Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq, by Riverbend

In her riveting weblog, a remarkable young Iraqi woman gives a human face to war and occupation.

In August 2003, the world gained access to a remarkable new voice: a blog written by a 25-year-old Iraqi woman living in Baghdad, whose identity remained concealed for her own protection. Calling herself Riverbend, she offered searing eyewitness accounts of the everyday realities on the ground, punctuated by astute analysis on the politics behind these events.

Riverbend recounts stories of life in an occupied city - of neighbors whose home are raided by U.S. troops, whose relatives disappear into prisons, and whose children are kidnapped by money-hungry militias.

The only Iraqi blogger writing from a woman's perspective, she also describes a once-secular city where women are now afraid to leave their homes without head covering and a male escort.

Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq
by Riverbend Book Picture

Softcover: 304 pages
ISBN: 9781558614895, 1558614893
Feminist Press
April 2005

"A cross between an underground manifesto and a polished cultural history...With its blend of first-person mouthing off and spirited documentary style, Baghdad Burning offers fair and balanced coverage from inside one of the most rapidly changing - and poorly understood - pregions in the world." Time Out New York

Interspersed with these vivid snapshots from daily life are Riverbend's analyses of everything from the elusive workings of the Iraqi Governing Council to the torture in Abu Gharib, from the coverage provided by American media and by Al-Jazeera to Bush's State of the Union Speech.

"Her command of the English language, and her knowledge of the Western world and of her own culture, make this book even more precious. Riverbend's aim is to raise understanding between Iraqis and Americans while she stands up against sterotypes on both sides. I would recommend Baghdad Burning." Astrid Eich-Krohm, State Univ. of New York at Albany, MultiCultural Review

Here again, she focuses especially on the fate of women, whose rights and freedoms have fallen victim to rising fundamentalisms in a chaotic post-war society.

"Feisty and learned: first-rate reading for any American who suspects that Fox News may not be telling the whole story." Kirkus Reviews

With thousands of loyal readers worldwide, the Riverbend blog is recognized around the world as a crucial source of information not available through the mainstream media.

""Her descriptions of normal life in Iraq, adds a dimension to the war coverage that Western journalists have largely missed." Marcia L. Sprules; Council on Foreign Relations Lib., Library Journal

Riverbend was educated at Baghdad University and worked for a large computer company in Baghdad before the war. With thousands of loyal readers worldwide, the Riverbend blog is recognized around the world as a crucial source of information not available through the mainstream media. She continues to update her journal and she prefers to remain anonymous. You may also be interested in her companion title to this one - the second book, Baghdad Burning II.

Longlisted for the BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2006!

"Anyone who cares about the war in Iraq must read this book." Susan Sarandon

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