In July 1950, Avi Shlaim, just five years old, and his family were forced into exile, leaving their beloved Iraq for the new state of Israel.

Today, the once flourishing Jewish community of Iraq, which once numbered over 130,000 members and had a 2,600-year history, has almost disappeared.

One explanation for this points to the ongoing conflict between Arab and Jewish cultures and a heroic Zionist mission to rescue the Eastern Jews from backward countries and relentless oppression.

Avi Shlaim overturns this scenario. His parents had many Muslim friends in Baghdad and had no interest in Zionism. As anti-Semitism intensified in Iraq, the Zionist underground movement exacerbated the situation. However, when Iraqi Jews fled to Israel, they faced an uncertain future, and their history was rewritten to serve a Zionist narrative.

This memoir paints a nearly forgotten world. Combining the personal with the political, "Three Worlds" offers a new perspective on the Arab-Jews, trapped at the crossroads of Zionism and nationalism.

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Book of the Year by TLS and NEW STATESMAN 2023

Best Book of NOVARA 2024

"A beautifully written book that artfully combines the personal with the political." Justin Marozzi, SPECTATOR

"'Three Worlds,' by the Oxford historian of the modern Middle East Avi Shlaim, is an often mesmerizing memoir of his childhood in Baghdad... A gripping narrative... A lost world in Iraq is vividly brought to life in this fascinating memoir." David Abulafia, FINANCIAL TIMES

Pages: 336, Year of Publication: 1001, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm