Naked in Baghdad

The Iraq War as Seen by National Public Radio's Correspondent

By: Anne Garrels

Narrated by: Anne Garrels

Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

As National Public Radio's senior foreign correspondent, Anne Garrels has covered conflicts in Chechnya, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. She is renowned for direct, down-to-earth, insightful reportage, and for her independent take on what she sees. One of only sixteen unembedded American journalists who stayed in Baghdad's now-legendary Palestine Hotel throughout the American invasion of Iraq, she was at the very center of the storm. Naked in Baghdad gives us the sights, sounds, and smells of our latest war with unparalleled vividness and immediacy. Garrels's narrative starts with several trips she made to Baghdad before the war, beginning in October 2002. At its heart is her evolving relationship with her Iraqi driver/minder, Amer, who becomes her friend and confidant, often serving as her eyes and ears among the populace and taking her where no other reporter was able to penetrate. Amer's own strong reactions and personal dilemma provide a trenchant counterpoint to daily events. The story is also punctuated by e-mail bulletins sent by Garrels's husband, Vint Lawrence, to their friends around the world, giving a private view of the rough-and-tumble, often dangerous life of a foreign correspondent, along with some much-needed comic relief.

The result is enthralling, deeply personal, utterly authentic: an on-the-ground picture of the war in Iraq that no one else could have written. As Chicago Sun-Times critic Lloyd Sachs wrote about Garrels's work in Baghdad, "A few choice words, honestly delivered, are worth more than a thousand pictures...In your mind's eye, they carry lasting truth."

©2003 Anne Garrels (P)2003 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

• 2004 Audie Award Winner, Narration by Author or Authors

Best non-fiction book I've read this year

What a pleasant surprise! I expected a left-leaning, "war-is-evil" perspective and instead found an unbiased, multi-faceted description of life in Baghdad by one of only a handful of American journalists to remain in the city before and during the kickoff of Iraqi Freedom. As a member of the US Air Force who spent the same time frame watching the war play out from Saudi Arabia, I found Ms Garrels' observations are one of the few US media reports that confirm what I knew to be true at the time: Coalition airpower was as precise as current technology allowed and as humane as possible while still achieving the dramatic effect of regime change in less than three weeks.
The biggest surprise of the book was the human face that she put on life in Baghdad, as well as the insight into a relationship of incredible depth between her and her husband, Vint.
Outstanding!!! A must-listen!!!

Second purchase

I first purchased this book on cassette tapes. Later donating the tapes to our local library. This is my second purchase. Well worth it.

The vivid descriptions of life as a reporter in a war zone helped me appreciate the difficulties of the job.

Excellent Non-Fiction That Reads Like Novel

This is the best audio book I have listened to this year. It reads well, is captivating, and at the same time is very informative. There were several times during the book that tears were brought to my eyes. I was rooting for Annie all the way. Most highly recommended!

Dated but still useful and interesting

This story while some call "dated" since it covers the first Gulf war is still a very interesting read(listen). You get to really know Anne and what drives her to do something as hard and dangerous as being a wartime reporter. It's also interesting to contrast what the folks who work for NPR have to do relative to the more pampered folks in the commercial world. Anne showed guts and imagination and really does not coat her version of the truth of both Iraq and her own perspectives and how they evolve over time.

Outstanding first hand documentary

This account of the weeks before and during Bush’s 2003 invasion of Iraq alternates between Anne’s on-the-ground recording of events and her husband’s account from home. Part war story, part love story, a beautifully rendered effort to get at the truth of Iraqi life in the face of American aggression.

An Incredible Woman

Anne lends phenomenal insight into how a journalist "gets it done" under very difficult circumstances. Anne is very listenable -- I think listening to her tell the story beats reading it. A great listen from many angles.

well done

This was the first audiobook I had an urge to listen to outside the commute. I took the player for walks through the local cemetary to finish it. She has a "great voice for radio", and you can't beat a first-person account, even though much of the action involves haggling over visas and organizing bribe money.

Though the war itself ended practically before it began, it didn't matter for this book since it is not about the military aspect of the war. Instead she focused on conveying an empathy with the common Iraqis, something missing from much media coverage, and providing a sharp-eyed view of the (fortunately) limited action that did take place in the city.

I found the "Brenda Bulletins" written and read by her husband rather saccharine, and could have done without them. She speaks for herself well enough. And they could have come up with a better title.

The life of a

Not too heavy on the political analysis, Anne Garrels' book is simply a fascinating, sometimes gripping account of the life, the business, and the busy-ness, of being a war correspondent in the 00's. Beautifully read by Anne and her husband Vint Lawrence. While other reviewers have complained about Vint's "Brenda bulletins" their very mundaneness completes the picture: a journalist has a life beyond her/his work, and Vint's emails are a reminder of what Garrels leaves behind in her wanderings abroad. A terrific listen.

Interesting read

I though this book was extremely interesting. I am not a world traveler and pretty much stay to "my own backyard" and to hear about life during conflict in Baghdad was captivating to me. I learned a lot from this book about the difficulty of life for the people of Baghdad and the surrounding areas. The narrator/author kept me interested in the story of her day to day tasks of seeking out news worthy stories. I didn't want to stop listening. I found myself praying for her safety at times. A truly enjoyable read. The author does a wonderful job of reading this book.

At last, a human perspective!

A wonderful story that turns the Iraqis (and quite a few Americans) into humans. I have read everything I can about the Iraq war, and this is the first story that comes close to telling how the war was perceived by Iraqis - a complex mixture of fear of the old regime and fear of Americal and fear of their capacity to govern themselves. Another example of the additional richness and flavour that comes from audio.