Khorramshahr, Iran, May 1982–It was the bloodiest battle of one of the most brutal wars of the twentieth century, and Najah, a twenty-nine-year-old wounded Iraqi conscript, was face to face with a thirteen-year-old Iranian child soldier who was ordered to kill him. Instead, the boy committed an astonishing act of mercy. It was an act that decades later would save his own life. This is a … This is a remarkable story. It is gut-wrenching, essential, and astonishing. It’s a war story. A love story. A page-turner of vast moral dimensions. An eloquent and haunting act of witness to horrors beyond grimmest fiction, and a thing of towering beauty. More importantly, it is a story that must be told, and a richly textured view into an overlooked conflict and misunderstood region. This is the great untold story of the children and young men whose lives were sacrificed at the whim of vicious dictators and pointless, barbaric wars.
Little has been written of the Iran-Iraq war, which was among the most brutal conflicts of the twentieth century, one fought with chemical weapons, ballistic missiles, and cadres of child soldiers.
The numbers involved are staggering:
–All told, it claimed 700,000 lives–200,000 Iraqis, and 500,000 Iranians.
–Young men of military service age–eighteen and above in Iraq, fifteen and above in Iran–died in the greatest numbers.
–80,000 Iranian child soldiers were killed, mostly between the ages of sixteen and seventeen.
–The two countries spent a combined 1.1 trillion dollars fighting the war.
Rarely does this kind of reportage succeed so power- fully as literature. More rarely still does such searingly brilliant literature–fit to stand beside Remarque, Hemingway, and O’Brien–emerge from behind “enemy” lines.
But Zahed, a child, and Najah, a young restaurateur, are rare men–not just survivors, but masterful, wondrously gifted storytellers. Written with award-winning journalist Meredith May, this is literature of a very high order, set down with passion, urgency, and consummate skill. This story is an affirmation that, in the end, it is our humanity that transcends politics and borders and saves us all.
more
I liked it
This book is well written but content is disturbing, a hard read for me.
A compelling dual biography of a 13-year-old Iranian soldier and the Iraqi soldier whose life he spared during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. That act of compassion shaped both their lives, which included years as prisoners of war in the equally barbaric hands of their enemy. This well written book reads like fiction, but sadly it is all too true. In these days when some politicians paint the people of the Middle East with the broad brush of fanatical terrorism, it’s important to read these very human stories of people not that different from us who do their beat to preserve their humanity in inhumane circumstances.
This amazing book is hard to believe; the resilience of humans, the tragedy of evil people and the far-reaching effects of kindness to your enemies. One of the best true stories I’ve read in awhile, and I read pretty voraciously. It helps to humanize people in Iraq and Iran that many of us know so little about.
Shows the devastation and personal tragedy of war, no matter what country you are from -children and young men who go to war dreaming of glory and quickly recognizing evil in the enemy and themselves. The two main characters, on opposing sides, do end up finding kindness and hope in individual, humane interactions .
Chilling insight into how the Iran Iraq war and the twisted regimes of Saddam Hussien and Khomeini affected the lives of two ordinary men.
Interesting because it compared an Iraqi soldier and an Iranian soldier with an interesting, lovely ending.
My only problem was at first I didn’t realize it was about two different men. Title should be “We, who did not die. “
This is an action-packed true story that sheds light on unrest in the Middle East. Both tragic and uplifting, the lives of two survivors of the Iraqi-Irani War shed light on current issues of immigration and the rhetoric about legal immigration only when there is no law in the places where people are most desperate for a better life.
Should be required reading for every High School student. The tragedy, the inhumanity, the death and dismemberment come alive in this book, and it needs to be made mandatory to young people in this nation. We have too much posturing and threatening to unleash “fire and fury” today. Reveal what war is REALLY LIKE!
This sobering account of the atrocities of war ends with an amazing reunion and reconciliation.
Really enjoyed this book. I couldnt put it down until i had finished it. I’m interested in world war 2 books.
After reading this book I felt so blessed to be born in the USA. The two men in this book touched my heart; and talk about not wanting to put this book down….
….wow!!! I read it in two evenings, and without a doubt I will read this one again.
I really liked this book and was sad that it ended – also sad that the authors had to experience all that they did. The authors switch back and forth each chapter making it a little confusing if the reading spans several; days, other than that I have no criticism.
I was interested in the story, but about a quarter of the way through I realize the author was really a reporter who took the story and wrote from a pretended first person. This bothered me, since the two people — who had interesting stories — both spoke with the same first person “I”. I would have preferred the reporter simply tell the story, without conjuring the “I” to the point I had trouble telling them apart.
Truly amazing story. Even in the midst of one of the most brutal wars of the twentieth century compassion and humanity can be glimpsed. If you want to be transported to a very different part of the world that we heard too few personal stories about, this is the book for you.
I was totally engrossed in the story. I highly recommend this book.
One of, if not the most compelling, saddening, inspirational both ever read. If you have read and loved “Unbroken” you’ll love this book. I was amazed at the positive attitude these guys kept through so much torture and imprisonment. And your they found each other after so many years.
This memorable book kept my interest throughout. I especially appreciated the history I learned reading this amazing true story.
This story chronicles the experiences of two soldier from the Iraq-Iran war, one from each country. I learned more about this war from this book than living through the era.
Two honest men, on different sides of a stupid war, whose lives intersected in a miraculous way. Beautifully narrated from both points of view. This is a truly great book. I feel honored to have been in their presence.