HW 28: An Open Letter to Riverbend

Riverbend:

I really now see myself as a misinformed American. For the first few days in your book I realized all the misconceptions that the news shows us about your country. Here in the United States Iraq is portrayed to us as dirty, has dusty roads, people live in shacks on these dirt roads, people in cultural clothing, and men and women have different things they are allowed to do. Reading your book you tell people that you have computers, jeans, sophisticated bridges and highways, and fast cars. You also said that you had a good job working with computers. I didn’t think that women in Iraq had jobs like that if at all. These things are shown to the US extremely different. I realize many people from the United States act like this. You said “And keep one thing in mind—tanks and guns can break my bones but emails can be deleted,” after seeing the e-mails from others criticizing you. I think you are so brave to be putting your view out on the web and in a book, and some people just can’t handle the truth of other views of the war. It’s ridiculous and I greatly appreciate what you have done by opening my eyes and other peoples by writing what you do and showing another view about the war and Baghdad itself.

Sincerely,
Lindsay