Accounts from a new book on Saddam Hussein's final days give readers a glimpse into what the late Iraqi dictator was like through the eyes of the guards and interrogators who got to be in his company while he awaited trial for crimes against humanity in 2004. Among the humanizing details said to have come as a surprise to some of the twelve 551st Military Police Company members enlisted to guard Hussein were his cravings for sweet bakery treats and his affinity for the sweet voice of the queen of hip hop soul.
“He’d always stop tuning [the radio] if he stumbled across a Mary J. Blige song,” writes author Will Bardenwerper, in his forthcoming title, The Prisoner in His Palace: Saddam Hussein, His American Guards, and What History Leaves Unsaid.
According to the author, those who he interviewed shared anecdotes that shed light on the executed Iraqi leader as having been a paradox. Certain experiences reinforced their notion of Hussain as a destructive force, as was the case when he told of setting fire to son Uday's collection of Ferraris, Porsches, and Rolls-Royces after learning he had unadvisedly shot up a party. But other encounters with the Butcher of Baghdad reveal him to have shown qualities of a "grandfather-like figure," according to the book. Those put in charge of monitoring his daily routines recount him exercising on a bike he nicknamed "Pony," laughing like “that Dracula dude from ‘Sesame Street,” and being a fiend for cupcakes.
The Prisoner in His Palace: Saddam Hussein, His American Guards, and What History Leaves Unsaid promises to give a whole new insight into who Hussein was beyond the war crimes and conspiracies. Its release date is June 6, for readers [and just basic Mary fans] who may be asking themselves 'What's The 411?'
Source: spin.com
