Occupational Hazards

My Time Governing in Iraq

Author: Rory Stewart Series: Aziza's Secret Fairy Door

'The best book by far to come out of the Iraq mess' Sunday Herald

A personal look at the UK's involvement in the Iraq war.

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Summary

'The best book by far to come out of the Iraq mess' Sunday Herald

A personal look at the UK's involvement in the Iraq war.

Description

By September 2003, six months after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the anarchy had begun. Rory Stewart, a young British diplomat, was appointed as the Coalition Provisional Authority's deputy governor of a province of 850,000 people in the southern marshland region. There, he and his colleagues confronted gangsters, Iranian-linked politicians, tribal vendettas and a full Islamist insurgency.Rory Stewart's inside account of the attempt to re-build a nation, the errors made, the misunderstandings and insurmountable difficulties encountered, reveals a unique side to Iraq, hidden from most foreign journalists and soldiers. Stewart is an award winning writer and his luminous voice provides extraordinary insight into the comedy, occasional heroism and moral risks of foreign occupation.

Awards

Short-listed for John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 2007 (UK) Long-listed for BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize 2007 (UK)

Critic Reviews

“Beautifully written, highly evocative . . . a joy to read.”

-- John Simpson
A marvellous book . . . a devastating narrative. -- Simon Jenkins
Absolutely absorbing. -- Ken Loach
Strikes gut and brain at once. -- James Meek
Wonderfully observed, wise, evocative. Observer
The best book by far to come out of the Iraq mess. Sunday Herald

About the Author

Rory Stewart was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Malaysia and Scotland. After a brief period in the British Army and the Foreign Office he walked 6,000 miles from Iraq to Nepal. His account of walking across Afghanistan, The Places In Between, was published by Picador in 2004, won the RSL Ondaatje Award, the Spirit Of Scotland Award, and was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize and Scottish Book Of The Year. He was awarded an OBE in 2004.