Instructions for American Servicemen in Iraq during World War II - Hardcover

"The University of Chicago Press has a hot book on its hands, with some solid advice for U.S. military in Iraq: .. . 'American success or failure in Iraq may well depend on whether the Iraqis . . . like American soldiers or not,' the book admonishes. The advice, which sounds like it could be lifted from a lesson book from the war on terror, was actually written 65 years ago during World War II."

(Greg Jaffe Wall Street Journal -- Washington Wire blog 2007-06-18)

"The University of Chicago Press has a hot book on its hands, with some solid advice for U.S. military in Iraq: .. . 'American success or failure in Iraq may well depend on whether the Iraqis . . . like American soldiers or not,' the book admonishes. The advice, which sounds like it could be lifted from a lesson book from the war on terror, was actually written 65 years ago during World War II."

(Jodi S. Cohen Chicago Tribune 2007-08-07)

“A historical oddity that sheds a certain unintended light upon our current woes.” (David L. Ulin Los Angeles Times 2007-07-22)

“In 1943, the Army published this junior Baedeker to help U.S. grunts who were utterly unfamiliar with the land in which they were serving. In prose notable for its E.B. White economy (and Saturday Evening Post-style ingenuousness), the guidebook urges soldiers to respect the traditions and mores of their hosts. After all, says the anonymous author, ‘American success or failure in Iraq may well depend on whether the Iraqis (as the people are called) like American soldiers or not. It may not be quite that simple. But then again it could.’”

(Christopher Shea Boston Globe)

“The essential message is to show respect. . . . Why wasn’t this the ‘commander’s intent’ when Americans returned to Iraq sixty years later?” (George Packer New Yorker online)

“The surprise hit book of the summer.”

(Al Kamen Washington Post)

"Those despairing of American policymakers' mistakes in Iraq . . . may find some solace in this amazing little booklet. . . . It's a treasure chest of information. And the bottom line for the piece couldn't be clearer: we didn't used to be so stupid." (Scott Horton Harper's)

"Leaders, soldiers, and historians alike will be captivated by this simple yet so remarkable cultural guidebook." (LTC Steve Leonard Military Review)

"If only U.S. military personnel from 2003 on had something similar. . . . The 44-page booklet is the most succinct summation of Iraqi culture for Americans anywhere anytime." (World)