In this masterpiece of war journalism based on months on the frontlines, award-winning reporter James Verini describes the climactic battle in the struggle against the Islamic State through the eyes of fighters and the families that refused to abandon their homes. The battle was a long time coming. Mosul, and its ancient counterpart Nineveh, have a proud history as the birthplace of Western culture, but they have also been an epicentre of cruelty and violence, from the ancient Assyrians to the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. James Verini is a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine and National Geographic.