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Elvis Is Titanic: Classroom Tales from the Other Iraq
In the spring of 2005, Ian Klaus, a twenty-six-year-old Rhodes Scholar, traveled eight hours from Turkey, via broken-down taxi and armed convoy, to reach Salahaddin University in Arbil, the largest city in Iraqi Kurdistan. Elvis Is Titanic is the poignant, funny, and eye-opening story of the semester he spent there teaching U.S. history and English in the thick of the war for hearts and minds.
Inspired by the volunteerism of so many young Americans after 9/11, Klaus exchanges the abstraction of duty for an intimate involvement with individual lives, among them Mahir, a rakish Kurdish pop star whose father, an imam, disapproves of music; Ali, an Anglomaniac professor of translation devoted to the BBC, with whom Klaus has a public showdown over Hemingway; and Sarhang, Klaus’s bodyguard, whose interest in American history is excited by Mel Gibson’s performance in The Patriot. Among the Kurds, a perennially oppressed but seemingly indomitable people, Klaus encounters both openhearted welcome and resentful suspicion—and soon learns firsthand how far even a trusted stranger can venture in this society. With assignments ranging from Elvis to Ellington, from the mysteries of baseball to the aperçus of Tocqueville, Klaus strives to illuminate the American way for charges initially far more attuned to our pop culture than our national ideals.
These efforts occasion Klaus’s own reexamination of truths we hold to be self-evident, as well as the less exalted cultural assumptions we have presumed to export to the rest of the world. His story, as full of hope and discovery as he finds his students, offers a slice of life behind the headlines.
Inspired by the volunteerism of so many young Americans after 9/11, Klaus exchanges the abstraction of duty for an intimate involvement with individual lives, among them Mahir, a rakish Kurdish pop star whose father, an imam, disapproves of music; Ali, an Anglomaniac professor of translation devoted to the BBC, with whom Klaus has a public showdown over Hemingway; and Sarhang, Klaus’s bodyguard, whose interest in American history is excited by Mel Gibson’s performance in The Patriot. Among the Kurds, a perennially oppressed but seemingly indomitable people, Klaus encounters both openhearted welcome and resentful suspicion—and soon learns firsthand how far even a trusted stranger can venture in this society. With assignments ranging from Elvis to Ellington, from the mysteries of baseball to the aperçus of Tocqueville, Klaus strives to illuminate the American way for charges initially far more attuned to our pop culture than our national ideals.
These efforts occasion Klaus’s own reexamination of truths we hold to be self-evident, as well as the less exalted cultural assumptions we have presumed to export to the rest of the world. His story, as full of hope and discovery as he finds his students, offers a slice of life behind the headlines.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 18, 2009
In 2005, the author traveled to the Kurdistan region in Iraq to teach English, Literature, and American History at Salahaddin University. This book chronicles his time there and his interactions with students who had never before met an American, let alone a native English speaker, but were very eager to learn and share their own thoughts and experiences with him. The scenes with him in the classroom were wonderful: even those who barely spoke English spent lots of time watching American films on TV, the movie Titanic was a favorite, readings were often done on photocopies of books because there wasn't access to enough of them to go around, and most students felt hopeful about the future for the first time in years. The interaction the author had with others was also interesting, like the fact that people were willing to give him Kalashnikov shooting lessons if he'd tutor them in English. I think I learned quite a bit from reading this.
My main complaint about this book is that parts of it read too much like a dissertation and less like a memoir of his time in Iraq. There are long diatribes, talking about old, old history from Europe and/or America, and then he tries to relate this to what they're studying in his classroom or what is currently going on there, but ultimately, it falls flat because while the history may be relevant to current events, it did not enhance the book at all; I skipped a lot of these parts and don't think I missed anything. I wish it had been edited because the scenes in the book that he actually experienced were so great, but they sometimes got bogged down in history lessons.
My main complaint about this book is that parts of it read too much like a dissertation and less like a memoir of his time in Iraq. There are long diatribes, talking about old, old history from Europe and/or America, and then he tries to relate this to what they're studying in his classroom or what is currently going on there, but ultimately, it falls flat because while the history may be relevant to current events, it did not enhance the book at all; I skipped a lot of these parts and don't think I missed anything. I wish it had been edited because the scenes in the book that he actually experienced were so great, but they sometimes got bogged down in history lessons.
