A unique coming-of-age story from the lost world of Arab Jews. In July 1950, five-year-old Avi Shlaim and his family were forced to exile, leaving their beloved Iraq for the new State of Israel.
Today, the once-thriving Iraqi Jewish community, which once numbered over 130,000 people and traced its history back 2,600 years, has almost disappeared. One explanation speaks of the ongoing conflict between Arab and Jewish cultures and a heroic Zionist mission to save Eastern Jews from backward nations and continuous persecutions.
Avi Shlaim breaks this narrative. His parents had many Muslim friends in Baghdad and no interest in Zionism. As anti-Semitism flourished in Iraq, Zionist secrecy fueled the flames. However, when Iraqi Jews fled to Israel, they faced an uncertain future, and their story was rewritten to serve a Zionist narrative.
This memoir brings to life a nearly forgotten world. Combining the personal with the political, the book “Three Worlds” offers a new perspective on Arab Jews, who are caught between the crossfire of Zionism and nationalism.
Awards: WINNER OF THE PEN HESSELL-TILTMAN PRIZE, A TLS AND NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023, A NOVARA BEST BOOK OF 2024.
"An beautifully written book that artfully combines the personal and the political." Justin Marozzi, SPECTATOR
""Three Worlds," by the historian of the contemporary Middle East from Oxford, Avi Shlaim, is a frequently enchanting memoir of his childhood in Baghdad... An exciting narrative... A lost world in Iraq comes vividly to life in this captivating memoir." David Abulafia, FINANCIAL TIMES
About the author: Avi Shlaim was born in Baghdad and raised in Israel. He is now a Professor of International Relations at St Antony’s College, Oxford. His previous books include “The Iron Wall,” which has received excellent reviews, and he regularly writes for The Guardian, Middle East Eye, and other media outlets.
Reviews: "This remarkable story that turns things upside down... A personal story, not a polemic... provocative... His personal odyssey lends Shlaim an extraordinary authority in his words. He can say things others of us cannot... his position deserves respectful consideration." —Max Hastings, The Sunday Times
"At the heart of this fascinating and deeply controversial book is Shlaim's research on the bombings in Baghdad against Jewish targets in 1950 and 1951... It is a beautifully written book that skillfully combines personal and political themes. The memories of family life, in both its glory and its anxious trials, are vividly recreated. Shlaim's voice is a strong and human one that reminds us that Palestinians were not the only victims of Israel's creation in 1948." —Spectator
"“Three Worlds,” by the historian of modern Middle East from Oxford, Avi Shlaim, is a frequently enchanting book about his childhood in Baghdad… An exciting narrative… A lost world in Iraq, vividly brought to life in this compelling memoir." —David Abulafia, Financial Times
"[An] exciting, controversial book… Even if it 'cannot be reconstructed,' “Three Worlds,” miraculously, brings to life [the old Iraqi world]." —TLS
"A familiar and captivating life story that forces the reader to reconsider three very different worlds – Iraq, Israel, and Britain – in the mid-twentieth century. A thoughtful and insightful deepening into the political identity of the Arab Jew by one of Britain’s foremost public intellectuals." —Eugene Rogan, author of “The Arabs”
"This book is a compelling personal narrative as well as an insightful historical reflection on the misfortune of ‘other victims’ of Zionism: Jews displaced from their old Arab homelands where they were well integrated, who migrated to Israel to serve as a subordinate class within the Jewish settler nation." —Moshe Matzover
“‘Three Worlds’ juxtaposes an exciting family story set in Iraq, Israel, and the UK with an interesting historical account of Iraqi Jews during a particularly catastrophic period.” —Ella Sohat, author of “On the Arab-Jew”
“The roots and experience of [Shlaim] produce a rough nerve, the emotional and psychological source of his later work and politics… His personal story is moving and told with extraordinary, captivating honesty… ‘Three Worlds’ is highly readable, as is everything Shlaim writes.” —Benny Morris, Tablet
“In this detailed, vivid narrative, historian Shlaim recalls the complexities of growing up as an Arab Jew in Iraq and Israel… Those interested in alternative Jewish attitudes towards Zionism will find this enlightening.” —Publishers Weekly
“Highly observant and devoid of sharpness, in support of a universal Israel.” —Kirkus
“Brave… Well written and informative, this is an exciting look into a forgotten world.” —Tablet
“Vivid… This luminous memoir… offers readers the chance to reimagine a life not ruled by violence, fear, deception, and exclusion.” —Middle East Eye
