled into the book by the same name.
I feel blessed that I became aware of this remarkable happening very soon after "R", as I have come to think of her, began posting. Along with so many others who have followed her posts it was not long before they took on the character in our minds of letters from a loved one in a war torn city. I began to worry for her safety, as I do to this day, when a new entry did not regularly appear on her blog.
The perceived differences between our cultures and values melted away as she shared her experiences, her dreams and fears with what has grown to be millions of readers around the world. Hopes and dreams, fears and values we realized we all share. Along with it came also the inescapable understanding of the magnitude of the crime being visited upon the Iraqi people in our name. So too the outrage at monsters who wove this fabric of lies and distortion that have blinded us to our common humanity with these gentle, hospitable and admirable people.
If "Riverbend" had been required reading in all our institutions of learning I believe there would be peace today in Iraq. Instead we are on the verge of launching another, far more deadly, war of agression against another systematically demonized and similarly innocent population
in neighboring Iran.
Bhagdad Burning will forever dispel the dreadful propaganda which seeks to convince us that these inhabitants of the very cradle of our civilization are somehow brutal, ungrateful savages who "hate us for our freedom". Perhaps it will compel you to add your voices to the many who demand that those responsible for this insanity be held accountable before it's too late for all of us.

"Baghdad Burning" is to the war in Iraq as "All Quiet on the Western Front" was to World War I and "Diary of Ann Frank" was to World War II.

I picked this book up from the "new" bookshelf at the library, expecting to have a great read about the war from the viewpoint of an Iraqi woman, but the more I read it, the more I became convinced that it is a total fabrication, that no woman in Iraq had anything to do with the writing of this book. It totally lacked the "ring of truth" to it. The writing was very American and seemed out of touch with Iraqi or Islamic culture and way of thinking. I have had Iraqi friends since college, and their viewpoint and way of expressing themselves is distinctive, unique to their culture and gepgraphy. But Baghdad Burning seemed totally North American in comparison to the Iraqi way I have come to know and love. It also doesn't seem like a very convincing female viewpoint. There is a glaring lack of authentic femaleness about it. I smell another "Diary of Hitler" and I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out an American wrote this book.

...Yatakalam al arabiya. Kuntu fi al-Iraq li mudda sinna fi jaysh al amriki. Wa kuntu fi isthkhbarat 'askari ("I speak arabic, and I was in Iraq for a year. As Military Intelligence"). If Riverbend isn't legit, I will eat my metaphorical hat. Of course, given that she's hinted that she lives in the University district of baghdad, it's almost certain that one or both of her parents were high ranking government officials, so her perceptions have obviously been influenced by the loss of her family's position of power. Still, her writing is pretty good.

There are a number of levels on which this amazing collection of blogs succeeds. First, of course, is that it provided a valuable perspective on Iraq and the Iraqi people that is unique. It brings home the horrors of living in a war torn land, riven with internal strife and occupied by an foreign army with pathetic leadership at the top, civilian level. Just as valuable is this wonderful, fresh voice, this fascinating woman who can no longer practice her profession and who sees a great backward leap in the rights of women. It is not at all a stretch to read this as literature as well as an amazing documentary of a time and place.

The people that are disparaging Riverbend are trying to be good Germans. If the go to Egypt they may drown. That is where denial is (de nile).

Ive been reading Riverbends blogs for over a year, and she presents a clear picture of the horror that is really going on in Iraq-which is barely reported by our rather dim-witted media-who seem more concerned about who won on 'American Idol' or else 'man bites dog' stories.
The media which tried to sell us the WMDs without even checking, are now blindly ignoring such things as the fact that 'OUR' Military, tired of snipers in Fallujah-simply went in and white phosphorused the whole town of 200,000 reduced it to rubble-literally burniing people alive-men-women and children-by the thousands-not a peep in the press. No wonder the ignorant call this news 'propaganda'-the ignorant revel in being in such a state. She tells the story from an inside point of view-free of the so-called "Liberal Medias" non-reporting. May she stay safe.

