Thieves of Baghdad

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Thieves of Baghdad

Author	Matthew Bogdanos
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Non-fiction
Publisher	Bloomsbury (USA)
Released	2005
Media Type	Print (Hardback
Pages	320
ISBN	1582346453

Thieves of Baghdad is a non-fictional account written by Matthew Bogdanos about the quest to recover over 1000 lost artifacts from the National Museum of Iraq after the country's counter-invasion.

[edit] Reviews and Press

• “Marine Col. Matthew Bogdano’s resume would put Indiana Jones to shame.” —US News and World Report
• From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In April 2003, Matthew Bogdanos was a long way from the courtrooms of New York City where, as an assistant D.A., he prosecuted hundreds of cases. After September 11, 2001, this Marine Corps Reserve colonel, lawyer and student of ancient civilizations, returned to uniform full-time to head counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and later in Iraq, where Bogdanos gave himself the mission of finding antiquities that had been stolen from the Iraq National Museum during the American counter-invasion. Beginning with an Indiana Jones-like opening that finds him in the museum's bowels, Bogdanos chronicles a journey fueled by his passion for history and frustrated by erratic record-keeping and factionalism among Iraqis, not to mention the hazards of warfare. The son of Greek immigrants who went on to achieve advanced degrees in law and classical studies, Bogdanos weaves together a detective story, adventure yarn and history lesson, committing himself to the investigation of stolen artifacts and reflecting what he deems rumor and exaggeration among the media coverage and academics who claimed irrevocable archeological tragedy. Indeed, some pieces, he discovers, were moved and protected prior to the U.S. invasion, while others were housed by Iraqis for safekeeping until after the war. Bogdanos is a remarkable blend of warrior, academic and communicator, and he cuts through politics and hyperbole to tell an engrossing story abundant with history, colored by stories of brave Iraqis and Americans, and shaded with hope for the future. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

• From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–A riveting, dramatically paced tale. Returning to active military duty after 9/11 to serve in both Afghanistan and Iraq, Bogdanos was involved with counterterrorism units prior to being selected to head an unprecedented multiagency team tasked with tracking down and safeguarding stolen antiquities. His infantry training, profession as a lawyer (he earned the nickname Pit Bull in the Manhattan DAs office), and advanced degree in the classics qualified him to lead a team of trigger pullers, analysts, translators, and techies through the museums 11-acre complex of buildings and storerooms. Working with staff who lacked even an approximate inventory, his group pursued its mission within a hostile landscape embroiled in the chaos of modern warfare. There is YA appeal in the books forensic themes and crime-scene analysis, a compelling urgency to the band-of-brothers teamwork within the tightly knit task force, and much to relish in vivid passages devoted to the artistic and cultural heritage of Mesopotamia. With refreshing candor, Bogdanos appraises the difficulties of diplomacy, intelligence gathering, and dealing with the media in a combat zone, and assesses formidable obstacles to international prosecution of illicit cross-border trafficking. Quotations from Greek, Latin, and German philosophers and English literature add linguistic appeal. Sixteen pages of color photos lend depth to readers sense of the artwork and destruction at the museum and complement the strong personalities described in the narrative.–Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VA