M Blog

In the foreword to Baghdad Burning, Soueif talks a lot about the book and what it is all about. It talks about how the book has a serious impact, and is a very sad read. I liked how the foreword not only explains kind of what the book is going to be about, but it argues some of Riverbend’s exact arguments, such as when Riverbend reminds us, “We watch American movies, listen to everything from Britney Spears to Nirvana and refer to ever brown fizzy drink as ‘Pepsi’”(foreword, viii). They talk about the actual invasion in the foreword and also talk about some Iraqi culture, to slowly educate you before you read the actual book. In the introduction it talks more about Riverbend exactly, talking about how she has basically “made the war and occupation real in terms that no professional journalist could hope to achieve” (Introduction, xi). I like how it talks about her lifestyle, and how she has made such an impact on not only women in Iraq, but also many readers of her blog over in America. After reading the introduction it made me very curious and excited to read Baghdad Burning. It seems very intriguing to learn more about the war on a more personal level from someone who is actually going through it. I also liked the background the introduction gave about the Middle East, but I felt that it was at times too much to comprehend. I agree with both Soueif and Riverbend that the US invasion into Iraq has been devastating all over the world, especially in Iraq. I feel that the majority of my impressions on the war are the same as to theirs, yet I feel that they are also very distant because I am constantly surrounded by bias material here in the US, as well as the simple fact that I do not live in Iraq, and I am not enduring the same kind of pain that Riverbend has been going through. I am very excited to read this book!