Baghdad: The Final Gathering Paperback – October 17, 2016

I can say in all honesty this book was a phenomenal surprise. With a very short window in my busy schedule, I arbitrarily clicked on it just to take a short break from my heavy schedule of political activism. It turned out to be a two-day non-stop reading. I couldn't put this novel down! Very well written, unpretentious, believable, engaging, I found it a fascinating look at another land, another culture, another religion, another part of the world. Of course, we are all familiar with Iraq and the devastation our illegal, immoral wars and years of embargo has subjected that country to. But we read headlines. This author and his cast of characters lived it. This story confirmed my worst suspicions and my most optimistic assumptions. The Iraqi people, irrespective of their leader and government, did not deserve the cruelty we imposed on them. But the Iraqi people, irrespective of many cultural differences, are very much like us. If the U.S. and its xenophobic citizens would just take notice, they would find much to learn and enjoy tremendous fellowship with the populations we so easily dehumanize and assume are in some fashion our enemies.My impulsive choice of this particular book presents me with both a logistical error and an opportunity. This is the second in a series. It stands alone but I probably should have started with the first. The good news is I have another excellent novel by this author, presumably about the same characters and relationships, now to dig into. I'm making time and greatly looking forward to reading more.

I love reading about different cultures. I'm glad I found this author because he gave me insights into how the Iraqi people dealt with the war there.

Absolutely fabulous story. Couldn’t put it down

Storyline was informative.

Enjoyed it

This is a wonderful story. The author is a beautiful storyteller.I couldn’t get enough and was so sorry for the book to end.

Omar, his family and friends are all financially well endowed and well educated, but that does not insulate them from the realities of repeated wars in their homeland. Omar narrates the tale of life and love in interesting times, as the Chinese saying goes.It is good for non-Iraqis to see a different perspective on the wars that changed the country without improving anything for its residents. We focus on those we lost in one way or another, and are unable to see what happened to the Iraqis. Seeing both sides makes for positive learning. No one wins when there is war.Having read several fiction and nonfiction books centered in the mid east, I was surprised to learn that university education was expected of women as well as men, there was also no mention of arranged marriages or the specific dress codes that have been so publicized ad nauseum.On a more pleasant note, there is wonderful imagery of Baghdad, as well as many cities in Europe, Turkey, and the UAE.Don't miss this book. I loved it.Many thanks to LibraryThing Giveaways for the opportunity to win this book.

This is a beautiful story about Omar and his family. As we all know, there are no winning sides when it comes to war. This book narrates the hardship an Iraqi family has to endure due to the consistent off and on wars conducted in his country.The book displays a beautiful description of the city and clarifies the misperception westerners have regarding what social norm is in Iraq.It was fascinating to read how sanctions affected the people and the quality of life, they were so desperate to keep. The reality of every invasion is that many are abused. The author did not shy away from that either, and by doing so, he created an everlasting emotional bond for the reader, making us feel strongly about the Iraqi people and what they really go through.The work was written strongly and I enjoyed the message that came from reading the book. We can always rise above the circumstances the world puts us in. For that, I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading about wars and wishes to know how both sides suffer.

I thought this book was dull and tedious. I stuck with it only because I wanted to get a firsthand look at life in Iraq before, during and after the war. That was enlightening but the rest of the story held little interest for me.

The author mentioned at least twice the fall of Baghdad occurring in April 2013. I wondered if this was poor editing, or if the suthor was unaware of the actual date.