The Forever War
 | Random House Audio, 2008, Audio CD Customer Rating: 45 reviews Recommend |
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From the front lines of the battle against Islamic fundamentalism, a searing, unforgetable audiobook that captures the human essence of the greatest conflict of our time. Through the eyes of Dexter Filkins, the prize-winning New York Times correspondent, we witness the remarkable chain of events that began with the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s, continued with the attacks of 9/11, and moved on to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Filkins’s narrative moves across a vast and various landscape of amazing characters and astonishing scenes: a public amputation performed by Taliban, children frolicking in minefields, skies streaked white by the contrails of B-52’s, a night’s sleep in the rubble of Ground Zero. We venture into a torture chamber run by Saddam Hussein. We go into the homes of suicide bombers, meet Iraqi insurgents, and an American captain who loses a quarter of his men in eight days.
Like no other audiobook, The Forever War allows us a visceral understanding of today’s battlefields and of the experiences of the people on the ground, warriors and innocents alike. It is a brilliant, fearless work, not just about America’s wars after 9/11, but ultimately about the nature of war itself.
Title: The Forever War
Sales Rank: 153298 in Books
Creator: Dexter Filkins
Publisher: Random House Audio, Abridged edition, 2008-09-23, Audio CD, ISBN: 073937060X
Package Dimensions: 5.83 x 5.12 x 1.02 inches, 0.35 pounds
- Fantastic Reporting From a Brave Reporter
- Be careful when you begin reading this book, you won't be able to put it down. One compelling story after another, all told from the viewpoint of a reporter who puts himself in situations that many would shy away from.
This book really opened my eyes to the many challenges that Iraqis face as a people, the reconciliation of the different… More reviews
- Required Reading
- This book truly is the "Dispatches" equivalent for the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Filkins creates a mosaic with beautifully written stories about the absurdity, chaos, hate, inhumanity, insanity and courage of these wars. A war based on lies resulting in the destruction of millions of lives because some ill-informed ideologues, politicians and militarists can make some money and… More reviews
- Filkins
- This book documents the human side of war beyond what we read in the papers and see on the news each night. It's a brutally honest and often disturbing account of the reality he saw whilst reporting in middle East. The book reads like a series of stories about everyday people and their experiences during the war. Filkins befriended a number… More reviews
- A "must" for anyone seeking a first-hand account of the War
- The "Forever War" is a "must" read for anyone seeking a greater understanding of the War. Mr. Filkins' writing style draws the reader in and conveys a sense of what it must be like to be present in the War- as a soldier, as a local, as a leader, as a victim. At times I was proud as an American of our presence, at other times I was humbled. Overall, this book helped me to grasp the complexity of the… More reviews
- ugly is an understatement
- Ugly is an Understatement
Reviewed by A. J. Goldsmith
The Forever War
By Dexter Filkins
Filkins is a multi-award-winning, war correspondent for the New York Times. He probably should be committed to a safe place instead of Iraq and Afghanistan which he has covered faithfully since 2001.
Can you imagine an American newsman in shorts and a tee shirt jogging through… More reviews
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