A disappointing book. Despite the subtitle the author has never been to Iraq, and does not travel to Iraq in the book. The best information of the book is taken from the experiences of a journalist that travels to Iraq and brings back photos. Other information is from emails and brief cell phone calls with her relatives.

The author attempts to pieces together a personal narrative from other people's stories as a family history. She even visits an old friend of her grandfather, events that certainly must hold great meaning for her, but don't succeed in as a story. Between the lines one can sense the frustration of being generation removed from one's heritage, but such alienation has been expressed better by many other writers. ( )