Written by the former Baghdad bureau chief of the Washington Post, this book is simply what he saw in Iraq between the "end" of combat in 2003 and Paul Bremer's ignominious departure in 2004. Mostly what he sees is the complete mismanagement of basic postwar planning; the first raised, then dashed, hopes of Iraqis who have already suffered through the destructive rule of Saddam Hussein; and the arrogant approach of American political appointees, institutions and companies that are intent on transforming Iraq with little or no knowledge of the country that they are in. Life in the "emerald city" - the Green Zone for the Americans, set up in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces -- takes on an unreal quality, as Americans first set up a miniature world with all of the comforts of home, and then become increasingly frustrated and disillusioned with their mission.

The book strives to set an impartial and objective tone by simply describing increasingly ineffective and unrealistic American plans to transform Iraq. Given the politics around the Iraq war, this makes it an effective firsthand account, particularly of the absurdities of American life and intentions in Iraq.

However, the book doesn't really have an overall narrative or viewpoint, which detracts from its ability to analyze why things happened the way they did. The book is most effective when it follows the particular struggles of people in Iraq, mostly Americans, who are often well-intentioned but often clueless. As one of them puts it, "I'm a neoconservative who got mugged by reality".