The Forever War (Vintage)
by Dexter Filkins
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dexter FilkinsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-06-02
ISBN: 0307279448
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of The Forever War (Vintage)
Book Review: An Incredible, Educational Book - Must Read
Summary: 5 Stars
This is without a doubt one of the best books I have read lately. It is an incredibly timely piece, difficult, challenging, and utterly evocative of the chaotic and violent realm of war that so many of us have decided to push to the back of our collective minds.
Dexter Filkins, a New York Times correspondent, immerses himself in the turbulent world of pre-9/11 Afghanistan, the siege of Falluja, the murky and unpredictable politics of post-Saddam Iraq, and the troubling implications that these conflicts have for our country, our world, and our common humanity.
In many ways, the style of this book was reminiscent of Rory Stewart. Filkins chooses to present his experiences in a series of vignettes, ranging from interviews with family members of dead Iraqis to stories of political intrigue to encounters with insurgent groups. This is not what I had expected in opening this book, but I found it to be incredibly compelling. It also makes it somewhat easier to read and fully process the stories Filkins has to tell, giving the reader time to reflect on each chapter before moving to the next.
I would argue that this should be a mandatory read for the American people. It offers a very intelligent perspective on the consequences of the war, but doesn't pursue a specific ideological agenda, instead presenting the outcomes and situations for the reader to understand on his or her own. Reading The Forever War made me feel more informed about the real battle on the ground than months of watching network news has done. Filkins cuts through to the important truths of these wars, leaving behind blame and posturing. If more politicians, people, and leaders understood the nuance that Filkins presents, I believe that we would be able to create a more creative and intelligent response to the outstanding challenges that we face in our engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If you have any interest in the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, in our military engagements, in world affairs, or religious conflict, you should read this book. If you want to know more and better understand the complexity of the issues, you should read this book. If you want to count yourself an informed global citizen, you should read this book. Excellent, and highly recommended. Ages 16 and above due to violence and serious themes throughout.
A few quotes that I found especially poignant:
About war and violence in tribal Afghanistan:
"Other times I thought that something had broken fundamentally after so many years of war, that there had been some kind of primal dislocation between cause and effect, a numbness wholly understandable, necessary even, given the pain, but which had the effect of allowing the killing to go on and on." p. 20
On leadership, as learned in the streets of Iraq:
"It was an odd thing about leadership; people talked about it and CEOs wrote books about it. But there was nothing like facing death to feel it in the flesh. It was as if Omohundro wore a mask, and with that mask he gave everyone more courage than they knew they had. The trick was never showing fear." p. 191
On young soldiers and the act of war:
"There wasn't any point in sentimentalizing the kids; they were trained killers, after all. They could hit a guy at give hundered yards or cut his throat from ear-to-ear. And they didn't ask a lot of questions. They had faith, they did what they were told and they killed people. Sometimes I got frustrated with them; sometimes I wished they asked more questions. But things were complicated out there in Kezzletown and Punxsatawney; they were complicated in Falluja. Out there in Falluja, in the streets, I was happy they were in front of me." p. 199
On Iraq:
"It was in the Green Zone that I would think the war was lost. I didn't think about losing when I was outside - when I was in Iraq. There was too much reality pressing in, too many things changing, too much in play./ No; it was when I was waiting for the bus outside the Rashid Hotel, watching the overweight American contractors, making more money than they'd ever dreamed of, saunter into the restaurant for dinner at 5 p.m. It was when one of the American generals in charge of Baghdad, in his office in Camp Victory, pronounced the name of the Iraqi prime minister three different ways in hanf an hour...each time as if he were speaking of some sort of exotic plant." p. 231
On internal politics and Ahmad Chalabi:
"In the West, he was a famous man, and now a notorious one as well. He was a banker and a millionaire and a mathematics professor trained at MIT and the University of Chicago. He owned homes in London and Washington. But in Iraq, his roots had withered and died. And so now, in January 2005, Chalabi was reinventing himself as an authentic Iraqi. He was running for a seat in the new Iraqi parliament.
The convoy was low on fuel, and a gas station beckoned. Since the American invasion, Iraqis waited hours - even days - for gasoline at the pumps. Lack of refining capacity, smuggling, stealing, insurgent attacks: it was complicated. On the road south of Baghdad, the line was perhaps three hundred cars deep. The Chalabi convoy cut straight to the front of the line. No one protested. It was the guns. Chalabi's effrontery brought not even a peep." p. 255
Summary of The Forever War (Vintage)
National Bestseller
One of the Best Books of the Year:
New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Boston Globe, and Time
An instant classic of war reporting, The Forever War is the definitive account of America's conflict with Islamic fundamentalism and a searing exploration of its human costs. Through the eyes of Filkins, a foreign correspondent for the New York Times, we witness the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s, the aftermath of the attack on New York on September 11th, and the American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Filkins is the only American journalist to have reported on all these events, and his experiences are conveyed in a riveting narrative filled with unforgettable characters and astonishing scenes.
Brilliant and fearless, The Forever War is not just about America's wars after 9/11, but about the nature of war itself.
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