The ambassador chronicles his fourteen months as the top American political operative in Iraq.
Critic Reviews
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Favorable
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San Francisco Chronicle Alexander Zaitchik
Bremer's combative and sometimes harrowing account of running the Coalition Provisional Authority between May 2003 and June 2004.
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Mixed
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The New York Times Michiko Kakutani
My Year in Iraq, an amalgam of spin and sincerity, is partly an explanation (or rationalization) of actions Mr. Bremer took as America's man in Baghdad, partly an effort to issue some "I told you so's" to administration colleagues, and partly an attempt to spread (or reassign) responsibility (or blame) by tracing just who in the White House, Pentagon and State Department signed off on or ordered critical decisions made during his tenure.
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Mixed
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The New York Times Book Review Dexter Filkins
For a memoir, this is a remarkably unreflective book.
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Mixed
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Los Angeles Times Evan Wright
It is premature for the triumphal tone Bremer often adopts, but his commitment to the cause of Iraqi democracy seems genuine, even moving. What undermines "My Year in Iraq" and other books like it is the perception of eagerness to cash in and pay off grudges. [11 Jan 2006, p.E1]
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Mixed
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New York Review Of Books Peter W. Galbraith
The value of his book lies in his often inadvertent revelations of failure.
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Unfavorable
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Boston Globe Michael D. Langan
In his acknowledgments, Bremer thanks first, at some length, his agent, followed by his collaborator, his editor, and then the troops. It is good to see the combatants get a touch of credit. A better editor might have helped this seasoned diplomat re-create and recount this episode of his distinguished career with less ego and more candor.
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Unfavorable
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Washington Post George Packer
Bremer is not a man given to sustained reflection or self-scrutiny...Rushed, self-confident and essentially superficial, the book is of a piece with the war that produced it.
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Unfavorable
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The Economist
Though filled with quite interesting details, Mr Bremer's book is rather like his time in Iraq: conscientious rather than inspiring, lacking in vision and ultimately unsatisfying.
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Unfavorable
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The Observer Peter Beaumont
But nowhere does he accept he made mistakes - not least in the controversial disbanding of the Iraqi army and the de-Baathification order, which would later undermine the coalition's efforts.
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Unfavorable
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Daily Telegraph Con Coughlin
It is difficult to read Bremer's book without being struck by his grotesque naivety.
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