Into Iraq, Michael Palin

'Into Iraq', Michael Palin, Hutchinson Heinemann, 2022. 172 clean pages with lots of colour photos and daily diary observations and explanations. Michael Palin travelled the length of the River Tigris through Iraq in March 2022 to get a sense of what life is like in a region of the world that once formed the cradle of civilisation, but that in recent times has witnessed turmoil and appalling bloodshed. In the journal he kept during his trip he describes the war-ravaged city of Mosul and the children he encounters growing up amid its ruins. He contemplates the graffiti-strewn ruins of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, and notes the constant presence of armed guards. There are patches of light amid the dark: boisterous New Year celebrations in Akre, the friendliness of generals and colonels at 'Checkpoint Cheerful', public poetry readings in Baghdad, people getting on with their lives. In like-new condition. See photos. Bookshop price tag €20.99. Sell €8.