Ive been reading this Iraqi woman's blog for sometime, as ive found it to be witty, humane, intelligent, impassioned, imformative about current events in Iraq, and provides a memorable reflection on how life is lived under a military occupation. This is by far the best blog on Iraq, and not surprisingly the book has won an award.
Isnt it best to learn events from a local who is there and outside the Green zone? To listen to what the natives are experiencing? Rather than just embedded foreign journalists with little contact with the people?
Yes, she passionately rejects the US invasion, and wants the americans out of her country. That seems to be a crime in some quarters. That does not make her anti-american: it does make her a patriot.
Not surprisingly, she has come under attack by a number of pro-war reviewers, who prefer Pentagon feed. One claims Riverbend is a north american, out to fool us. Her sources for this bit of bilge? A (unnamed) marine and her (former)Naval Intelligence husband! That writer is the one blinded by 'mythology'.
I will continue to read this wonderful writer and can recommend her to anyone not yet aware of her existence.

I just read two of the most recent postings on the Web: Baghdad Burning. I was mesmerized by the intelligence, wit, and power of this blog. I thought to my self: "What a person! Her IQ must be off the charts. She writes as if she has the view point of a university symposium."
Half way through the first blog I began to think: "This is too good." "Something is in the woodpile." At the end of the first two blogs, I was convinced some Democrat was holed up in Baghdad writing this thing and publishing anti-American, anti-War propaganda.
The evidence: 1. This poor,battered, war torn girl writinng from her apartment is able to obtain and post digital photos of Iraqi oil refineries rebuilt by Iraqi's in various parts of the country. She said she hesitates to post them because some "clueless Republican" will repost them and claim America is succeeding in rebuilding Iraq. (She is knowledgable, too, of Beltway politics...as much as you are of City Council gossip in Basra or Kirkuk, or contested elections in Arbil!)
The evidence: 2: The translator recently killed with Jill Carroll, the captured reporter for the Christian Science Monitor, was her friend. Her dear friend. She writes a Mark Twain/John Steinbeckish memory of him, and lets us know he loved PINK FLOYD...and used to play an appropriate ballad on bombs dropping. "Mama, do you think they'll drop the bomb?"
Yawn. Tears. Smile. Weird. Hoax, Hoax, Hoax.

Did you see the frightened ones?
Did you hear the falling bombs?
Did you ever wonder why we
Had to run for shelter when the
Promise of a brave, new world
Unfurled beneath the clear blue sky?
Did you see the frightened ones?
Did you hear the falling bombs?
The flames are all long gone, but the pain lingers on.
Goodbye, blue sky
Goodbye, blue sky.
Goodbye. Goodbye.

I came here to buy the book, thought more of my first suspicions, then read some of the other reviews here and was pretty proud of myself for picking up on an obvious lie.
Whoever buys this book is supporting the anti-Iraqi war momvement. Not me!

You know for a personal insider account of Iraq during the American Occupation, I'd expect a little more than a series of sound bites and political articles about the bad bad things that America has done to Iraq. This "blog" is too ready to condemn America and too smug to really be genuine. Where does this woman eat? What does she like to buy? Does she watch television? Movies? Does she have any friends?

None of these questions are answered because this is not a real person writing. This is a series of anti-war essays about how America is wrong about everything. It's out to convince the anti-war folks that they are correct in their condemnation and annoy the folks that supported the war in the first place. Pretty light stuff.

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and for 'Riverbend', that seems sufficient. It's a very interesting sociological study of how people are swayed by the power of mythology and of their faith in that mythology -- especially since 'Riverbend' is in actuality an elaborate hoax. (In fact, one need only look at the 'reviews' of my review to see just how dearly people cling to their personal mythology) I've been told by a Marine who served in Iraq for two tours of duty that the blog was traced to somewhere within North America. My husband, former Naval Intelligence, informed me that the blog's internet provider has been traced specifically to someone in Vancouver, Canada. (In fact, anyone with the technical know-how can track the blog's IP) However, even this information is unnecessary to see through the hoax.

