Asia Times correspondent Pepe Escobar, author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World Is Dissolving Into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007), delivers an unforgettable snapshot of the people of Baghdad during the "surge." Outstanding first-hand reporting mixed with global insight; a must-read for anyone seeking to understand what's happening on the ground in Baghdad.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was a really difficult book for me to finish, not because it was a hard book to read, but because the content infuriated me so. I have been against this crusade in Iraq since it began and to see once again that the American public is getting an extremely sanitized version of what exactly is happening is so frustrating.
Escobar has really done his work, and by putting himself in the midst of danger he writes a tight, gripping portrayal of just what is occurring in Baghdad right now, even at the "end" of the surge. The volume is quite slight, I would have loved to have read more of his experiences in Baghdad and other places in the Middle East, as he quite ably captures what the real people are going through - the middle class who've moved to lower class, the lower class barely surviving.
Everyone should take a look at this book and see another side to the one that is constantly being portrayed in the media. And I know that I, myself, as a member of the iPod generation, need to snap out of complacency and take action against what's going on.
Escobar has really done his work, and by putting himself in the midst of danger he writes a tight, gripping portrayal of just what is occurring in Baghdad right now, even at the "end" of the surge. The volume is quite slight, I would have loved to have read more of his experiences in Baghdad and other places in the Middle East, as he quite ably captures what the real people are going through - the middle class who've moved to lower class, the lower class barely surviving.
Everyone should take a look at this book and see another side to the one that is constantly being portrayed in the media. And I know that I, myself, as a member of the iPod generation, need to snap out of complacency and take action against what's going on.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Let me start off by saying that I loathe the media today. It will inevitably take a day or at most a month for whatever stories that were featured on said day to be either turned on their head or revealed to be utter lies. That being said the author of this book is not the media I oft think of when the Iraq war comes to mind or our country's immediate policies in Iraq today. I do not care if the author is for or against the left or right I care about what he reports and what he doesn't report.
The book is made up of essays, some longer some shorter, but the author conveys sarcasm in practically every one of them. Some of it is rightly deserved for the ignorant policies and steps being taken by this administration. At first I was annoyed to see that there is no real mention of any progress being made, the progress that we would regularly hear about in the media, from both sides at times. That is US soldiers saying they can see they are making a difference and Iraqis saying they are seeing a difference. At the same time it became clear to me that these differences might be so minuscule in the grand scheme of things that the minutia they represent might not matter to the majority which is suffering in spite of all the so called 'progress.' There comes a time when it is obvious that while some good things might have come out of this unneeded war when it first began, today the administration and army have screwed it up so badly that there is no hope in sight. Please understand that by 'the army' I more so mean the generals involved and the policies that are being implemented via the armed forces rather than the troops who have been given a job they were not, in effect, trained for.... Read more ›
The book is made up of essays, some longer some shorter, but the author conveys sarcasm in practically every one of them. Some of it is rightly deserved for the ignorant policies and steps being taken by this administration. At first I was annoyed to see that there is no real mention of any progress being made, the progress that we would regularly hear about in the media, from both sides at times. That is US soldiers saying they can see they are making a difference and Iraqis saying they are seeing a difference. At the same time it became clear to me that these differences might be so minuscule in the grand scheme of things that the minutia they represent might not matter to the majority which is suffering in spite of all the so called 'progress.' There comes a time when it is obvious that while some good things might have come out of this unneeded war when it first began, today the administration and army have screwed it up so badly that there is no hope in sight. Please understand that by 'the army' I more so mean the generals involved and the policies that are being implemented via the armed forces rather than the troops who have been given a job they were not, in effect, trained for.... Read more ›
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By clamairy
Format:Paperback
What a very unsettling book to read. Even though I'm convinced that the US invasion of Iraq was unwarranted, this book left me feeling guilty and ashamed for what we've allowed our current administration to do there. On the other hand, Pepe Escobar's writing, though a bit unclear at times, also made me feel a bit defensive. I had to make an attempt not to confuse his obvious disgust with the Bush/ Cheney Crew with a hatred of all things Western. To his credit, he points fingers at many of the leaders of Islamic countries and various Middle Eastern factions, as well as at the West. He says "... the unabated political repression, tremendous social inequality and prevailing economic disaster all over the Middle East are direct consequences of decades of 'divide and rule' Western Imperialism plus some extra decades of non-stop meddling coupled with rapacious, arrogant and ignorant local elites."
