Saddam Hussein: Absolute Ruler of Iraq - Hardcover

Stefoff, Rebecca

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1562944754 ISBN 13: 9781562944759

Publisher: Millbrook Pr, 1995

Synopsis

The story behind the Iraqi leader describes how his beginnings as a battered child, a thug, and, eventually, a would-be assassin shaped his role in the Gulf War and explains why he still holds power over his country.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 7 Up-Stefoff opens this biography with Iraq's pre-dawn invasion of Kuwait (August 2, 1990), and then goes back in time to recount Saddam Hussein's early life in Tikrit, a rural town on the Tigris River. The history of Mesopotamia and the rise of modern Iraq are intertwined with the subject's personal story. The last two chapters provide an overview of Desert Storm and its aftermath, including references to the 1993 retaliatory raid launched when the U.S. learned of Iraq's assassination plot against George Bush. Although the author acknowledges that Saddam is often compared to Hitler and Stalin, her own label for him is "a survivor." She shows how he has risen, like a phoenix, from the ashes of poverty, prison, plots against his life, insurrections, and international warfare. The portrait of this enigmatic man holds readers' attention, but the recounting of the Persian Gulf War sparks the most interest. Black-and-white photographs and illustrations are interspersed throughout. A compact and lucidly written volume that updates Nita Renfrew's Saddam Hussein (Chelsea, 1993).
Pat Katka, San Diego Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Gr. 7^-12. Grounded in the complex history of the Middle East, Stefoff's biography of Iraq's infamous leader is intricately interwoven with the events that have given rise to Saddam Hussein's reputation. Forged from a childhood of abandonment and abuse, minted by murder and prison, Hussein learned early that the creation of a bloody myth holds people captive to a paralyzing fear of its originator. Stefoff has written not only an insightful biography of this world leader, but has also crafted an excellent history of the Middle East, especially Iraq. Much of Iraq's recent traumatic history can be traced to Hussein's power-hungry ambition; Stefoff carefully links the country's last two wars and domestic and foreign policy to the dictator's ambitions. This well-written biography makes edifying, if uneasy, reading. Chronology; chapter notes; bibliography. Frances Bradburn

About this edition

• Publisher: Millbrook Pr
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 1562944754
• ISBN 13: 9781562944759
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128