February 24, 2010
Really interesting, and what Klaus went to do was commendable, but he struck me as a little too much "I AM A MIGHTY AMERICAN HERE TO EDUCATION YOU POOR POOR KURDS". I don't think that's at all what he meant - like I said, his actions were commendable - but I think he spent too much time telling these kids why America is so great and not quite enough time listening to them.
April 2, 2018
Ian Klaus (who I later learned dated Chelsea Clinton for three years) writes about teaching at Sulemaniya University in Irbil, Iraq in 2005. His book contains great information on Kurdish history and politics, with some amusing (and very familiar to any expat teacher) stories about his students and classes. It is academic in tone, and rather serious. It didn't really grab me that much, although I flagged some of his data for quoting later.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2008
I enjoyed reading this book because it's such an interesting story - a young Rhodes scholar teaching English & American history in Iraqi Kurdistan in the middle of the violence in Iraq. I would recommend it because we're not seeing much like this from out of that country. Nevertheless...
The best parts of this book are the stories from the classroom. His students' questions, their answers to his questions, and the discussions he provokes are interesting and revealing of both their individual personalities and of larger Kurdish views - which are not monolithic - of the US, the invasion/liberation, globalization, etc.
The worst parts of the book are the history and policy parts, not because they aren't necessary or theoretically interesting - I would love to understand this stuff better - but because they seem simplistic and are told at times and in ways that made me think, Okay, hurry up and get back to the actual teaching! Especially at the start, the structure of the book is quite clunky. Later, it flows better as more of the book is narrated from the classrooom with the historical and policy parts better integrated into that.
It seems like Klaus, for perfectly understandable security reasons, didn't get to explore much or meet many people outside of a small circle of students, bodyguards, fellow guests at the "Sheraton" where he stayed. It didn't seem like he interacted much with the life of the city.... so the book is missing those kinds of travel stories.
There was something about this book that felt politically naive. Maybe it's that Klaus is a moderate on the issue of the war, and we've left little space in that discussion for moderates. And there were also places where it seemed like there was more to the story that he didn't feel he could tell, which resulted in vague writing and narrative confusion.
Interesting book.
The best parts of this book are the stories from the classroom. His students' questions, their answers to his questions, and the discussions he provokes are interesting and revealing of both their individual personalities and of larger Kurdish views - which are not monolithic - of the US, the invasion/liberation, globalization, etc.
The worst parts of the book are the history and policy parts, not because they aren't necessary or theoretically interesting - I would love to understand this stuff better - but because they seem simplistic and are told at times and in ways that made me think, Okay, hurry up and get back to the actual teaching! Especially at the start, the structure of the book is quite clunky. Later, it flows better as more of the book is narrated from the classrooom with the historical and policy parts better integrated into that.
It seems like Klaus, for perfectly understandable security reasons, didn't get to explore much or meet many people outside of a small circle of students, bodyguards, fellow guests at the "Sheraton" where he stayed. It didn't seem like he interacted much with the life of the city.... so the book is missing those kinds of travel stories.
There was something about this book that felt politically naive. Maybe it's that Klaus is a moderate on the issue of the war, and we've left little space in that discussion for moderates. And there were also places where it seemed like there was more to the story that he didn't feel he could tell, which resulted in vague writing and narrative confusion.
Interesting book.
September 9, 2008
In 2005, former Rhodes scholar, Ian Klaus, traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan to teach United States History and English. This resulting memoir is a blend of an intense history of the Kurds and the impact the American values of supposed freedom have had on the younger generation Klaus seeks to enlighten. Klaus takes on an ambitious syllabus, hoping to cover everything from the Founding Fathers to popular culture (the students had never heard of the Beatles, but could not get enough of Titanic). He speaks about slavery and civil rights, and the students are quick to find the parallels in their own lives. Klaus touches on, but does not explore as much as I would have liked, the presence and participation of women in his classroom. The majority of the book is taken up with Middle Eastern history lessons (which was interesting and well-written), as well as Klaus's own personal experience learning to live with a bodyguard and adjusting to Kurdish culture. But, what I found most interesting was Klaus's portrayal of his students and their classroom interactions. The debates Klaus attempts to set up revealed so much about how America is viewed by the people it is supposed to be helping, and how the Iraqi Kurds view their place in the world around them. I would have loved to read a more in-depth description of the students and learned more about their life circumstances and the families they came from. This is an impressively written book, and one that gave me a bit of hope for our country's younger generation - to see that there are still those willing to dedicate their lives to making the world a better place is strangely reassuring.
October 25, 2010
Rhodes scholar Ian Klaus spends much of 2005 teaching U.S. history and English in Kurdish Iraq.
