It’s not every day a female, civilian, pacifist, liberal Brit becomes chief advisor to the US military in the combat zones of Iraq. The result of Emma Sky’s unique experiences is The Unravelling. ‘I have encountered many alien cultures on my travels, but none so alien as the US Army,’ she writes. Her vivid, darkly humorous and deeply personal account of the occupation of Iraq is clear-eyed about events that still affect the world today. Emma talks to James Brown about her experience at the centre of the conflict.