CANDID INTENT

Nshimiyimana offers an insider’s perspective on the war in Iraq in this debut memoir.

“Arguably, the Mullahs had it coming,” following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the author writes in his introduction. But as a veteran journalist and TV editor for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) working out of the southwest wing of Bush House in London at the time, Nshimiyimana was uniquely positioned to watch a “sleight of hand” within the administration of George W. Bush, whose focus quickly shifted from Afghanistan to Iraq. This memoir, written from the perspective of a self-described “fly-on-the-wall,” reflects on the author’s observations and experiences in Baghdad and London, emphasizing that Iraq was “as much a British affair as it was an American.” While offering readers important context on the war, and backed by a solid bibliography, this is not a narrative or comprehensive survey of the conflict. Nshimiyimana’s deeply personal perspective offers keen insights absent from other reflections on the controversial war; for example, the Rwandan-born author notes how his race, which was “taken for something of a solidarity,” made Iraqi citizens more comfortable speaking with him, believing that he had “no business to do with the invading armies.” The book also offers an insider’s account of a 21st-century newsroom, peeling back the curtain to reveal BBC reporters “feverishly shuttled from one editorial briefing to another” as the organization planned its coverage for the forthcoming war as an “equivalent of the Olympics.” Dedicated to conveying the reality of the war effort as he saw it, and from the perspectives of Iraqi citizens he interviewed, Nshimiyimana delivers a brutal indictment of what he calls America and Britain’s “transgression against the Iraqi people.” The absorbing, occasionally harrowing, prose makes for a compelling read and contains useful guides, such as a timeline of America’s strained relationship with Iraq since the 1990s. Interspersed throughout the text are soul-searching reflections on the ethical responsibilities of journalists, including the author’s own grappling with self-censorship.

A powerful memoir of a journalist’s experiences in war-torn Iraq.