A Hundred and One Days.

A HUNDRED AND ONE DAYS. Asne Seierstad. 2005. Read by Josephine Bailey. 8 cds. 10 hrs. Tantor Audio. 1-4001-0158-1. $34.99. Vinyl; content, author, reader notes. SA

Seierstad, a journalist from Norway, found herself at the Hotel Palestine in Baghdad during the days before and after the beginning of the current war in Iraq. So many journalists had been sent packing by the Saddam Hussein regime that at one time she was the source of information for eight European newspapers. That she was there at all represented some confusion on the part of the Ministry of Information (or disinformation, if you prefer) and no little sufferance by the "minder" who served as her interpreter. She communicated using a hidden satellite telephone and antenna, always afraid that some bomb or stray bullet from one side or another would find her. Seierstad is a careful, critical reporter who never generalizes beyond her knowledge. Always she tried to learn how the war was affecting ordinary Iraqis and soldiers, including Americans. She looks at attitudes and emotions, using quotations to illustrate thoughts.

Bailey's narration is basically skillful, though I was irritated at the hokey twang she attributes to American speakers. She may similarly have misinterpreted Iraqi speakers, but this reviewer does not know. Basically excellent, as was Seierstad's other book, The Bookseller of Kabul. Edna Boardman, Libn., Bismarck, ND