Crossing the Tigress should be read by anyone enjoying a fast-paced, well-crafted and honest story. A human story that also provides critical insights into the unintended but too often negative outcomes of the USA’s actions and interventions during the complex reconstruction phase– “after the shootings stops’. It could have been written following any modern war and certainly those most recent from Iraq and Afghanistan to Somalia and Vietnam. The negative outcomes of our best actions always effect real people and the impacts of policies and politics change their lives and futures. Sahar represents so many others, most of who were not as aware and tough in securing their future. Worth your time to read and better understand what has so often occurred and unfortunately will likely occur again, and again.
Fast paced book describing the real-life impact of Westerners promising to help a war-torn Iraq and the political realities of cross-cultural conflicts. It was hard to put down and I look forward to a sequel to find out how the lives of the families so affected have changed. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read what is truly behind what we were told about the billions of dollars spend to rebuild Iraq.
A well-written, haunting story illuminating the struggles of a Iraqi mother and her family trying to survive a regime change, together with all-too-real insight from the perspective of American soldiers who are trying to do the right thing by an unfamiliar country, and how so much can get lost in the power struggles for the spoils of war. A really splendid read!
Great book! Recommend to all who have spent time in Iraq as I have, but especially to those who haven’t. Gives you an honest perspective of the difficulties in war and reconstruction for all involved and an excellent view into what it was like for the Iraqis who wanted freedom.
Incredible details and gripping story, what more do one want!!!
Great book! What a different perspective, this would make an awesome movie!!
Excellent book! The characters come alive allowing the reader to see a different perspective on war and its aftermath. It is not a book that one can read and forget.
Mr. Olson indeed knows what he writes about both personally and professionally. All war is hell but there is a special hell for those who start wars where naive intentions lead to less than ‘normal hell’ results. The author’s story shows just some of the collateral damage made worse by the intersection of the Western and Iraqi cultures, the corruption of the Hussein government, and the ham-handed methods of Westerners. I came out of this book with great sympathy for most Iraqis and of course the rank-and-file Westerners attempting to make the effort worthwhile. But ultimately this is a story of loss; lives, opportunities, trust, ideals. This should be required reading for those of a Hawkish bent in my opinion. A riveting, well told, and current story.
This book is an important story of the lives of the people of Iraq and how the US involvement affected them. Reading it taught me a lot about the situation in the Middle East and also taught me how much I do not know. Through the story of Sahar, an Iraqi woman, Olson takes us to Baghdad and into the workplaces, streets and homes of the people and illustrates the challenges and questions of safety, honor and trust. The author is extremely knowledgeable about his subject, and uses fiction to tell his story so that we can relate as human beings. I highly recommend this book, and think it should be considered for high school level history and world affairs classes.