Journalist George Packer to speak at Rice Oct. 31

CONTACT: Jennifer Evans
PHONE: 713-348-6777
E-MAIL: jevans@rice.edu

Journalist George Packer to speak at Rice Oct. 31
Public is invited to hear author of “The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq”

George Packer is credited with presenting the most comprehensive journalistic account of the Iraq war through a series of New Yorker articles and his new book, “The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq.” The journalist and writer will discuss these writings during a lecture at Rice University Oct. 31.

His lecture, which is open to the public, will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Herring Hall, room 100, on the Rice University campus.

Salon.com described “The Assassins’ Gate” as ” the best book yet about the Iraq war,” and Publisher’s Weekly said Packer has shown himself to be among the best chroniclers the war has produced.

Packer is a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of several other books, including “Blood of the Liberals,” winner of the 2001 Robert F. Kennedy Award. He wrote a series of articles for The New Yorker, called “War After the War,” relaying stories of individual Iraqis and Americans and offering a broad, comprehensive view of the conflict. He has also has written on the atrocities committed in Sierra Leone, on the civil unrest in the Ivory Coast and on the Al-Jazeera satellite news channel. Packer also has written two novels, “The Half Man and “Central Square.”

Rice is located at 6100 Main St. For information on parking on the Rice campus, visit <http://parking.rice.edu>.