Saddam
Subtitle: The Secret Life
Publisher: MacMillan
Published: January 2003
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 350
ISBN-13: 9780333782002
Subjects: Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -; Biography: general; Iraq; Middle East - General; Political; Presidents & Heads of State; Biography / Autobiography
Description: "Drawing on an unparalleled network of sources, contacts, and first-hand testimonies, Coughlin takes us to the centre of Saddam's complex and bewildering regime. In 1979 he took power and immediately set about controlling every aspect of Iraqi life, ordering that his political opponents be l̀iquidated.' It was the start of a tyrannical rule that has lasted for over two decades. The Kurds and Shi'ites have been subjected to horrendous genocidal attacks, and thousands of political prisoners taken, many tortured for Hussein's own gratification. Even his own two sons-in-law were murdered on his direct orders." "But Saddam: The Secret Life is far more than a political biography. By interviewing some of the people closest to Hussein himself, Coughlin creates a detailed and fascinating picture of the dictator, from a childhood marred by taunts of b̀astard', to his first failed coup in 1959. It is here in the wilderness years that Saddam built the infrastructure which would allow him to hold on to power, despite several attempts on his life." "More than this, the reader is taken behind the palace gates to view Saddam and the contradictions of his private life. His sponsoring of Islamic fundamentalism is at odds with his whisky drinking and womanizing; his reliance on, and celebration of, family is negated by his violent and temperamental treatment of them. With evidence from family members, servants and staff, Saddam: The Secret Life is unique in its representation of his elusive and secretive world."--Jacket.