I Was Saddam's Son (Hardcover)

by Latif Yahia (Author), Karl Wendl (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
In Iraq, where political leaders have traditionally been the targets of assassination, there exists an institution called fidai (body double). The author, who bore a remarkable resemblance to Saddam Hussein's oldest son, Uday, was pulled out of the front lines during the Iran-Iraq War and transformed into an exact likeness of Uday. From that vantage point he was, he reports, privy to all the machinations and horrific excesses perpetrated on the Iraqi people by the family and government of Saddam Hussein. After serving in that capacity from 1987 to 1991, Yahia was imprisoned and tortured before being released?then fled to Europe, where he still lives. The author's message seems to be a warning to the rest of the world: "If you thought Saddam was a cruel tyrant, just wait until Uday takes over!" Although this work is easy enough to read, it is filled with graphic details of torture, murder, and rape. Recommended only for large collections in the subject area.?David P. Snider, Casa Grande P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
In a bizarre tale of deception, a man who posed for years as Saddam Hussein's eldest son shares the grisly story of life in Iraq's inner sanctum, giving readers a glimpse into this closed society and its horrors.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing; 1st English Language Ed edition (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559703733
• ISBN-13: 978-1559703734
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #444,873 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unsettling look at the Devil and his family..., January 17, 2002

By	B. G. Shultz "pyfr" (Rockwall, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Latif Yahya has seen things most people cannot even imagine. As a double for Uday Hussein, son and possible successor of Saddam, Latif witnessed acts of depravity and torture that almost sound like something out of a Marquis de Sade novel. This book will open your eyes to the relative value of human life; to the ruling elite of Iraq, people are as expendable as bad batteries. Yahya himself endured harsh torments at the hands of a man who called him a "brother"- one can only, with a great deal of dread, contemplate the atrocities meted out to enemies. After reading this book, I came to the conclusion that the only thing worse than Saddam is his oldest brat, and I would personally throttle the life out of that demon myself if given the opportunity. Even if only a fraction of it is true (and I believe most of it is accurate, as I've seen several of the tales about Uday in other sources), the entire Saddam Hussein regime is following nicely down the path paved by the likes of Hitler and Stalin. The big difference is that the Iraqi government is doing these things, as we speak. Enjoy this book, but pray to whatever god you choose that Uday Hussein does not come to power.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Fascinating Account of Insanity Personified, April 26, 2000

By A Customer

This was one of the most interesting and bizarre stories I've read in quite some time... extremely frightening due to the fact that it's true! Just imagine living under the rule of the worst Mafia boss you can imagine and then compound the fear factor by 100 and you have the current situation in Iraq. As a former military intelligence analyst stationed in the middle east, I have read many different accounts of Uday's heinous actions in the past, a few of which I found hard to believe. However, this book convinced me without a doubt that the entire Hussein regime is truly beyond cruel, selfish, and completely insane. A totally amazing biography...

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary and chilliing life story! Engrossing!, April 1, 2008

By	Betty L. Dravis "[e-mail], autho... (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

When this author invited me to be his friend on GoodReads, I checked his profile and then accepted. When I learned that he was the man I had read about years before--the one who was forced into being a "body double" for Saddam Hussein's evil oldest son, Uday--I was intrigued enough to read the book he had written about his ghastly experiences.

As you might know, political leaders have often been targets of assassination, and in Iraq there's an institution called fidal, which means "body double." Since Latif Yahia bore a striking resemblance to Uday, the government pulled him out of the front lines during the Iran-Iraq war, forcing him to submit to a transformation that made him the very image of Uday.

Yahia served as Uday's double for approximately five years (1987-1991) before the government of Sadam Hussein released him, after torturing and imprisoning him. The demonic acts Yahia witnessed in those years are beyond belief; he describes them in this book in such graphic detail as to leave the reader gasping in disbelief: murder, rape, torture, nothing was too evil for Uday and his henchmen.

Unappreciative of Yahia putting his life on the line for Uday on a daily basis, the evil spawn of Saddam also tormented him harshly one day while calling him "brother" on another. I felt sorry for the author's suffering and degradation as he witnessed things against his nature while pretending to go along with them. There will be those who disbelieve Yahia but it has been well-documented elsewhere, so I tend to believe his story.

This book may not be an academic masterpiece, but it's easy to read and as riveting as a James Patterson thriller or a Dean Koontz horror. Spell-binding in its atrocities against the people of Iraq, the horrendous conditions described within its pages are hard to absorb. I cringed at the acts of inhumanity perpetrated by this barbaric family on its fellowman ... disgusting acts that are graphically described by this author.

Latif Yahia relates that he had to smuggle his wife out of the country and was permitted no contact with friends and family during his bondage to Uday, and tells of his fleeing to Europe after his release from prison.

I Was Saddam's Son screams for a sequel and would make a powerful movie, one that I hope would reveal more about the author's private life during the time of his persecution ... and after he resettled in Europe. I wonder what his relationships with his wife and children are like; if there were any repercussions from writing this book while the Husseins were still alive; and is he in danger now? (Dare I ask him in one of my GoodReads messages?)

After reading this book, even the most soft-hearted readers will be glad the Husseins are dead so they can no longer persecute their own people ... if anyone had any previous qualms about that.

Endnote: This review is of the first English language edition of this book, co-authored by Karl Wendl. Yahia also has two other published novels: The Devil's Double and The Black Hole: Latif Yahia Author of "I Was Saddam's Son" and "The Devil's Double" Which Have Sold Over One Million Copies Worldwide in Twenty Languages.

Reviewed by: Betty Dravis, 2008
1106 Grand Boulevard