|
His theme -- Ignorant young soldiers in an unnecessary battle. If I was a Marine in Iraq or Afghanistan and this guy showed up next to me in the heat of battle I would have highly upset. At least Dexter Filkins got a life experience out of it while the brave soldiers saved his life. I made it through 7 chapters before I put it down for good. I was skeptical from the beginning when I saw an Author from The New York Times writing a book on any war, but I thought I would give it a try.
He offers a narrative and behind the scenes look still not available in today's digitally soaked, opine world.(I missed my subway stop several times on the way to work because I was so engrossed in this book). One of the best war reporting books I've ever read. The type of story Dexter tells is truly passionate and prolific.
Highly recommend this book. Fast paced and a great read. I was hooked from the opening chapter in Kabul, Afghanistan to the last word.
Read "The Forever War."Filkins lived outside the Green Zone during his work in Iraq. Our misadventure in Iraq has gone on too long and only brought misery, pain, and chaos. Lie number three: if we stay the course, things will settle down and get better.After reading "The Forever War," I have decided that I am glad we're pulling out. He interviewed insurgents. There is nothing we can do to improve the lives of Iraqis except leave.Here is one passage that stood out to me, "The Iraqis lied to the Americans, no question. He was shot at, mortared, nearly stoned by angry mobs, chased by assassins and kidnappers.
The neocon notion that a Jeffersonian democracy would spring forth from the forehead of George W. Filkins is a reporter for The New York Times, and he covered the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for eight years. "The Forever War," is not a history of the wars in the way that "The Assassin's Gate" or "Fiasco" are, not a recounting of events, decisions, time lines and consequences. To wit: Our presence there is an "occupation." Our nation building efforts are tangential to the actual power struggles taking place.
He explains their beliefs, culture and attitudes towards the Americans (us). The names of young soldiers he'd known, the date, place and manner of their deaths.The image he most often evokes of the places in Iraq he visits is Dresden, the German city razed by Allied incendiary bombs.But Filkins' talked with many Iraqis and, more than any other reporter I've read, captures their perspective. They believed them because it was convenient--and because not to believe them was too horrifying to think about." What are the lies. Bush in Iraq is a blind absurdity.
Lie number two: our good intentions and relentless optimism will turn the tide. Very few people experienced the war as closely or observed it as keenly as he did.There are the details you would expect from a reporter's war diary. Lie number one: we can rebuild their government and infrastructure. It is a personal history of many small events recounted inside a larger story.Do you think you know about Iraq or Afghanistan.
But the worst lies were the ones Americans told themselves. The degree of isolation of the bureaucrats in the Green Zone from the realities of life in Iraq. He went on patrol with Marines assaulting Fallujah. The American general who can't pronounce the Iraqi prime minister's name and gruffly laughs about it.
Iraqis lie to us. I liked Dexter's own story as much as his stories about others: being a journalist in a war zone, almost getting kidnapped, getting shot at, etc. The Forever War is a good book and Dexter Filkins is a great journalist. Weak points: his anecdotes. I learned quite a bit from this book. I understand that you can't generalize about Iraq (or any other country for that matter), so I liked how he showed many, many sides of each issue. Iraqis hate us.
Anyway, that's my only critique. This strength was also its weakness, as it was hard to take away a few main themes from his book except that Iraq is completely messed up.
But they didn't point towards one thesis, or even several theses. Iraqis do good things.
Strong points: his anecdotes. Iraqis do horrible things.
It was definitely one of my favorite war books and I would recommend it to anyone. The short 1 to 2-page anecdotes made for easy reading and were fascinating, funny, educational and moving stories.
Iraqis like us.
|
