description: A fascinating insight into the complexity, history and unpredictability of Iraq.By September 2003, six months after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the anarchy had begun. Rory Stewart, a young Biritish diplomat, was appointed as the Coalition Provisional Authority's deputy governor of a province of 850,000 people in the southern marshland region. There, he and his colleagues confronted gangsters, Iranian-linked politicians, tribal vendettas and a full Islamist insurgency.Occupational Hazards is Rory Stewart's inside account of the attempt to rebuild a nation, the errors made, the misunderstandings and insurmountable difficulties encountered. It reveals an Iraq hidden from most foreign journalists and soldiers. Stewart is an award-winning writer, gifted with extraordinary insight into the comedy, occasional heroism and moral risks of foreign occupation.'Beautifully written, highly evocative . . . a joy to read' – John Simpson'A marvellous book . . . a devastating narrative' – Simon Jenkins'Absolutely absorbing' – Ken Loach'Strikes gut and brain at once' – James Meek'Wonderfully observed, wise, evocative' – Observer
language: English
title: Occupational Hazards
titlecomplete: Occupational Hazards (Aziza's Secret Fairy Door, 188)
genres: Biography, History, Autobiography, Politics, War, Asia, Nonfiction, Travel, Memoir, Military Fiction
ratings_count: 2333
awards: awardedAt: 1167638400000
name: John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, awardedAt: 1167638400000
name: Orwell Prize, awardedAt: 1167638400000
name: Dayton Literary Peace Prize
category: Nonfiction
publisher: Picador