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The Good Soldiers (2009)

by David Finkel(Favorite Author)

4.24 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0374165734 (ISBN13: 9780374165734)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Sarah Crichton Books

review 1: Tells the solider's-eye view of the Iraq war at its height, and tells it pretty straight. The author clearly has an opinion about Washington and its management of the war, and though that opinion is evident the author largely lets the soliders tell the story without excessive commentary. I would have liked more context, however - more putting their experiences in the broader context of what happened earlier in Iraq, what was happening elsewhere in the country, etc. It's such a narrow-scope view of what happened in Iraq that it's hard to draw conclusions in one's mind. Still, it's definitely a useful perspective to add to one's understanding of the war and the experience of fighting it.
review 2: This is the story of the 2-16 infantry battalion from Fort Ril... moreey, Kansas, led by Lt. Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich, given the task of carrying out “the surge” in Iraq. The author, David Finkel, a Pulitzer Prize reporter with the Washington Post, spent 8 months bedded down with these soldiers and has told their story in such a way that I felt a presence there myself. Fourteen of these brave men didn’t make it home and David doesn't spare the details or emotions as these lives are lost and mourned. Those remaining must continue the mission. The sun comes up, another day begins, and Colonel Kauz greets them with his daily mantra, "It's all good." This is by far the best book I've read on the war in Iraq and definitely worth a 5 star rating. His follow-up book, Thank You for Your Service, details the struggles of those who returned and the mental wreckage that accompanied them. less

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