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31 December 2007

The Black Hole: Latif Yahia Author of "I Was Saddam's Son" and "The Devil's Double" After his escape to the West reveals the role of the CIA in his Extraordinary and Chilling Life Story (Paperback)
This Book has been Banned in USA and IRELAND ???

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  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Arcanum Publishing; 14 edition (20 Nov 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0955419107
  • ISBN-13: 978-0955419102
  • Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 14.6 x 1.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars

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Product Description

The Black Hole has been banned in Ireland.. is the next chapter in the extraordinary and chilling life story of author Latif Yahia. Having escaped the brutal Iraqi regime through Northern Iraq with the help of the CIA in 1992, Latif touched down in Austria. Having family in the pristine and picturesque city of Vienna, Latif is somewhat reassured that his life will be calmer now without Uday Saddam Hussein and his hedonistically violent lifestyle. Alongside Latif is Nusa, a hired girl, a plaything and ego boost for her Baghdadi clientele, although she has never been mentioned in Latif's past works the reasons for her concealment become apparent as the story unfolds. Unfortunately life was never to become the idyll that Latif desired, his knowledge or perceived knowledge of the inner Iraqi regime was to become his saviour and his tormentor. This, left him chained and unable to move forward, as much as he wished to forget, his handlers wanted to know more. Latif became almost a prized item in the world of International Intelligence with nearly all of the world's Intelligence agencies vying for his allegiance, his pleas for neutrality and normality unheard. Ultimately Latif was to pay the price for his uncooperative stance; ten and a half months were spent in a covert Austrian/CIA prison cell in solitary confinement, until by chance his freedom was assured by a visiting judge. One would think that after such events Latif's life may take a quieter turn, this was not to be the case, the game of cat and mouse that played out across the breadth of Europe was interspersed by the tragic death of Latif's beloved father, several assassination attempts and the murder of his first real love a Saudi Arabian Princess Latif Yahia's previous books have sold over one million copies worldwide in twenty languages.

From the Publisher
www.arcanum-publishing.com
Latif Yahia now lives in Ireland with his Irish wife and
children, they are raising Latif's niece and nephew who lost their mother
in "Shock and Awe" during the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. This was a
deciding factor in Latif's decision to donate the proceeds of "The Black
Hole"
to the children's Hospital where his children were born in Ireland.


From the Author

Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank
everyone that has supported me with my previous works and especially with
"The Black Hole".
This book has possibly been the hardest for me to write so far, my other
works were written to save my life by bringing me into the world media's
focus, whereas this book was written to throw the spotlight on the Western

Democratic Regimes.
When I first touted my idea for writing this book to friends and family
they were cautiously supportive, they knew that what I was proposing to
write was accurate but were only too aware of the possible consequences,
Guantanamo being the most notorious.
My other works "I was Saddam's Son" and "The Devil's Double" were widely
used during 2003 as a further justification of the West's intentions
towards Iraq. It has never been understood in the West how I can be
anti-Saddam and his regime and not support "the war on Iraq", I agree that
Saddam (who as we all know was the son of America) needed to go, but
believe that the Iraqi people should have been the ones to depose him and
no matter how well intentioned the Americans were, I do not believe that
they have done Iraq any favours, in fact, I believe the opposite to be
true.
As you will read, if you choose to buy "The Black Hole" I was offered to
become a part of The Iraqi Opposition, a position should I have chosen to
pursue it, would undoubtedly have given me a position in the Interim
Government in Iraq, but as I learned then and it became blindingly clear
once this opposition government took hold in Iraq, is that it was never
about the Iraqi people, the stark fact of the matter was that many of these

