Skip to content

Babylon by Bus Or, the true story of two friends who gave up their valuable
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Babylon by Bus Or, the true story of two friends who gave up their valuable franchise selling YANKEES SUCK T-shirts at Fenway to find meaning and adventure in Iraq, Hardback - 2006

by Ray LeMoine; Jeff Neumann; Donovan Webster

Jeff and Ray had la vida

You might not think these two scruffy, lovably clueless characters would have made attractive candidates for the U.S. government to run the desk in Baghdad's Coalition Provisional Authority that served as the interface between the CPA and the Iraqi people, fielding complaints and requests for aid from all over for a city of more than five million people. You might be naïve. But Ray and Jeff would prove to be dedicated and ingenious public servants, and they managed to do a great deal of good during their tenure in the face of staggering frauds and feuds. They also had their full share of the wild times that young people under immense stress in war zones have had from time immemorial, especially young people who return each night to a hermetically sealed safe zone flush with money and all the temptations, legal and illegal, that money attracts.

Hard-core smart, hard-core scathing, hard-core funny, this is Apocalypse Right Now-explosive and appalling. 'Roid rage fueling gang wars between rival private-security contractors; staggering fraud involving phantom construction projects; naïve young Americans given responsibilities for which their lack of qualification would be laughable if the consequences weren't so dire-this is the inside-out view of an occupation gone wildly wrong, from the point of view of two radically unaffiliated authors, members of no tribe, beholden to no one, and afraid of nothing.


Summary

This all-access, inside-out view of what the American occupation of Iraq really looks like on the ground is the story of two young Americans who went to Baghdad without any real plan and discovered they weren?t the only ones. Underqualified but ingenious, Ray and Jeff found work with the Coalition Provisional Authority providing humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people amid an appalling atmosphere of corruption, incompetence, and horror. Gritty and irreverent, this is a wild ride inside the Red Zone and a strikingly original portrait of the real Iraq."This delightful book is Innocents Abroad meets Fear and Loathing. The story of Jeff and Ray. two Valium-popping, hard-drinking, Red Sox-loving twenty-something do-gooders on their own buddy trip inside the mess of post-liberation Iraq is compulsively readable, hilariously irreverent, very sad, and very real all at once, and, for all the right reasons, it could well become a cult phenomenon." —Jon Lee Anderson, author of The Fall of Baghdad and Che Guevara"Weird, dumb, hilarious, wise—a book that makes you think, What the hell? And then you realize that's exactly the point. When the apocalypse comes, I want these guys to be my tour guides." —Sean Wilsey, author of Oh the Glory of It AllA conversation with Ray LeMoine & Jeff Neumann, authors of Babylon by BusWhat motivated you to go to Iraq in the first place?RAY: The Red Sox 2003 American League Championship Series loss forced a few decisions about my future. At this point I had been selling YANKEES SUCK t-shirts at Fenway for five years—a long time to do something you never planned to do as a career. Jeff was my roommate at the time and the two of us decided to take a trip during baseball's off-season. Both of us had already done a fair bit of traveling, so going to the Middle East didn't seem too revolutionary. There was no set plan for Iraq, really. We went to Israel, and then to Jordan. In Amman, the peaceniks at our hostel gave us word that Baghdad was relatively safe and completely wild. There was a cheap bus; we took it. (Baghdad and its relative safety rocked us the morning after we got there with a car bombing that killed 26 and injured 100.)So you ended up taking a bus to Baghdad—is this where you got the title of your book?JEFF: We crossed into Iraq from Jordan on a Middle Eastern version of a Greyhound bus, only this one was decorated with a few bullet holes and full of women covered from head to toe in abayas and men wrapped in keffiyahs and wearing plastic sandals. We broke down several times in the heart of Anbar Province, quite possibly the worst place on earth for a couple of white guys to be hanging around. After sharing all this with our editor, he asked us if we liked Bob Marley, and he reminded us of the live record "Babylon by Bus" and suggested we borrow the name. Needless to say, it fit perfectly.Within 24 hours of arriving in Baghdad, you had a job with The Coalition Provisional Authority. Were you surprised that this happened so quickly?JEFF: We were really surprised that we found employment so quickly, and especially with the US government. With not so much as a background check or anything, we two schmoes walked into the Baghdad Convention Center and talked our way into jobs with the Coalition Provisional Authority. It just goes to show you how haphazard the CPA's operations were. It was disorderly and inefficient: all the way down to us receiving badges, mine giving permission to carry a weapon in the main palace. Soon after getting badges, we moved into bunks in a partially blocked off back hallway in the main Republican Palace (arguably the best piece of real estate in the whole country) where we were also given mess hall...

