Nabeel's Song: A Family Story Of Survival In Iraq (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
Not particularly well-written, but fascinating for those of us who know little of the modern history of Iraq. The book is also full of little day-to-day details clearly taken directly from the poet's stories of his youth. Nabeel Yasin's rise in Iraq and eventual expulsion provides an fascinating way to observe the workings of politics, power, and greed on literature and culture. Despite underdeveloped charachters and mismatched modifiers, the book moves fast, draws you in, and shocks you again and again. I just started reading this one during a camping trip and anxiously await brief moments when time affords that I can sneak a quick read. So far, I have found it to be masterfully written. As Americans, we know so little history of the Middle East and even less about the character of the people and this book illuminates both in an accessible and extremely humanizing way.UPDATE! - I'm about half-way through and the story line is getting darker (imprisonments, torture, culture of fear), but the writing is still personable and elegant and the story continues draw me in. This one is on track for 5 stars and one of my best reads of recent history - even though parts of it are extremely sad.FINAL UPDATE! - I'm done and I really appreciated this book. I thought it was well-crafted, wove an engaging and multi-faceted story, and captured the human impact of fear, censorship, torture, and war - and how people somehow manage to live their lives around these unpredictable events (for better or for worse, but to the best of their abilitiies). I'm always interested in human resilience, but in this book appreciated how resiliance can be one of human-kind's great strengths, but it is often tempered with the poignance of loss.
What do You think about Nabeel's Song: A Family Story Of Survival In Iraq (2008)?
Captivating and well worth the time to learn about a country and a people we are at war with.
—ironmike666
This book gives you an insight into the lives of Iraqis living under Saddam Hussein's regime.
—Shawn
Very interesting, personal take on the history of Iraq in the last 50 years.
—Sm101
I got a real sense of what life in Iraq was like over the past 50 years.
—kaileyanonymous
