Preview
  • Night Draws Near

  • Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War
  • By: Anthony Shadid
  • Narrated by: Anthony Shadid
  • Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (76 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Night Draws Near

By: Anthony Shadid
Narrated by: Anthony Shadid
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $14.99

Buy for $14.99

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

From the only journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting from Iraq, here is the riveting account of ordinary people caught between the struggles of nations.

Determined to offer an unfiltered version of events, the Washington Post's Anthony Shadid was neither embedded with soldiers nor briefed by politicians. Because he is fluent in Arabic, Shadid, an Arab-American born and raised in Oklahoma, was able to actually disappear into the divided, dangerous worlds of Iraq. Day by day, as American dreams clashed with Arab notions of justice, he pieced together the human story of ordinary Iraqis weathering the terrible dislocations and tragedies of war. Through the lives of Sunnis and Shiites, men and women, American sympathizers, and outraged young men newly transformed into martyrs, Shadid shows us the journey of defiant, hopeful, resilient Iraq. Moving from battle scenes to subdued streets enlivened only by the call to prayer, Shadid uses the experiences of his characters to illustrate how Saddam's downfall paved the way not only for democracy but also for an Islamic reawakening and jihad.

Night Draws Near, as compelling as it is human, is an illuminating and poignant account from a reporter whose coverage has drawn international attention and acclaim.

©2005 Anthony Shadid (P)2005 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC
  • Abridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

  • National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee, 2005, General Nonfiction

" "Incisive and eloquent." (The New York Times)
"The book, which moves among scenes and characters like a picaresque novel, is not only a pleasure to read but a welcome source of information. Shadid offers just enough history and context to orient the reader, and he includes the kinds of details, adages, prayers, lyrics from pop songs, that make a place come alive. In the end, Baghdad is the character he mourns most." (Publishers Weekly)
"A frequently moving and sometimes heartbreaking portrait of individuals striving to live their private lives when circumstances often make the pursuit of personal happiness almost impossible." (Booklist)

What listeners say about Night Draws Near

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    29
  • 4 Stars
    29
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    18
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Please stop letting authors read their own work

It always sucks the life of of the book. The information is good, the writing ok but a little flat. It's just hard to pay attention to and follow because of the monotone.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great Epitaph

Would you consider the audio edition of Night Draws Near to be better than the print version?

Hearing the author's voice especially now that he has passed is amazing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Night Draws Near?

History of the area is eye opening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Too little, too late

This guy is not much of a narrator, and not much of a writer either. Instead of a coherent overview of what happened, all we get is a mishmash of stories and pieces of Bush administration polices mixed together.

Not recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful