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From an off-duty officer who was in the wrong place at the right time, this fascinating Gulf War memoir offers readers a rare glimpse of a seldom seen country and its notorious leader. In 1990, U.S. Army major Martin Stanton was a military advisor stationed in Saudi Arabia. Encouraged by the Army to broaden his cultural horizons, and assured by the U.S. embassy that Kuwait was perfectly safe, Stanton took off for a long weekend there. Roused by gunshots his first night in Kuwait City, Stanton looked out the window…and discovered he was in the middle of a full-scale invasion. Iraq’s Gulf War had begun-and in the Kuwait City Sheraton, the United States had an Army officer sitting in the front row. Yet Stanton’s prime ‘position’ was short lived. Rounded up by the enemy, he would spend the next four months deep inside Iraq as one of Saddam’s ‘guests, ‘ being taken to strategic locations as a roving human shield. Continually taking notes and looking for ways to smuggle out information, he made the most of his captivity. Fortunately, Stanton was eventually released

A collection of the author’s favorite pieces on baseball includes several never-before-published stories by the New Yorker writer and author, profiles of great players, past and present, and other works from 1962 spring training to the 2002 World Series. Reprint. 40,000 first printing.