"ministers" were completely unknown to the Iraqi Public, no matter how many
supporters they claimed to have when they were in negotiations with the
Pentagon or the CIA.
This book however, does not focus firmly on Iraq, although the threat from
the Iraqi regime was a constant in my life during the days, months and
years after my flight. This book expresses my shock and disbelief at the
treatment that I received from supposedly democratic European countries, it

points out the differences but more so the similarities between the
governments of the mid-East and the West, thankfully, there are still a few

countries that are strong enough to hold their will and not be swayed by
the "coalition of the billing". To these countries, most notably Germany I

give my sincerest thanks.
As you are aware "The Black Hole" is the continuation of my life story from
"The Devil's Double" although I do have other works in the pipeline, so to

speak, that are not related to my life story, "The Black Hole" is not the
last chapter, I am in the process of writing my last instalment, I am
hopeful that it will have a happy ending, although by now I should be
prepared if it does not.
It does not have a title as yet but chronicles my time in Ireland the land
of a thousand welcomes, I did indeed find Ireland welcoming but soon after

it became a nightmare. I hope to be able to look back and describe my time
in Ireland as a black comedy. I do love the Irish and their warmth, but I
find their ties with America suffocating and most open minded Irish will
tell you that for all intents and purposes that Ireland is the 51st state.

Maybe herein lies the reason that after nine years in Ireland I have been
refused citizenship.
Is there any country out there that would welcome me with open arms? I do
not need or want special treatment; I just want to lead a quiet and happy
life with my family.
I have never thought of myself as a victim, I have always fought for what I
believed to be right and if that meant fighting against Saddam Hussein then
that's what I did until the day he was toppled.
But it also stands to reason that if I was willing to fight Saddam Hussein
for my rights, then I would fight anyone else who threatened me.
My sincerest thanks,
Latif Yahia.


About the Author
Dr. Latif Yahia was born in Baghdad Iraq to a wealthy
businessman in 1964, he lived a happy uneventful life until 1987 when he
re-encountered Uday Saddam Hussein. The two had previously been at the same
school together and both had the desire to study engineering and had
applied to the same university, but when Latif realised that he would have
to spend another 4yrs with Uday he changed to Law, he went on to gain a
Doctorate in International Law.
Latif was then forced to become the double for Uday, the threats against
his family were too great for him to refuse Uday and he spent the next 4yrs
being a bullet catcher and did catch a few, he now bears the scars of 11.
Since Latif's escape from the Iraqi regime in 1991, he has been imprisoned
in a covert CIA prison in Austria, hunted by Iraqi intelligence and head
hunted by the "New Iraqi government" a position he rejected.
He has studied psychology and is a sucessful businessman, he now lives in
Ireland with his wife, Mother and four children, two of whom are his Niece
and Nephew, their mother was killed in Baghdad during shock and awe in
2003, their father, Latif's brother is missing.
Having lived in Ireland for the best part of ten years Latif has applied
for Irish Naturalisation and has been rejected twice, he remains
philosophical and calls himself "a citizen of the world" but still remains
stateless after 15 yrs in the West.


