Thieves of Baghdad

The Sitting Swing Thieves of Baghdad
Matthew Bogdanos with William Patrick
Bloomsbury
ISBN: 1582346453
Non-Ficiton, True Crime, Culture
Reviewed by Nancy Flinn Ludwin

“On May 2, 2003 I was working my way through Iraq’s national museum in the heart of Baghdad, investigating the rampage and the looting that had taken place during the war” - thus begins Matthew Bogdanos story of his pursuit of the stolen priceless remnants from the dawn of civilization. When the Iraq Museum was sacked by thieves, the world suffered an irreplaceable loss of historical antiquities dating back thousands of years. Matthew Bogdanos personally takes on this battle for the world as he traces the steps to reclaim the past.
When in Baghdad, Bogadanos deals with Middle Eastern cultural differences and he finds he must bend the rules to reach his goal -to find the 10,000 plus missing artifacts, also known as “Iraq’s crown jewels.” The book is embellished by the inclusion of color photos of these antiquities and the reader can see the beauty of these treasures.
From blowing up bank safes in search of the looted goods, to meeting embezzlers in dark places, to having tea with Iraqi officials, to facing angry neighborhood mobs carrying loaded weapons, Bogdanos skirts over danger as he probes all walks of life in a world-wide pursuit of these stolen riches. It is a story par with the best adventure movie.
I would highly recommend this book because it is an insider’s view about the current situation in the Middle East paralleled with ancient history details that only a passionate classics expert would know. And the best part is that is a true story.