Baghdad Burning appears to be the latest version of Kaylee the Weblog Girl, only with better prose. (If no one remembers that incident, it involved a woman in her thirties who pretended to be a young girl with cancer) But that's just the problem: it's TOO perfect. Every post feels as if the author is attempting to write for the New Yorker or an English Literature project rather than simply writing from experience. The blog is supposed to 'tell it like it is', yet it does anything but: sentences are polished, spelling and grammar are impeccable, without the usual typos of the average Iraqi blog. It very much lacks the authenticity of these other Iraqi journals -- not in terms of ideology, but writing style, technique, and even subject material.

'Riverbend' further reveals her true origin by her use of North American idioms -- not the British ones that educated Iraqis who are able to write fluent English tend to use, nor the translated Iraqi and Arabic ones that Iraqi blogs use. There has been very little Arabic featured on the site, excepting a few snippets in the Roman alphabet that can easily be found through a simple Google search; nothing is written out in the Arabic alphabet. (In fact, the parody site features more Arabic)

Perhaps the final nail in the proverbial coffin is that in spite of almost constant power outages, the blog used to update so frequently that there was hardly any possibility of a lack of constant electric power. This was especially telling, since the author tends to post when breaking news happens rather than sporadically as Iraqi blogs typically do. (In fact, many of them tend to post directly after these outages) Lastly, her latest posts always follow days after those of Iraqi bloggers, yet they strangely coincide with those times when what she is posting on is breaking news in the West.

In all, I would recommend this book insofar as it is an excellent study in the power of people to deceive themselves if they want to believe something badly enough. As an insider's glimpse into wartime Iraq, however, it is worthless. Find the blog of a genuine Iraqi instead; it may be harder to understand, (this IS a foreign culture to Westerners, after all) but the insight will be true to reality.

Baghdad Burning has been one of the most important blogs in the blogosphere. Riverbend is an terrific writer who has brought home the horrors and truths of Iraq to people all over the globe. Her insights are brave, intelligent and often sad. She is living in the midst of a tragedy that will only continue for years to come even when America leaves the country behind. I have her blog bookmarked on my laptop and I'm glad to finally have a compilation of her writing. This is a book that should be read by all and I believe it is an important historical document.

[...] They attack Riverbend personally with condescendiing slams aimed at Riverbend's socio-economic class or religious background. The gall of a comfortable American sitting back and slamming a young girl who is living through a hell that we can't even imagine is beyond belief. They sneer at her for writing about lack of electricity, water and the escalating violence she has witnessed and must live through daily. They accuse her of being ignorant about the pain of living under the brutality of Saddam as though she supported the man and agreed with his regime even though she knows what is was like a lot better than they do. People like these can only think in black and white and the fact that they presume to judge those who are experiencing the trauma of war while they aren't is beyond shameful. It's incredible to me that such arrogant, small minds exist but then again, that's how we got into this debacle in Iraq to begin with. [...]

Always engaging, blogger Riverbend is one of those gifted writers history sometimes bestows to leave a ruthlessly honest account of events which powerful forces would seek to obscure. Sometimes humorous, sometimes starkly sobering, but always approachable, Riverbend's "Baghdad Burning" is destined to take its rightful place among the beloved classics of English literature and journalism. This chronicle of what really happened and continues to happen with America's well intended invasion of Iraq will be a case study for generations. Truthful reporting always brings detractors with vested interests, some of them venomous. But Riverbend's work will be treasured for the understanding it brings among peoples meeting for "hearts to heal and souls to mend."

And, all my children and grandchildren shall have copies!

Like many others who have written, ive been following Riverbend's blog for some time, her articulate take on events in iraq from someone on the ground is invaluable as a corrective to mainstream press, which as we know no longer reports from Iraq beyond the shelter of the Green line and hardly ever from the point of view of iraqis living there. Hers is far and away the best reporting on that troubled country.
People may be interested in knowing that this wonderful writer has indeed been awarded a prize: [...]
I will continue to read he blog as an honest, compassionate and sensitive reading of day to day events in Iraq. Lets hope she doesnt suffer the fate of al-jazeera.