From the Inside Flap

Introduction..
I would not be so presumptuous as to assume that every reader of this book
has read The Devil's Double or Ich war Saddams Sohn [I was Saddam's Son].
It is possible that many readers will have approached this book hoping to
learn more about the political and social aspects raised, particularly with
regard to asylum seeking in general, or how the Saudi Arabian and Austrian
administrations deal with dissent of any kind. For readers who have not
read the story of how I ended up in Austria, or those who have read it and
require a reminder, the following few paragraphs cover the same ground very
briefly.
* * *
The geographically diverse land between Turkey to the north, Saudi Arabia
to the south, Iran to the east and Syria to the west is rightly termed the
cradle of civilisation. Ancient peoples such as Sumerians, Hittites,
Babylonians, Persians and Assyrians cultivated the ground and were
responsible for many of the technologies we now take for granted - the
wheel being just one.
The wheel, however, came back to dominate the region; a worldwide
wanderlust fed a human desire for transportation, which in turn needed
fossil fuel to turn to smoke and make the wheels go round. And the area,
now known as the Middle East, sits on trillions of tankfuls of the stuff.
This underground resource has been the cause of much war, territorial
dispute and conspiracy. After all, the hand that rocks the oil pumps
controls the world.
Between 1979 and 2003, that hand was Saddam Hussein's. He would also use it
to sign death warrants on dissenters, to murder his own countrymen, to plot
disastrous wars with neighbouring countries and to be the puppet master of
his entire population. In September 1987, Saddam - or more accurately, his
son, Uday - picked up my strings. Uday wanted a double, and I was unlucky
enough to resemble him.
This was not my first encounter with Uday. Because of my father's wealth I
was sent to the best school in Iraq, and a young, spoilt, arrogant, Uday
became our classmate. We hated him even then. He would cruise the streets
in his cars and with the assistance of his bodyguards would pick up girls
whether they wanted to or not - and most did not. At least one girl who
refused to be taken by him was kidnapped and thrown to his starving dogs.
In class he would act like his father, showing no enthusiasm for lessons
and acting threateningly towards anyone who crossed him. A teacher who
reprimanded him for bringing his girlfriend into class with him was never
seen again.
My classmates used to tease me and call me Uday because even at that age I
resembled him. I used to imitate him for laughs.
When my second encounter with Uday came about, I was a Captain on the front
in Iraq's pointless war with Iran. My unit's command received a dispatch
saying that I should be sent to the presidential palace. I was taken there
and informed that I was to become Uday Hussein's fiday, or body double.
This would involve attending functions, making appearances, and assuming
his persona when rumours of assassination were circulating. Saddam had
several fidays already, and Uday obviously longed for one just like his
daddy, and I was to be his first. My initial refusal was met with a long
spell of solitary confinement and mental torture in a cramped cell without
so much as a toilet to maintain my dignity. Eventually, this treatment, and
vile threats against my family, forced me to agree to Uday's demands.
Throughout a lengthy period I was trained to act like him and to speak like
him; I was, through cosmetic surgery, also made to look even more like him.
Indeed, having my front teeth filed down and being given a copy of his
overbite-dominated set gave me a lisp just like his. I was, during my
"training", desensitised to the ugly barbarity of the regime by being
forced to watch endless, excruciating videos of real torture, mutilation
and murder perpetrated by them on dozens of men, women and children of
Iraq, usually prisoners or prisoners' family members. These films also
served as a warning as to what I could expect were I to decide to challenge
the regime at any time in the future.
My first public appearance as Uday was at a football match in Baghdad's
People's Stadium. My job was to wave at the crowd from a dignitaries' box
and present medals to the players at the end. When Uday saw the appearance
on television he was impressed, congratulated my trainers and accepted me
as a member of his circle, albeit on the outer reaches. He could not allow
anyone to become too close to him, particularly anyone from outside the
Tikriti clan from which the majority of the regime was drawn; indeed, I had
been the first fiday to be plucked from the outside world. From then on my
days were spent living in his palaces, effectively a prisoner, as I was not
allowed to do anything without permission. But it was a prison of opulence
and luxury, with access to the finest food and drink the world had to
offer; swimming pools and other such charmed diversions made the time a
little more bearable.
But the captivity grew stultifying. Most of the time I would not be making
appearances; I would be bored out of my mind, intellectually and socially
unchallenged. I had graduated with a degree in law and had dreamt of
following in my father's footsteps and becoming a businessman. This had
never been part of my master plan. I was largely living a brainless,
useless existence with no independence or exercise of free will.Worse was
to come. I got sucked closer to Uday and he started to treat me as one of
his bodyguards, taking me out with him as protection against assassination
at the hands of any of his multitude of enemies. This is when I witnessed
the depravity of Uday at first hand. I saw him rape, murder, bully and
destroy anyone who dared to question his will. This could be anyone from
friends of his father to innocent passers-by, on one occasion a
honeymooning couple, the wife of which Uday took a liking to and who threw
herself to her death from her balcony after being raped by Uday.
Then came Saddam's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. This was a time when every
warring tyrant needs a double, and I was put to good effect, visiting the
troops in Basra posing as Uday, to show courage, fortitude and supposedly
to improve morale, while all the time Uday himself was drunk in the safety
of Switzerland. I was also pressed into plundering Kuwait, leading parties
of thieves into car showrooms to steal luxury cars and take them back to
Baghdad to be sold at huge auctions. But Uday was growing tired of me. When
he was accused of plundering Kuwait and faced huge embarrassment for such
actions he had the perfect excuse - that it was I who had stolen everything
- and that he was completely innocent. I was made to "confess" on
television - a ridiculous charade in a country with no electricity - and
sentenced to death. It was of course a convenient cover. Uday had begun to
sense that I was resisting his will, that I wanted to escape his clutches.
I was saved by the beginning of the invasion of the US-led forces, which
seemed to give the regime other things to think about.
Saddam was kicked out of Kuwait but survived politically, and my death
sentence seemed to have been forgotten about. After a trumped-up row over a
girl I was sent to a "re-education camp" where I was tortured and
humiliated for weeks. That particular horror ended when Uday came to visit
me one day, but it was replaced with another kind of horror. He had me
shaved from head to toe and dumped on the doorstep of my parents' home. My
mother discovered me but did not recognise the bald, skeletal figure at her
feet until I spoke to tell her who I was.
I was later offered a sort of freedom, by way of gratitude for the way I
had performed when called upon. But once again, at a party, I caught Uday
on a bad day and he had me captured and held by his bodyguards while he
went to sort out some business or other. I was sure that I was to be
executed when he came back. I tricked my guard and made my escape to the
north of Iraq, where I was captured and robbed by Kurds. But at least for
the time being I was free from Uday. I eventually managed to flee to
Austria, which is where my story picks up in this book.
When I wrote and published I Was Saddam's Son in 1994 and The Devil's
Double in 2003, I thought that my story was finished, at least as far as
the public interest was concerned. It went on to be a success and I would
like to take this opportunity to thank all those who cared enough, or were
shocked enough, to buy it. On fleeing Iraq I was penniless, and it helped
financially as well as emotionally; it was also a priceless cathartic
experience. As expected I received no plaudits from Uday or Saddam Hussein,
and a good deal of this book covers my ongoing fight with them,
particularly with Uday.
Throughout this book details emerge of assassination attempts, murder,
emotional breakdown and moments of lightness which I hope everyone can
identify with, but which also serve to put space between the extraordinary,
brutal existence which I was forced to endure and the loving, productive
life I yearned for.
The overall purpose of the book, however, is to reveal to the world a tiny
sample of the injustice, exploitation and horror that are daily enacted
from the highest levels of some of the nations whose representatives have
no doubt shaken the hand of, or might even be, your president, prime
minister or monarch.
I would never have believed, as I was being flown in the aeroplane from
Turkey to Austria, that I was not escaping hell, but merely being moved to
another of its fiery chambers.
* * *
The decision to write and publish this story was not an easy one to make. I
cannot believe that the normal legal protection given to journalists,
historians and biographers applies to me. I have been subjected to enough
torture, kidnappings, imprisonment and assassination attempts whilst living
in the jurisdictions of the free world to have any faith in the observance
of international law. Some of the revelations herein will definitely not
endear me to international, ubiquitous agencies who thought that they had
shut me up long ago.
I spent many hours discussing the pros and cons of publication with my
friends and family. I now have a young family of my own, and the
responsibility I owe to them has never left my mind. Most of my friends
advised me, as I thought they would, to let my story lie, let it fade away
and carry on with a life which had become rather comfortable for me. They
were, I believe, advising me from the heart, or from the gut feelings about
the dangers to which I would be exposing myself and my family. They have
continually reminded me that, despite the fact that I have lived in the
European Union for the best part of fourteen years, I am still stateless,
still effectively a refugee, and that no country had a duty to protect me
or investigate my disappearance. I believe the stories I have heard about
Iraqis voicing anti-war sentiments or criticising the US administration and
being swept away in appropriately-named Gulfstream jets, never to be seen
again, or re-emerging with more approved views.
Or perhaps the consequences would be less bad - I could be subjected to
character assassination, ridicule and veiled threats. No doubt I would be
branded a Walter Mitty, a fantasist, a conspiracy theorist, someone with an
axe to grind or burdened with the weight of other uncomplimentary clichés.
Government-sponsored journalists and reviewers would probably say I was
pro-Saddam, a terrorist and a social misfit, and some of these assertions
would stick.
Throughout the world, in the US, in Europe, in the Middle East and in the
seats of power at the heart of "liberated" Iraq are people who could pull
enough strings to have me written off physically, critically or credibly.
My friends' arguments were convincing and sensible, and I decided to take
their advice and keep my story to myself, at least until the dust had
settled, sometime in the 2070s.
But then they came back. The CIA started to pay me attention and for some
reason began to harass me interminably. Had someone been serving them false
information about me, asking for certain favours? I can think of several
potential originators of such actions, and the contents of these pages will
provide readers with some of the many reasons why certain people would
prefer it if this book did not make it onto the shelves, or if I were to be
discontinued.
In my years since fleeing Iraq, I have plunged to suicidal low points and
enjoyed the exhilarating highs that a good life can serve up. I have been
in more embassies and governmental departments than I care to remember and
have met world leaders and notables from all disciplines. If there is one
thing that I have learnt, it is that the world's leaders act like a single
family, rarely criticising each other unless a scapegoat nation is needed.
They will turn a blind eye to each others' misdeeds, treating them as
internal matters that are immune to international condemnation. What is
more, they indulge in favour-giving deals in which millions of dollars of
credit change hands. I have participated in it myself, and I have seen
prime ministers and presidents shaking hands on deals that will never make
the news. It would only take one of them to request that I should be
silenced and it would be done. On the other hand, I have been impressed
with the robustness of a few nations, most notably Germany, for whom the
rule of law is not a structure to be toyed with, but is the immutable basis
of all political actions, and a country where the legislature is as strong
as the executive. It is often left out in the cold as a result.
So here I am, an anti-Saddam Iraqi escapee who has the audacity not to
support Bush and Rumsfeld's Middle Eastern oil grabbing adventures. Along
with billions worldwide, I disagree with terrorism and with military action
on defenceless populations. I am not with the Americans and I am not with
the terrorists, which leaves me as something of an outcast in George W's
polarised, inward-looking world view. I remain opposed to Bush and his
coterie of belligerents while not being opposed to America or Americans in
general. This sentiment is again widespread, but for the most sinister of
reasons I shudder when I express it, for I feel vulnerable. People fleeing
Saddam's Iraq are not meant to oppose the present occupying forces in the
White House and on Capitol Hill. After all, they were the guys who went and
kicked his ass (or at least they sent the guys who went and kicked his
ass). I am supposed to be eternally grateful. Because I am not, I must be a
threat. I must be plotting against them. That is the polarised logic I am
up against.
So in the end, my motivation for publishing this book came down to this
fact: there is a truth that needs to be told, and if I do not tell it now,
it might remain hidden forever.


From the Back Cover
The Real Story of the man who was forced to become the double of
Saddam Hussein's sadistic son.
THE BLACK HOLE by Latif Yahia.

"They took the humanity out of me; they showed me what evil really is."
Latif Yahia

On the 9th of March 1992 Latif Yahia emerged from behind the walls of the
kingdom of terror. Vowing to settle his account with the Baghdad regime he
bolstered himself for the battle ahead. Knowing his adversaries well he was
prepared for the fight but nothing prepared him for the reaction he would
recieve from the western intelligence services.

The game of cat and mouse that ensued would take him across the breadth of
Europe, find him imprisoned in a covert CIA prison and see him survive four
assasination attempts and the brutal murder of his beloved Saudi princess.

A compelling true story that has been played out in the worlds media. Latif
Yahia the man that broke the news to the world of Saddam Hussein's inner
circle and is still after 15 years in the West stateless.

"When the news of covert CIA prisons in Europe broke in 2006, I quietly
laughed to myself, I knew this in 1994. I was one of those prisoners that
didn't exist, in a prison that didn't exist, in a supposedly democratic
country. Again I find myself with a story that needs to be told."


Most Recent Customer Reviews From :
www.amazon.co.uk

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book., 18 Dec 2007
By Michael (UK)
"The Black Hole" is a great read and very enlightening. i would like to say that i wholeheartedly agree with your view that the people that are able to escape their country, through whatever means, are the ones that are most likely to succeed anywhere, and be of great benefit to their new chosen homeland, and the fact that these people are treated like animals in some countries is horrendous.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Austrian government and the CIA ???, 12 Nov 2007
By Martin Haniz (Austria)
myself made a few enquiries to the Austrian government and the CIA with regards to this book, not surprisingly they made No Comment which in itself is an indication that they are aware of his existence. As for the author's motives, well yes it is a great read and maybe he will sell a ton of books, but he seems to be donating his profits to a children's hospital so maybe money isn't the goal, maybe just to be heard is.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars barbaric (Bush) and his CIA, 30 Oct 2007
By Tom (UK)
A Reader with a good book is never alone, a writer 'till he's written one is never at peace.This book captivated my interest, not because it represented any artistic or academic writing but because it was simply riveting. Normally when we are reading about bizarre and disgusting behavior such as the war in iraq, slavery or the crusades, we are reading history books.While the book possessed some fairly self serving disclaimers from the author it nevertheless communicated a horrendous condition that is hard to absorb. I actually flinched at some of the descriptions of the acts of inhumanity perpetrated by this barbaric (Bush) and his CIA ruling America and the World..When you have completed reading this book just ask yourslef one question: is it good to live in UK ?

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Latif Yahia, 20 Sep 2007
By Jacky (canada)
"The Black hole..one of my Best top 10 Books.I could not put this book down and guarantee you wont either..I can not wait for your new Book ..abaut Ireland"

79 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Behind the headlines, 13 Aug 2007
By Gel (USA-NY)
USA: The True Story of CIA is a superb work of investigation and historical analysis into the shadowy world of CIA terrorism. In this work Mr.Yahia has stripped away the James Bond Supervillain image of USA and CIA, showing the roots of CIA twisted psychology in a radical reading of the USA history. This book and the world it uncovers is far more frightening than any thriller. A superb work, highly recommended.

83 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend this book if you want to learn more about CIA, 8 Aug 2007
By John2 (canada) -
"This book frightens the reader deeply abaut the CIA ..I found this book compelling reading.it shook me to the core to realise that this kind of life still existed in this world."

92 of 92 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Wars Against CIA, 16 Jul 2007
By Allan "J-P" (usa)
An exceptionally well written book! Latif Yahia Really is becoming a IRAQI Institution, somebody for us to be proud of. Well balanced thoughtful, and giving a human touch to the most ghastly face of human kind, War Against CIA. Keep on writing Mr.Yahia, your insights are fresh, detailed, and full of insight. You never balk in pointing out the daft decisions made by politicians and the CIA, who obviously think that Joe Public will suck in and digest their propoganda without question.

124 of 125 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Debate at Trinity college Dublin , 5 Jun 2007
By John.M.Smith (Dublin-Ireland)
I recently attended a debate in the HIST in Trinity college Dublin 4th April 2007, the title was "One man's terrorist is another man's Freedom fighter" as always the HIST brought together diverse and interesting speakers but the one speaker that truly caught my attention was Dr. Latif Yahia.
I as many others had heard of his story as the double for Saddam Hussein's eldest son Uday, but what I had not known before this evening was the treatment that Dr. Yahia had received in Europe but more shockingly in my home country of Ireland.
I was at first sceptical of course, and along with other members of the debate and students questioned his story but he had documentation confirming his statements.
I was astonished that Ireland although it is without question one of America's biggest supporters was a part of or could turn a blind eye to such events as Dr. Yahia conveyed to us.
A small part of the proof that Dr. Yahia is somewhat of a persona non gratis in Ireland is that you cannot find his book anywhere, even if you ask the larger bookstores to order a copy for you they decline, hence I have found his book for sale here on Amazon with a small sense of relief that at least there is free speech somewhere, it looks like the internet is the last bastion of true democracy.
Another point that Dr. Yahia made that makes tough sense to me is that if he had been a western person receiving this treatment in the middle-east there would have been a furore, but the fact that he is middle-eastern in a western supposedly democratic country does not bode well for him to find justice.

137 of 137 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Mr.Yahia and "CIA" , 24 May 2007
By Farll (USA)
This book goes well beyond any of the daily moil and toil of America's war on terrorism described in the very revealing reportage of writers like Latif yahia. In this account, Mr. Yahia takes us inside the CIA's rendition program that allows it to abduct suspected CIA operatives in the West and then send them to undisclosed sites in the Middle-east for torture and interrogation. Mr.Yahia well-documented description of this nefarious process, as illustrated in the experiences of numerous victims. The American government has virtually found a way to conduct a war on terrorism ??? without having to be held accountable for its actions; two examples are the managed practice of "terror" at Abu Ghraib prison and the outsourcing of interrogation to a third country like Iraq or Egypt. In the end, Mr.Yahia reminds his reader that America's practice of not answering to international law !! does it more harm than good when it comes to trying to win support for its role as international cop... Added to which, strong-arm tactics only end up inflaming the situation more, case in point the debacle in Iraq. This book is definitely a significant challenge to one's sensibilities about modern warfare, and a reminder, once again, that wars are rarely conducted by rules such as the Geneva Convention.Very Interesting Book..

163 of 163 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars THE BLACK HOLE.., 2 May 2007
By S-A (NY-USA)
This book reveals the underground mysteries of the USA and CIA empire and the way it affects the citizens of Iraq. It also reveals the agony that Latif Yahia went through as Uday's Hussein double in Iraq. I reccommend this book for people that are looking for an exclusive look at how an (CIA) empire of corrupt ruler works.

194 of 195 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Read THIS!, 26 Feb 2007
By Siobhan (DUBLIN-IRELAND)
I thought that the cover looked great, that's why I picked it up! I never had much interest in politics, but wow what a story, this guy has been through so much! I do believe this can happen here and even if you didn't want to believe him it's a great story! I just couldn't put it down! I just want to know when the Irish story will come out? I think that I'll want to read it, but if what happened in Austria is nothing compared to what happened to him in Ireland I think that I'll be ill, really.
There goes the happy friendly Irish image ..

196 of 196 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Sceptical? Don't be., 16 Feb 2007
By Jim Kelly (NY-USA)
As an Investigative journalist I am always interested in these "true stories", I suppose I am sceptical of most. Having done some background work on the CIA, rendition flights and covert prisons, I am convinced that what this man has said in his book is true. It has long been the policy of the American administraion be it Bush's or other, to deny first and then admit the truth, it will therefore not be too long, a year or so until everything contained in The Black Hole will be confirmed. I myself made a few enquiries to the Austrian government and the CIA with regards to this book, not surprisingly they made "No Comment" which in itself is an indication that they are aware of his existence. As for the author's motives, well yes it is a great read and maybe he will sell a ton of books, but he seems to be donating his profits to a children's hospital so maybe money isn't the goal, maybe just to be heard is.

197 of 197 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing and compelling story, 11 Feb 2007
By Sandra (Ireland-Dublin)
I had read I was Saddam's son and when I saw this thought that it was worth a look. Actually I enjoyed it more than I was Saddam's son, this one is more heartfelt and personal, maybe because it wasn't co-authored. I found it to be an amazing and compelling story, I never thought one person could go through so much and survive physically not to mention mentally. He's a survivor and I wish him the best of luck wherever he may be. It would make a great movie.

197 of 197 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating book, 11 Feb 2007
By Halla omar (LA - USA)
This book corroborates many of the horrors I have read about the CIA . It gives an excellent picture of US regime and in the west ..I'm sure the story doesn't just end Now..This Book is one of Excellent Books..

195 of 195 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars CIA destroyed Latif Yahia's life , 10 Feb 2007
By Anna (UK - London)
This book is one of the most interesting books I have every read. It gives you such an insite as to what everyone guesses happens around the world, and most of us will have guessed right. The Intelligence Agency is and always will be pure evil, and this book proves it. I could not put this book down and guarantee you wont either.

194 of 195 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars exclusive Book, 9 Feb 2007
By John.M.V (UK - London)
This book reveals the underground mysteries of the Buhs and his cia empire around the world.
and the way it affects the citizens of The world. It also reveals the agony that Latif Yahia went through as Uday's Hussein double . I reccommend this book the black hole for people that are looking for an exclusive look at how an CIA empire of corrupt ruler works..

197 of 197 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars THE BLACK HOLE !!, 9 Feb 2007
By Allan Mckean (Ireland-offaly)
Latif Yahias account of his ordeal at the hands of sadist Uday Hussien is one of the most accurate accounts I have read concerning this family. He is an extremely brave man for Coming out and revealing the horrific details of a brutal regime in Iraq and the western Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Top of thim. His reliability must have been scrupuously checked as he has the documents to prove this. A must Read..

197 of 197 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Eyes wide open., 8 Feb 2007
By Mary Murphy (Ireland-Dublin)
As with most people in the world Latif Yahia's name was somewhere in my subconsious attached to, of course, Uday Saddam Hussein. It was only after I heard Mr. Yahia on a national radio show here in Ireland ( the Gerry Ryan radio show) that I became truly aware of him and his real story. I trawled all of the better known bookstores in Dublin in search of "The Black Hole" but with no luck, for whatever reason the Irish paperback market chose to exclude this book from their inventory, maybe it's because he's not Maeve Binchy, no offence Maeve. In the end I found it on Arcanum Publishing's website and finally here, I could not put it down, I was entranced at what this man had been through, I thought that what he had suffered in Iraq would be the end of it, I was wrong. My eyes were opened wide to the injustices that exist here in the West, they may not be as great as those perpetrated in other areas of the world but that does not make them excusable.
I was particularily embarrassed that he mentioned that although he had been treated badly by the CIA and wrongly imprisoned in a covert CIA prison in Austria, that, all that paled in comparison to the treatment that he was receiving from my own fair country. In recent weeks Mr. Yahia has appeared in most if not all of the major newspapers here with regard to his battle with the Minister for Justice for Irish Naturalisation, it saddens me that after all that he has been through our " land of a thousand welcomes" will not welcome him as our own.
I cannot explain to you how much you need to read this book, it is not just an amazing story of human survival, love, betrayal and political shenanigans but it is an eye opening read to what is really going on in our governments. It has opened my eyes, I urge you to open yours.
I await his next book about Ireland with curiosity and trepidation.

195 of 197 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting Book.., 7 Feb 2007
By Hanna.H.K (Norway)
First of all i want you to know that your Book THE BLACK HOLE had catched my breath. It's one of the books that makes my thinking what happens in the world.
A few times I felt so sad because It became clear to me that I thought so naively that something like this can't happen in the reality. I'm very Interested in politics and in the future I want to change the stupid things that are going on.
So this Book leads to my decission to study Politics ..The Black hole no 1 Book abaut dert work of CIA around the world.I know i'm not alone in saying i admire you for your courage to speak out about Bush & his evil CIA .

207 of 207 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The CIA Devil's, 7 Feb 2007
By Martin.Z (Austria) -
Latif Yahya has seen things most people cannot even imagine. As a double for Uday Hussein, son and possible successor of Saddam, Latif witnessed acts of depravity and torture that almost sound like something out of a Marquis de Sade novel. This book will open your eyes to the relative value of human life in the west; . After reading this book THE BLACK HOLE, I came to the conclusion that the only Bush and his CIA run the power around the world."
and I would personally throttle the life out of that demon myself if given the opportunity. Even if only a fraction of it is true (and I believe most of it is accurate, as I've seen several of the tales about Uday and saddam and CIA in other sources), the entire Bush regime is following nicely down likes of Hitler and Stalin. The big difference is that the Iraqi ( government )?? now is doing these things agen , as we speak. Enjoy this book .

206 of 208 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, 7 Feb 2007
By Kait Smith (Ireland)
One of Excellent books From Mr.Yahia I just saw Him on TV on the AL-Jazerra TV talking about Saddam and his son Uday..It is so sad. I am happy he is no more!!!.Mr.Yahia You are a very brave man. Keep up the good work.I love the way you talk abaut the Evil CIA around the world."
and I agree wholeheartedly. Keep up the beautiful work, I support you..Keep up the great work. I think Bush could learn alot from a Man like you.I can not wait for your new Book ..abaut Ireland..

209 of 209 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking Book, 3 Feb 2007
By K.T (London)
This book is one of the most interesting books I have every read. It gives you such an insite as to what everyone guesses happens around CIA life, and most of us will have guessed right. The CIA is and always will be pure evil, and this book proves it. I could not put this book down and guarantee you wont either..