How exactly does one decide to open a bar in Baghdad at the height of the Iraq war? Joshuah Bearman's "Baghdad Country Club" is a stranger-than-fiction story that begins with a chance conversation between two guys stranded in the Baghdad airport. Here, the tale comes to life through animation by Colleen Cox and sound design by Pat Walters

Baghdad Country Club was produced by The Atavist, a publishing house for nonfiction stories distributed digitally. Read an excerpt from the story in "What It Takes to Open a Bar in Baghdad," and buy the full story on The Atavist's site.

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