This book is now a major motion picture released with the same title in August 2011. In 1987, Latif Yahia was taken to Saddam's headquarters to meet Uday, Saddam's eldest son, and told that a great honour had been bestowed upon him: that because of the great likeness between them, he had been chosen to be Uday's double. For many Iraqis it would have been the highlight of their lives, but for Latif, a peace-loving man who did not agree with Saddam's brutal regime, it was not. He refused. Following a week of torture, and realising he would be killed if he continued to refuse, Latif was forced to accept the role. After a gruesome training programme during which he was made to watch over thirty films of torture, hours of tapes of Uday, and undertake a final remodelling of his appearance, Latif was deemed ready. But it was only after the final test, a meeting with Saddam himself, that Latif made his first public appearance. And so began his life as Uday's double - a life on the perimeter of the inner circle of Saddam's eldest son, a witness to the horror of his insane life of debauchery, excess and brutality, and an experience for which he almost paid with his life on more than one occasion.
A quote from the Author: 鈥淚f I had known then what I now know about the lack of democracy and free speech in the West and how I would be treated. I would have stayed in Baghdad and taken a bullet from Uday, at least then I would have been buried in my country near my family.鈥�
From The Publisher: Latif Yahia has never attained citizenship from another country, still stateless since his flight from Iraq in 1992, he attributes this to the fact that he refused to work with intelligence services against his country. There should be a distinction made between Saddam and Iraq, being against the invasion of Iraq in 2003 did not mean that he was for Saddam, he opposed the war because he knew what it would do to the Iraqi people and the country as a whole and also who would be appoionted Iraq鈥檚 new leaders and what they too were capable of. At the beginning of the invasion, Latif Yahia warned the American led forces that 鈥榯hey may remove one Saddam but they would create one hundred and they may remove one Uday but make one hundred more鈥�. This has been proved by recent events in Iraq.
After his flight from Iraq Latif Yahia was considered by Saddam and the regime to be a Traitor, now within the new government he is considered to be a collaborator. A no win situation.
Book Description: In 1987, Latif Yahia was taken to Saddam's headquarters to meet Uday, Saddam's eldest son, and told that a great honour had been bestowed upon him: that because of the great likeness between them, he had been chosen to be Uday's double. For many Iraqis it would have been the highlight of their lives, but for Latif, a peace-loving man who did not agree with Saddam's brutal regime, it was not. He refused. Following a week of torture, and realising he would be killed if he continued to refuse, Latif was forced to accept the role. After a gruesome training programme during which he was made to watch over thirty films of torture, hours of tapes of Uday, and undertake a final remodelling of his appearance, Latif was deemed ready. But it was only after the final test, a meeting with Saddam himself, that Latif made his first public appearance. And so began his life as Uday's double - a life on the perimeter of the inner circle of Saddam's eldest son, a witness to the horror of his insane life of debauchery, excess and brutality, and an experience for which he almost paid with his life on more than one occasion.
THE DEVIL鈥橲 DOUBLE, is the first of 3 autobiographical books chronicling Latif Yahia鈥檚 incredible life-story. It vividly describes how Latif was forced to become Uday Hussein鈥檚 鈥榝idai鈥� (body-double) and gives a unique insight into the extreme extravagance and cruelty of the Saddam regime. Latif survived assassination attempts and witnessed Uday鈥檚 psychotic temper, rapes, orgy parties, torture atrocities, and sadistic murders. The book has recently been made into a highly-acclaimed movie.
THE BLACK HOLE: gives a fascinating account of what happened to Latif in Europe after he escaped from Iraq. How he was treated by western governments and the CIA. How Uday sought revenge on Latif and vice-versa. How he was offered a British passport by Saudis to murder a dissident and how they beheaded Latif鈥檚 Saudi princess lover. How Latif made and lost a fortune. How he strived in vain for a peaceful life and survived 4 more assassination attempts.
Forty Shades of Conspiracy: brings Latif鈥檚 story right up to date by detailing his time in Ireland. His run-ins with drug-dealers, Corrupt Irish Garda officers and Irish politicians who continually denied him Irish citizenship. His despair as a beggar on the streets and the happiness he found after he met the love of his life. His reaction to Uday and Saddam鈥檚 deaths and his opinion on the current political situation in Iraq all makes fascinating reading.
Latif Yahia written a couple of books, the first titled ( I Was Saddam's Son ) in 1994 in German, have sold over one million copies worldwide in twenty languages. and the second ( The devil's double ) in 2003... and his New Book ( THE BLACK HOLE ) in 2006-2007 This Book has been banned in Books Stores in USA and IRELAND and he LIVE THERE, and all because hi didn't say nice things about The American CIA .. Latif Yahia has earned a PhD in International Law and has studied Psychology, Latif Yahia now lives in Ireland with his Irish wife and children, after fifteen years apart he is now reunited with his mother and has in his care his brothers two children, their mother was killed in Baghdad during "Shock and Awe". During the "War on Iraq" Latif was in opposition to the invasion not because of his support for the Hussein Regime on the contrary, but because of the human cost of the conflict and the terrible toll he knew such action would take on Iraq. Having personally met the pre-ordained leaders of the Interim Government of Iraq, Latif knew the corruption and embezzlement that would become the staple of the "New Democracy". After nearly fifteen years outside Iraq Latif is still stateless, he has not been offered citizenship by any European country, he looks at his position philosophy "I am a citizen of the world" he recently declared when invited to participate in a Peace mission across the Sahara desert. From: Latif Yahia. I'm searching for a country that would be wiling to have me and my family, (that doesn't belong to America ,I mean the government not the people) I am not seeking special treatment; we just wish to live a quiet and peaceful life without harassment. Any offers? Contact me please Sorry, but you must understand how happy in IRELAND ? to make this public, I work for peace around the world, with people who believe in peace and humanity. I am Fighting for freedom,I am Fighting for free Speech,I am Fighting for people not to be tortured,I am fighting for Justice around the world. Best regards to all.. Check out my blog at:
I work for peace around the world, with people who believe in peace and humanity. I am Fighting for freedom,I am Fighting for free Speech,I am Fighting for people not to be tortured,I am fighting for Justice around the world.
The Devil's Double is the ostensibly true life story on which the Lee Tamahori film of the same name, released earlier this year, was based. The movie, starring Dominic Cooper as both Saddam Hussein's son Uday and his body double or 'fiday', Latif Yahia, in the Iraq of the late 1980s, was hands down my favourite of 2011. This book was out of print at the time but, unsurprisingly, has been reissued in the wake of the film's success. Obviously, I had to get my hands on a copy and was keen to learn the truth of the story behind the dramatic, bloody film.
Although I loved the film, I saw it more as an excessive action flick, in the style of gangster movies like Scarface (which it has frequently been compared to), than a realistic account of events in Iraq at that time. So the book offers something quite different, in that its events unfold over a much longer period of time and cover a great deal of political wranglings and governmental corruption in addition to Uday's outlandish behaviour. In places it can be dull, as Yahia does a lot of sitting around waiting, and rarely has close contact with Uday, for whom he is just another member of a vast body of staff. At other points, the deviant behaviour of Uday, his family and henchmen is so extravagant and disturbing as to be virtually beyond belief. Certain incidents (such as the murder of Kamel Hannah at a party, which is depicted in the film) stand out, but the book sometimes feels like a catalogue of horrendous crimes, and often makes for harrowing reading.
This is a self-published book, so there are a number of minor errors and inconsistencies (eg sometimes it's 'fiday', other times it's 'fidai' - I'm not sure which is correct, and assume both are acceptable in English) but there's nothing significant enough to actually spoil the reading experience. The main trouble with Yahia's story is that aspersions have been cast on his account, most notably in , published at the time of the film's release. So there's no way of knowing whether everything (or, indeed, anything) contained within this book is genuinely true. Probably because I was already aware of this controversy, there were moments when I did have doubts about the veracity of the story and wondered how Yahia could possibly have known/observed these things unless he was either embellishing the truth, or was actually more closely involved than the narrative suggested.
All in all I found this a very interesting read, but I ended up feeling frustrated that, without any other evidence, I couldn't be entirely convinced of its authenticity. It's certainly given me a different perspective on the film - not that I didn't take the underlying story seriously before, but now that I know more about the depravity of Saddam Hussein's regime, I'll probably find it harder to enjoy on the next watch. If you were as fascinated by the movie as I was (and you can manage to track down a copy), this book is nevertheless worth reading to provide a more in-depth perspective on the story that inspired it.
3.5 stars. A page-turner from someone who experienced being a body double for a man with the most notorious reputation in the former regime of Iraq, Uday Saddam Hussein. In the midst of reading; one particular question kept coming to my mind. Were Uday and Qusay really got killed during that military operation in July 2003? Were those remains, not of their doubles?
I remembered, I was among those who objected to pictures of gruesome remains of Uday and Qusay appeared in the mass media. Upon reading, I finally understood why American military decided to publish it. But, damned if they did, damned if they didn't. What a tight situation they were in.
Reading this was unsettling, with very graphic accounts on evil and cruelties witnessed by the author. I believed, almost everyone around Uday had to be a yes-man to save themselves and their families. Seemed like no way outs. Though, I felt there's also some of them who actually enjoyed it.
I'm interested to read about local insights of Iraq during the reign of the late President Saddam. The author, Latif Yahia provided me that. He born into a wealthy upper class merchant family and enrolled into the Baghdad High School for boys. It was there, he first met Uday as his classmate. It's the most prestigious school of all Iraq with admissions, only to the most elite and the most exceptional. Due to it's student background, it was guarded by Jehaaz Al-Amin Al-Khass, a branch of secret service. Students were indoctrinated with Baath Party doctrine as their co curriculum vitae.
Latif had served the front during Iran-Iraq war. Even been captured by Persian soldiers. His military tenures on the front was brief, as he been recalled to serve as body double. His recollections of Gulf War, the conquest of Kuwait and how Iraqis coped with economic sanctions was a truly valuable insights.
From the structure of his sentences, it seemed to me that he wrote almost based on memories. Without benefits to neat the idea, facts checking and focus on how readers would comprehend his sentences. Some were quite confusing. Good editing and proofreading would be beneficial here.
Due to the nature of his body double job, I believed there not much way to authenticate it. Considering WHO he doubled for and where it taken place. So, I took it with a pinch of salt.
When this author invited me to be his friend on GoodReads, I checked his profile and then accepted. When I learned that he was the man I had read about years before--the one who was forced into being a "body double" for Saddam Hussein's evil oldest son, Uday--I was intrigued enough to read the book he had written about his ghastly experiences.
As you might know, political leaders have often been targets of assassination, and in Iraq there's an institution called fidal, which means "body double." Since Latif Yahia bore a striking resemblance to Uday, the government pulled him out of the front lines during the Iran-Iraq war, forcing him to submit to a transformation that made him the very image of Uday.
Yahia served as Uday's double for approximately five years (1987-1991) before the government of Sadam Hussein released him, after torturing and imprisoning him. The demonic acts Yahia witnessed in those years is beyond belief; he describes them in this book in such graphic detail as to leave the reader gasping in disbelief: murder, rape, torture, nothing was too evil for Uday and his henchmen.
Unappreciative of Yahia putting his life on the line for Uday on a daily basis, the evil spawn of Saddam also tormented him harshly one day while calling him "brother" on another. I felt sorry for the author's suffering and degradation as he witnessed things against his nature while pretending to go along with them. There will be those who disbelieve Yahia but it has been well-documented elsewhere, so I tend to believe his story.
This book may not be an academic masterpiece, but it's easy to read and as riveting as a James Patterson thriller or a Dean Koontz horror. Spell-binding in its atrocities against the people of Iraq, the horrendous conditions described within its pages are hard to absorb. I cringed at the acts of inhumanity perpetrated by this barbaric family on its fellowman ... disgusting acts that are graphically described by this author.
Latif Yahia relates that he had to smuggle his wife out of the country and was permitted no contact with friends and family during his bondage to Uday, and tells of his fleeing to Europe after his release from prison.
screams for a sequel and would make a powerful movie, one that I hope would reveal more about the author's private life during the time of his persecution ... and after he resettled in Europe. I wonder what his relationships with his wife and children are like; if there were any repercussions from writing this book while the Husseins were still alive; and is he in danger now? (Dare I ask him in one of my GoodReads messages?)
After reading this book, even the most soft-hearted readers will be glad the Husseins are dead so they can no longer persecute their own people ... if anyone had any previous qualms about that.
Endnote: This review is of the first English language edition of this book, co-authored by Karl Wendl. Yahia also has two other published novels: and
A truly incredible tale. Imagine the biggest spoiled brat you've ever known, then remove all societal boundaries so that entitled brat is now allowed to steal, rape, and murder with impunity and you have the vile princeling Uday Saddam Hussein. Uday was the eldest son of Iraq's notorious autocrat - proof that not only was Saddam Hussein a terrible man, but a terrible father as well. It's said in this book that Saddam made Uday watch videos of torture and murder when the boy was only 7 years old.
The Devil's Double tells the story of Latif Yahia, an upper class Iraqi who just happened to bear a striking resemblance to Uday Hussein. They started off as classmates, school boy chums. After Yahia has gone off to college and is completing his compulsory military service he is called by Uday to become his "fiday," his official doppelganger. Just like dear old dad (or Josef Stalin) it is handy for Uday to have someone who can pretend to be him - especially when enemies and assassins are lurking about. And the Hussein family had plenty of enemies. It's an offer that Yahia really can't refuse, on pain of death. He's tortured until he agrees to say yes anyway. He is constantly guarded and watched to make sure he complies.
So begins a life of forced servitude spent in posh imprisonment. Yahia is a firsthand witness to many hideous crimes by Uday ... torture, rape, murder - each more disturbing than the last. It is a truly bizarre story filled with incredible details... so why does it feel so boring?
The answer is Latif Yahia. It's not that he's a poor writer (he was helped by Karl Wendl). I just can't get rid of the feeling that he is holding back. Perhaps it's the nature of Yahia's time spent impersonating another person, the years of self-abegnation, but our main protagonist remains a cypher. I don't blame him. He was tortured repeatedly. After one particularly harsh period of torture he says, "I have been clinging to a thread of hope and promising myself that the nightmare will come to an end. But it becomes more difficult and the pain overcomes my will, killing the hope within me. I no longer have the power to resist. I have become a mere tattered rag of a man and surrendered myself to them without a word or a groan."
I still feel like it's possible that he was a less passive participant in the dark misdeeds perpetrated by Uday's crew. Yahia claims to have always been an unwilling witness, off to the side of the action, morally repelled. I don't know if I believe it. This is Yahia's story and it seems that he is working hard to make himself appear the innocent victim, leaving out any details about more active participation or peer pressure.
In a later passage Yahia reproaches himself for never gunning Uday down when he had the chance saying, "Just one pull of the trigger would have been enough. But I did nothing. So I can't blame the others; we're all cowards, caught between fear and the desire to bask in the warmth of the regime. We love it and hate it equally. We revolve in its orbit. We have become puppets manipulated by the regime's wanton fingers." I think this is essentially the problem I have with this book: a fantastic tale with an unreliable narrator.
It's frightening to me how few people know that this book and his follow-up in 2003 "The Devil's Double" is nothing but fiction. Latif Yahia was never a body double for Uday Hussein. He never met Uday Hussein in his life. The CIA tore down his story and couldn't prove a single claim he ever made. He came up with the idea when fleeing Iraq, he was arrested by Kurdish Peshmerga forces who had mistaken him for Uday. They let him go and he fled to Europe where he desperately sought refugee status. Fearing deportation, he made up every lie imaginable including that he was Uday's body double and wrote this book during those years.
His wife divorced him for this lie about being Uday's body double
Latif Yahya has a YouTube channel dedicated to praising Saddam Hussein and his government and family. Doesn't sound like a "tortured forced body double" to me.