Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam
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| Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Zainab Salbi was eleven years old when her father was chosen to be Saddam Hussein's personal pilot and her family's life was grafted onto his. Her mother, the beautiful Alia, taught her daughter the skills she needed to survive. A plastic smile. Saying yes. Burying in boxes in her mind the horrors she glimpsed around her. "Learn to erase your memories," she instructed. "He can read eyes."
In this richly visual memoir, Salbi describes tyranny as she saw it--through the eyes of a privileged child, a rebellious teenager, a violated wife, and ultimately a public figure fighting to overcome the skill that once kept her alive: silence. Between Two Worlds is a riveting quest for truth that deepens our understanding of the universal themes of power, fear, sexual subjugation, and the question one generation asks the one before it: How could you have let this happen to us? BACKCOVER: Praise for Between Two Worlds: |
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| Reader Reviews Below Sorted by Newest First | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 08-05-07 | 4 | 1\4 |
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it took a while to get here, but it was in good condition when it did.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-11 03:37:22 EST)
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| 07-13-07 | 4 | (NA) |
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Zainab Salbi's life seems idyllic, but even as a child she senses the tension felt by her wealthy parents as they entertain and are entertained by Saddam. Salbi's story shows two sides of Saddam: the cruel and abusive despot and the genial manipulator. In spite of the web Saddam spins around her family, Salbi experiences adolescent rebellion, ignorant of the danger her parents see threatening her, just as it threatened her mother and eventually ruins her parents' marriage. Salbi's story is a fascinating portrayal of a family living in luxury under tyranny and the dangers faced whether the choice is to endure or to escape.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-01-13 14:46:25 EST)
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| 07-02-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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There was not one moment during this book that I wasn't totally captivated. The author puts a human face on the struggle of those in Iraq who lived under Saddam Hussein. And throughout, you are constantly reminded that she was among the "fortunate" by comparison. I found it to be an excellent education in the history of the country and the evolution of it in recent decades as well. I read this book on a recent camping trip in New England when I should have been mesmerized by my surroundings. Instead, I found I could not put this book down.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-14 14:39:51 EST)
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| 04-17-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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Wow! This book knocked me out. I could NOT put it down. It really helped me understand some of the conflict within Iraq, but more importantly, the author and tone of this book is just very human, real, and accessible. As a youngster, and for all of her formative years, Saddam Hussein is in the background as a family "friend". Though her parents resisted his friendship, they found it more and more dangerous not to be his friend. It's like living with the devil! However, the author eventually gets out of Iraq and away from Saddam Hussien, due to an arranged marriage. I won't say how that goes as I don't want to ruin the ending.
I do feel that this is one of the absolute BEST memoires I ever read and it was written with a lof of grace and humility. For me, it was an important book, and I highly recommend you read it. I think it will become a classic memoire. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-10 01:04:14 EST)
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| 04-11-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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Short and sweet.. This is an awesome book. You see so many sides of Suddam. His dark side certainly made him a candidate for his execution!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-10 01:04:14 EST)
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| 03-26-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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Between Two Worlds, Zainab Salbi's personal memoir of life under the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, is not a difficult book to read -- it does not require a great knowledge of Islam or a command of Ottoman and Iraqi history. As a result, you are immediately drawn in to a personal and thereby even more harrowing account of what it was like to be trapped in Saddam's inner circle. Salbi's father was the Iraqi leader's personal pilot; with that "honor" came great privilege as well as great pressure and responsibility. What we get as readers is a claustrophobic sense of the fear under which all Iraqis lived and the toll this pressure took on individuals and individual families.
Salbi writes honestly and courageously and, in what I found to be the most fascinating part of the book, tells how it is that she came to start Women For Women International, an international humanitarian group whose purpose is to help women in post-conflict areas, such as Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, and others (now including Iraq). It is an inspiring read and one that will stay with you long after the final chapter, updated after the fall of Saddam. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-10 01:04:14 EST)
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| 02-21-07 | 5 | 1\1 |
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Salbi's story is engaging to a degree in which the reader wants to do something when they put the book down. The book empowered me to increase my volunteering efforts and, in part, led to my decision to work for a non-profit. Salbi's life story is an entertaining read for anyone who just wants a good book for the weekend, but I guarantee it will touch you and influence your attitude toward Iraqis, women and even Americans.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-10 01:04:14 EST)
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| 02-21-07 | 5 | 2\2 |
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Prior to being exposed to this work, my knowledge of Iraqi or International affairs were slim to none. I know this is horrible to admit, but it was true. This memoir opened my eyes to war crimes against women. We have all read about atrocities against women in our history books, but to my amazement, this is still happening today. This book not only motivates me personally to become proficient in current events, but it also raises many moral questions. One of which is, am I being an active member of the world in which I live?
TIP: If you find the dialogue hard to follow, I highly recommend the audio book read by Josephine Bailey. It is FABULOUS! (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-10 01:04:14 EST)
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| 01-15-07 | 5 | 1\2 |
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Passive voice is a bit confusing at points however it works well to show Salib's growth throughout the book. Overall well done and wuite shocking even for a person living with an open and free media.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-06-27 11:41:30 EST)
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