"Elvis is Titanic" refers to a couple of classroom discussions. In one, they are discussing American movies and it turns out the students haven't heard of most of them. But they do know about "Titanic." Later, they are talking about American singers, and again, they've never heard of most of them. The exception is Elvis Presley. "Elvis is Titanic," one of the students says.
But I don't think it was a very good title for this book, because it leads to reader to expect it to be more, um, entertaining than it is (as entertaining as a nonfiction book that takes place in a war-torn country can be expected to be). It's not exactly a scholarly book, but it does seem to be written more for educators and students of education (I'm neither) than for a general audience.
I would like to have been present for some of the classroom discussions, though, and I think Mr. Klaus must be a good teacher.
I especially enjoyed the part about Hemingway.
"Elvis is Titanic" refers to a couple of classroom discussions. In one, they are discussing American movies and it turns out the students haven't heard of most of them. But they do know about "Titanic." Later, they are talking about American singers, and again, they've never heard of most of them. The exception is Elvis Presley. "Elvis is Titanic," one of the students says.
But I don't think it was a very good title for this book, because it leads to reader to expect it to be more, um, entertaining than it is (as entertaining as a nonfiction book that takes place in a war-torn country can be expected to be). It's not exactly a scholarly book, but it does seem to be written more for educators and students of education (I'm neither) than for a general audience.
I would like to have been present for some of the classroom discussions, though, and I think Mr. Klaus must be a good teacher.
I especially enjoyed the part about Hemingway.
February 13, 2013
This book tells the story of Ian Klaus's adventure into Kurdistan to teach American history and English. He describes his entry into the country, the university and something of the environment. The author is a well prepared teacher and very observant about his students and the world views they bring to the classroom.
The book is short and through it only a small piece of the his experience can be conveyed. The best descriptions are examples of hospitality, the western hotel and the way of life he sees.
I particularly liked reading the reactions of the students, but I'm not a fan of having students so clearly identified... nor of showing in formal print their fledgling English skills. Outsiders cannot predict later ramifications for these students of having their opinions in print.
The book is short and through it only a small piece of the his experience can be conveyed. The best descriptions are examples of hospitality, the western hotel and the way of life he sees.
I particularly liked reading the reactions of the students, but I'm not a fan of having students so clearly identified... nor of showing in formal print their fledgling English skills. Outsiders cannot predict later ramifications for these students of having their opinions in print.
January 10, 2011
I may have "really" liked this book but I can't remember much about it. I read it several years ago, another gift from one of my sisters. ELVIS IS TITANIC is in the genre of TEACHING LOLITA IN TEHRAN. That is, a highly educated person from the United States goes to a foreign country and teaches English to folks (in this case Kurds) who are highly motivated and don't speak English. This one is pretty fun and full of innovative teaching methods and high ideals. Klaus uses examples of the "American" way of life all the way from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Elvis Presley. Klaus dated Chelsea Clinton and as I remember needed some help from Chelsea's dad to get out of the country. The book cover is really cool.
September 24, 2007
Good read. He is a young Rhodes scholar who spent the last year in Northern Iraq teaching American History to Kurdish college students. He could have used a good editor in places where he is too verbose, but the story of his year there is very interesting.
Side note: Author is Ian Klaus, he was Chelsea Clinton's first serious boyfriend and dedicates the book to her.
Side note: Author is Ian Klaus, he was Chelsea Clinton's first serious boyfriend and dedicates the book to her.
November 4, 2012
The author visited Kansas City Public Library Fall of 2007 and gave a marvelous reading and delightful presentation on his book. I picked it up immediately. It was definitely aimed at adults and had a more serious tone and literary feel than I'd expect for a teen. Teens with an interest in teaching and/or teaching overseas will definitely find something to like here.
February 20, 2015
Was not super fascinating or engrossing, but was interesting enough for me to finish it. I enjoyed getting an on-the-ground personal perspective on the people in a part of the world that's in the news a lot for not great reasons. Was interesting hearing what the Iraqi Kurds he met thought of the US.
February 7, 2008
Seeing Iraq from the eyes of people who live there made this book extremely interesting and informative for me. At times the author tends to get into the weeds as he explains pieces of political theory, but he is at his best when he lets his students stories carry the page.
January 20, 2008
Real story: English teacher in Iraq. Funny and touching tales.
Want to Read
February 4, 2008Already met the author. Curious what he can put to paper.
May 31, 2013
pretty dense with history at times and became somewhat repetitive but overall interesting.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews