quote:


"It's an old disease in Iraq – people spend their money on books, not on food. Iraqi intellectuals are very poor because of it," our NBC News translator* said as he carried an armful of books into the office after a shoot at the Al Mutanabi book market.



"Your wife will kill you," I teased him, remembering how concerned he'd been after already spending a good proportion of his salary on books only the week before. 



"I know, but I just couldn't help it. It's so fascinating there right now. I even saw some Harry Potter books," he joked. His face was flush with the unaccustomed exposure to sunlight after the months and years that he, like most Iraqis, spent being cooped up inside.