From the publisher

Jeff and Ray had la vida: selling YANKEES SUCK T-shirts five months of the year in front of Fenway Park and spending the rest of the year traveling the world. Sure, they'd go back to college at some point, but for now, the future was comfortably on hold. But the play button got pushed for them after the Sox broke their hearts in the 2003 Series. In the painfully clear light of the morning after, they looked at each other and faced up to the fact that they were in danger of becoming losers. Sad cases. What to do, where to go if you're a young American man craving experience and wisdom in late 2003? If you're Jeff Neumann and Ray LeMoine, you go to Baghdad. And so they did.
You might not think these two scruffy, lovably clueless characters would have made attractive candidates for the U.S. government to run the desk in Baghdad's Coalition Provisional Authority that served as the interface between the CPA and the Iraqi people, fielding complaints and requests for aid from all over for a city of more than five million people. You might be na?ve. But Ray and Jeff would prove to be dedicated and ingenious public servants, and they managed to do a great deal of good during their tenure in the face of staggering frauds and feuds. They also had their full share of the wild times that young people under immense stress in war zones have had from time immemorial, especially young people who return each night to a hermetically sealed safe zone flush with money and all the temptations, legal and illegal, that money attracts. Hard-core smart, hard-core scathing, hard-core funny, this is Apocalypse Right Now-explosive and appalling. 'Roid rage fueling gang wars between rival private-security contractors; staggering fraud involving phantom construction projects; na?ve young Americans given responsibilities for which their lack of qualification would be laughable if the consequences weren't so dire-this is the inside-out view of an occupation gone wildly wrong, from the point of view of two radically unaffiliated authors, members of no tribe, beholden to no one, and afraid of nothing.

Details

  • Title Babylon by Bus Or, the true story of two friends who gave up their valuable franchise selling YANKEES SUCK T-shirts at Fenway to find meaning and adventure in Iraq,
  • Author Ray LeMoine; Jeff Neumann; Donovan Webster
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 336
  • Language EN
  • Publisher Penguin Press HC, The, East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
  • Date August 3, 2006
  • ISBN 9781594200915
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Babylon by Bus: Or true story of two friends who gave up valuable franchise selling T-shirts to...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Babylon by Bus: Or true story of two friends who gave up valuable franchise selling T-shirts to find meaning & adventure in Iraq where they became employed by the Occupation...

by Ray LeMoine, Jeff Neumann, Donovan Webster

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - GOOD
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594200915
ISBN 10
1594200912
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Toledo, Ohio, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£1.61
£2.40 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press HC, The. Hardcover. GOOD. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Possible ex library copy, will have the markings and stickers associated from the library. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included.
Item Price
£1.61
£2.40 shipping to USA
Babylon by Bus: Or, the True Story of Two Friends Who Gave Up Their Valuable Franchise Selling...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Babylon by Bus: Or, the True Story of Two Friends Who Gave Up Their Valuable Franchise Selling Yankees Suck T-Shirts at Fenway to Find Meaning and Adventure In Iraq,

by Ray Lemoine, Jeff Neumann, Donovan Webster

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594200915
ISBN 10
1594200912
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Kutztown, Pennsylvania, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£4.80
£4.40 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press Hc, The, August 2006. Hardcover . Used Very Good/Good. Dust Jacket has some edge and corner wear, some scuffing, but still intact. Front and back covers have light wear to edges and corners. Spine intact, some wear. Binding is intact. Pages are generally clean with minor edge or corner wear. Clearly a pre-owned and used copy but still in readable condition. We carry new and used books in our storefront. We want you to be satisfied with your purchase. Please contact us if you have questions regarding this item.
Item Price
£4.80
£4.40 shipping to USA
Babylon by Bus: Or true story of two friends who gave up valuable franchise selling T-shirts to...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Babylon by Bus: Or true story of two friends who gave up valuable franchise selling T-shirts to find meaning & adventure in Iraq where they became employed by the Occupation...

by Webster, Donovan,Neumann, Jeff,LeMoine, Ray

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594200915
ISBN 10
1594200912
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Springdale, Arkansas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£4.80
£3.16 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press HC, The, 2006-08-03. Hardcover. Acceptable. 1.2008 in x 9.4016 in x 6.2008 in. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear . It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket.
Item Price
£4.80
£3.16 shipping to USA
Babylon by Bus : Or, the True Story of Two Friends Who Gave up Their Valuable Franchise Selling...

Babylon by Bus : Or, the True Story of Two Friends Who Gave up Their Valuable Franchise Selling Yankees Suck T-Shirts at Fenway to Find Meaning and Adventure in Iraq, Where They Became Employed by the Occupation in Jobs for Which They Lacked Qualification and Witnessed...

by Ray Lemoine; Jeff Neumann

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594200915
ISBN 10
1594200912
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£4.84
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2006. Hardcover. Very Good. Disclaimer:May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
£4.84
FREE shipping to USA
Babylon by Bus : Or, the True Story of Two Friends Who Gave up Their Valuable Franchise Selling...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Babylon by Bus : Or, the True Story of Two Friends Who Gave up Their Valuable Franchise Selling Yankees Suck T-Shirts at Fenway to Find Meaning and Adventure in Iraq, Where They Became Employed by the Occupation in Jobs for Which They Lacked Qualification and Witnessed..

by Neumann, Jeff, Lemoine, Ray

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9781594200915
ISBN 10
1594200912
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£4.92
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
£4.92
FREE shipping to USA
Babylon by Bus : Or, the True Story of Two Friends Who Gave up Their Valuable Franchise Selling...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Babylon by Bus : Or, the True Story of Two Friends Who Gave up Their Valuable Franchise Selling Yankees Suck T-Shirts at Fenway to Find Meaning and Adventure in Iraq, Where They Became Employed by the Occupation in Jobs for Which They Lacked Qualification and Witnessed..

by Neumann, Jeff, Lemoine, Ray

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9781594200915
ISBN 10
1594200912
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£4.92
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
£4.92
FREE shipping to USA
Babylon by Bus: Or, the true story of two friends who gave up their valuable franchise selling...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Babylon by Bus: Or, the true story of two friends who gave up their valuable franchise selling YANKEES SUCK T-shirts at Fenway to find meaning and adventure in Iraq,

by Ray LeMoine; Jeff Neumann; Donovan Webster

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594200915
ISBN 10
1594200912
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£6.33
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press HC, The, 2006-08-03. Hardcover. Used: Good.
Item Price
£6.33
FREE shipping to USA
Babylon by Bus. Or, the true Story of two Friends who gave up their valuable Franchise Selling...

Babylon by Bus. Or, the true Story of two Friends who gave up their valuable Franchise Selling Yankees suck T-Shirts at Fenway to find Meaning and Adventure in Iraq, where they became employed by the Occupation in Jobs for which they lacked Qualification and witnessed much that amazed and disturbed them [signed by Ray Lemoine and Jeff Neumann]

by Lemoine, Ray and Jeff Neumann - with Donovan Webster

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594200915
ISBN 10
1594200912
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Neuendorf, Germany
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£9.56
£6.52 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
The Penguin Press, New York [a.o.], 2006. Von Ray Lemoine und Jeff Neumann signiertes Exemplar. Englischsprachige Hardcoverausgabe mit Schutzumschlag, 316 nebst zwei Karten. Gutes Exemplar (good Condition).
Item Price
£9.56
£6.52 shipping to USA
Babylon by Bus
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Babylon by Bus

by Ray Lemoine, Jeff Neumann, Donovan Webster

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used; Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594200915
ISBN 10
1594200912
Quantity Available
1
Seller
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£15.25
£10.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press, 08/03/2006. Hardcover. Used; Good. **WE SHIP WITHIN 24 HRS FROM LONDON, UK, 98% OF OUR ORDERS ARE RECEIVED WITHIN 7-10 DAYS. We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
Item Price
£15.25
£10.99 shipping to USA
Babylon by Bus: Or, the true story of two friends who gave up their valuable franchise selling...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Babylon by Bus: Or, the true story of two friends who gave up their valuable franchise selling YANKEES SUCK T-shirts at Fenway to find meaning and ... jobs for which they lacked qualification..

by Ray LeMoine, Jeff Neumann, Donovan Webster

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used:Good
Edition
First Printing
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594200915
ISBN 10
1594200912
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£19.60
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press HC, The, 2006-08-03. First Printing. Hardcover. Used:Good.
Item Price
£19.60
FREE shipping to USA