The Weight of a Mustard Seed - Softcover

Steavenson

3.36

353 ratings by Goodreads

9781843543060: The Weight of a Mustard Seed

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1843543060 ISBN 13: 9781843543060

Publisher: Atlantic Books, 2010

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This is the account of one family's struggle to survive the iniquities of Saddam Hussein's savage dictatorship. A proud man, father and soldier struggles to protect himself, and his family, from tyranny.

LONGLISTED FOR DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2010

In The Weight of a Mustard Seed, Wendell Steavenson tells the true story of General Kamel Sachet, a decorated hero of the long Iran-Iraq war and a favourite of Saddam Hussein's. As Steavenson reveals the emotional and psychological scars the Sachet family suffer as a result of decades spent living with war and repression, she reaches towards the heart of a previously unspoken story of Iraq: a once prosperous nation, reduced by Hussein's megalomania and paranoia to bankruptcy, corruption and impotence. The result is an intimate, startling and gripping account of the slow destruction of Sachet, his family and his country. Reminiscent in part of Stasiland and The Bookseller of Kabul, it is a career-defining book for Wendell Steavenson.

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Review:

"'An impressive feat of research, reconstruction and above all empathy, a book with a strong echo of Stasiland... Riveting and profoundly sad.' Guardian 'Unlike any other book on Iraq... Far more chilling than all the blood-and-guts accounts so far published, Steavenson's book should be a must-read on Iraq.' Christina Lamb, Sunday Times 'Steavenson is one of the most exciting non-fiction writers of her generation... Her account, pieced together in the aftermath of the Iraqi war, is ambiguous and recognisably human, written with an eye for the small, compelling detail.' Peter Beaumont, Observer 'An extraordinary book about some of those who served, fought for and killed for Saddam Hussein...Steavenson is an incomparable collector and arranger of stories.' Neal Ascherson, Prospect 'A masterly and elegantly told story that weaves together the Iraqi past and present.' --New York Times

From the Author:

Wendell Steavenson is the author of the acclaimed Stories I Stole (Atlantic Books, 2002), which was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. She has worked for Time and written for a variety of publications including the Telegraph, Granta, Prospect and the New Yorker. She lives in Paris.

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