Author James Verini spent nearly a year on the ground in Iraq reporting in and around Mosul, the crown jewel of the Islamic State. Verini arrived in the summer of 2016 to write about life in the jihadi regime as the Battle of Mosul approached. He stayed to cover the fighting, not knowing that it would last ten months, nor that the battle would prove, in the words of the Pentagon, “the most significant urban combat since WWII.” 

In They Will Have to Die Now: Mosul and the Fall of the Caliphate, Verini takes the reader beyond the news, into the heart of the conflict. We witness the ordeal with him up close, seeing scenes of unspeakable violence, improbable humanity, and occasional humor. And in the midst of the fighting, Verini relates the rich history of Iraq, the cradle of civilization, and of Mosul, one of the most beguiling cities in the Middle East.

James Verini is a Contributing Writer at the New York Times Magazine and National Geographic. He has written for The New Yorker, The Atavist, Vanity Fair, Foreign Policy, and many other publications. He has received a National Magazine Award and a George Polk Award.