Author William F. Penoyar discusses his book, "Surviving Dreamland"

SURVIVING DREAMLAND is a historical fiction novel by Bill Penoyar based on what he observed during his time in Iraq with the US Agency for International Development. While in country, he assisted the U.S. reconstruction efforts in Anbar, Baghdad, Basrah, and Erbil Provinces and also served as the USAID adviser for the RegionalThreat Team, Strategic OperationsDirectorate, in support of United States Forces-Iraq J3 Directorate.

Uday Hussein was the ace of hearts in the US military’s deck of playing cards that was provided to the soldiers soon after the second war with Iraq began in 2003. Uday was known by everyone in Iraq as a murderous thug who learned his trade from his father, Saddam. His tyrannical career began with his first killing when he was in college, and his deadly ways continued remorselessly throughout his life.

This historical novel follows both the tragic events that preceded Operation Iraqi Freedom and the courageous life and times of Lara. Born in Mosul, Iraq, and raised in Michigan as an all-American girl, she became entrapped in the near-fatal grasp of Uday and his henchmen.

Surviving Dreamland is a thrilling story that captures the hard-boiled realities of living under a brutal authoritarian regime and the terror of being caught in a helpless situation when war looms and the bombs begin to fall. Lara’s triumphant survival and her tip to the US special operators succeeded in assuring the demise of two of the top three most-wanted killers during the early days of the Iraq war.

Convincing in its accuracy of detail and thought provoking, Surviving Dreamland races through the frequently fatal dangers that the Iraqi people faced while living under Saddam Hussein and his Ba’athist regime. It is a story of survival and bravery, but also a story of tragedy and the resilience of the human spirit.