In many ways it called to mind Al Gore's recent The Assault on Reason, although that focuses as much on what crimes the Bush Bunch has committed against its own people as it does on its behavior in Iraq. Though his writing style makes it a bit hard to follow at times, I kept in mind it was a compilation of essays, not one uninterrupted narration. I'm glad that I read it, but I'm also glad that I'm finished with it.
In many ways it called to mind Al Gore's recent The Assault on Reason, although that focuses as much on what crimes the Bush Bunch has committed against its own people as it does on its behavior in Iraq. Though his writing style makes it a bit hard to follow at times, I kept in mind it was a compilation of essays, not one uninterrupted narration. I'm glad that I read it, but I'm also glad that I'm finished with it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Let's make it clear the author of Red Zone Blues, Pepe Escobar, is anti American. But when I say anti American what I really mean is anti corporate American imperialism and the death and suffering that usually results. I suppose that makes me anti Anerican as well. Mr Escobar returned to Iraq earlier this year, after the "surge" began to report on what he saw.
Escobar starts his trip in Damascus, Syria the home of thousands of Iraqi refugees. Many of the people who should be building Iraq are no longer there-driven out by ethnic cleansing and violence.
From Damascus it's off to Iraq. Judging from what Escobar reports it's no surprise that 70% of the Iraqis think it's OK to attack Americans. Baghdad is as much a dead zone as it is a "Red Zone".
The US media gives us hints of how bad things are in Iraq but Escobar did what US journalist can't or won't do-talk to the real Iraqis. He may have an agenda but it's a different agenda and one that is more accurate. The book is well worth a read for a more accurate view of what's going on.
Escobar starts his trip in Damascus, Syria the home of thousands of Iraqi refugees. Many of the people who should be building Iraq are no longer there-driven out by ethnic cleansing and violence.
From Damascus it's off to Iraq. Judging from what Escobar reports it's no surprise that 70% of the Iraqis think it's OK to attack Americans. Baghdad is as much a dead zone as it is a "Red Zone".
The US media gives us hints of how bad things are in Iraq but Escobar did what US journalist can't or won't do-talk to the real Iraqis. He may have an agenda but it's a different agenda and one that is more accurate. The book is well worth a read for a more accurate view of what's going on.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bold, bewildering, thought-provocing...
When the Iraq war is over in 30 years, and the minds and hearts of the Iraqi people finally won over, this book will remind us on how sensitive it was all done.
Published 20 months ago by Pattberg
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good job!
In hindsight, this is probably Pepe Escobar`s (who lives in Sao Paulo, Paris and Bangkok) most feeling bizarre book so far; the reader will join the narrator grounded on Iraqi soil... Read more
Published on November 29, 2009 by Charles Rover
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Iraqi View
I was expecting something like a dry political discussion and found instead the, often conflicting, heart of the people. This book reads to me like Escobar's notes as he traveled. Read more
Published on January 14, 2009 by Faith Junaid
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Two by Four up the Side of the Head
Red Zone Blues is two by four up the side of the head.
Those of us who live in the United States live in a media bubble. Read more
Those of us who live in the United States live in a media bubble. Read more
Published on November 6, 2007 by N. Gjuka
5.0 out of 5 stars
RED ZONE BLUES
I received a book from the publishing house Nimble Books called Red Zone Blues written by a journalist, Pepe Escobar, who has spent years in Iraq learning the nuances of the Iraqi... Read more
Published on September 25, 2007 by Timothy V. Gatto
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Thought Provoking Book
Red Zone Blues: A Snapshot of Baghdad During the Surge is an insider's look at the past, present and future state of life, war and politics in Iraq. Read more
Published on September 25, 2007 by L. Guerrero
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