Saddam Hussein: Armchair Traveler?

Travel Blog  •  Jim Benning  •  07.27.04 | 10:52 PM ET

Actually, his 10-foot-by-13-foot cell may not be furnished with an armchair, but deposed Iraqi despot Saddam Hussein does have access to a number of travel books, according to an Associated Press report published today. Saddam apparently spends much of his time in solitary confinement writing poetry and reading the Quran, but he has 145 books available to him—“mostly travel and novels—donated by the Red Cross,” according to the report. There’s no word on whether he is reading the travel books. But in case he is wondering which titles to crack, I thought I would offer some suggestions. 

Saddam, if you’re looking for escapist fare—and why wouldn’t you be?—consider picking up the bestseller 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. It might give you some ideas about regions you’d like to visit, depending on how the trial goes, of course. If you’re enjoying your solitude, the book apparently offers some great suggestions for solitary fly-fishing locales in Montana. You’d want to pack some waders, which might be tough to find in Iraq. Also consider picking up Travelers’ Tales’ Sand In My Bra & Other Misadventures: Funny Women Write from the Road. Among other stories, the collection features Christine Michaud’s Chador Etiquette, which also appeared on World Hum, about her travels in Kuwait—a country I believe you’re familiar with. Finally, consider reading Baghdad Without a Map. It’s Tony Horwitz’s account of his travels in the Middle East, and I’ve heard good things about it. According to the book’s publisher, Horwitz displays “razor-sharp wit and insight” as he chronicles his journey from Yemen to Lebanon, “from the malarial sands of the Sudan to the eerie souks of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, a land so secretive that even street maps and weather reports are banned.” I imagine the book would bring back some good memories.

Tags: Air Travel, Tres Loco, Middle East, Iraq, News and Briefs


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