Riverbend and her Sunni family are from a previleged class in Baghdad. She now laments for her family's lost power and fortune. Riverbend anquishes over the sporatic supply of water when it is her own Sunni compatriots that blow up the water supplies. She complains that the electricity is only availabe a few hours a day. It is her friends that repeatedly blow up the transmission lines. She also complains of the "uniformed" people that recently assassinated a Sunni cleric and his two sons. She neglects to mention that the assassins are also Sunni, wearing uniforms taken from murdered police. The cleric was killed for cooperating with the coaltion forces (she calls the Americans the occupation).

Riverbend would have been shot if she had opposed Saddam's regime. In this new government, she is allowed to say what she wants. This is called biting the hand that feeds you.

It is time for Riverbend to grow up.

I've been reading Riverbend's blogs for over a year now, and let me tell ya; they beat the hell out of watching Fox News. "Baghdad Burning" tells the story of the *real* Iraq, not the sanitized la-la land that Pres. Bush keeps talking about. Riverbend is truly the Anne Frank of the 21st century; we can only hope that Riverbend's story doesn't end the same way. My rating: 10/10.

This account of daily life in Baghdad was definitely NOT paid for by the US DoD. I mean, yes, it does talk about daily life in Baghdad but I can tell that River's is not a DoD hack job because there's not a lot of good news, as it should be. I mean, imagine you, average American, seeing your beloved country occupied by the Chinese commies and Chinese troops at the street corners throwing candy and Chairmain Mao's little red book at your kids. Maybe flying their red flag at the post office. Where would be the good news to talk about?

So, I highly recommend this to anyone who is more comfortable with the printed page than the flickering computer screen.

River did an outstanding job and I hope that she keeps doing it and that she does it a lot more often.

Oh, and I am sorry she had her book published by the Feminist Press. It is not important that her chromosomes are XX. I mean, I can tell that she's a young woman but I hope that she is not into that diversity crap. She will succeed as a writer and as a fearless witness of her surrounding reality, not as a non-male, non-white... whatever oppressed group exponent.

In the 19th Century, novels were thought to corrupt young women; in the 21st Century, far-left thinkers and bloggers seem to corrupt them very efficiently, as this blog collection suggests. This Baghdad (or Brooklyn?) lassie has picked up a little more knowledge as she's gone along during the last few years, but her schooling apparently lacked any courses in the history and politics of her country and region: mainly she writes off the top of her head about daily events such as waiting in lines for fuel; not having water; and, most succulently of all, raving against the speeches of George W. Bush as she and her cousins loll around watching them on TV. Clearly, her upbringing was protected, as she has no complaints about her society before the dastardly Dubya ruined it. One gathers she knew nothing and cared less. Along with the war came the likes of Juan Cole, the rabid, fanatical history prof at the University of Michigan, and his ilk. Thus was the her young mind shaped. Thus was this girl prevented from thinking constructively, or--dare I say it?--from perhaps taking some part in the shaping of her country's future.

In her on-line blog of July 1st, she complains about the Iraqis dying in Iraq today, but seems not to know of the hundreds of thousands killed and buried in mass graves during Saddam's regime-which she defends for its clean streets and running water. She seems to be unaware that the carnage is perpetrated by Iraqi and other Muslim fanatics, not by the United States which, with its own and Iraqi soldiers, is striving to quell it.

Everyone with any humanity recognizes and grieves over the present carnage in Iraq. Anyone with a brain knows the war against terrorists in Iraq has disrupted and brought hardship into the lives of many.

And no one blames this young blogger for being young and having led a protected life. Nor is she culpable for ignorance of her country's history, or of the dimensions of the present reality. She's not even to blame for the effects of her fanatic U.S. "intellectual" mentors, who have molded her to their own advantage.

Her blog and this book are what they are: received opinions and failures to analyse them, and the ordinary complaints of an ordinary person in an extraordinary situation. I found another reader's comparison of this author to Ann Frank very offensive: Anne was an extraordinary child in an extraordinary situation. Her book was full of her very soul. There is a museum for Ann Frank. For the author of this shallow rant, there are opportunistic book deals.