rachelini's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting look at the US Army in Iraq, from a journalist who was embedded within the unit. It was emotional and brutal, but it felt quite familiar, and I think lacked the shock value of "this is what it's really like" that it would have had when it first came out. Worth reading.
cpinski's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent journalistic account, transparent in his observations and painfully compelling at times. Second half moreso than the first.
kklemaster's review against another edition
4.0
I think this is a must-read for every American, especially those who have family or friends serving in the military and who have been somehow touched by the war on terrorism since 9/11. This is such a heartbreaking and honest portrayal of the real price of war - like The Things They Carried, but more factual while still retaining that engaging storytelling aspect. I cried and laughed and kept reading because you realize sometimes that's all you can do, just keep going, like these soldiers do, these good soldiers who become great men despite all they've suffered and sacrificed. Obviously there is a lot of violence and explicit language, but there is also a sentimentality and an understanding that we are all in this together; there are parts where the men can find literally nothing pleasant about their post in the hot, empty, hateful desert, but there are also times when they act like brothers and say the most profound things and realize that sometimes there is such "goodness" (to steal a phrase from what might be considered the main character, Kauzlarich) in the Iraqis and indeed in the world. This has to be one of the best works of war literature ever written.
caddysnack's review against another edition
4.0
This book was not what I expected, but it did not disappoint. This is very much a biography of an Army Ranger unit, not a military history book (as I had thought it would be). The reporting is unbiased, unfiltered, compassionate, and thought provoking in ways that will very much stick with me. I was completely engrossed in the book and read it in less than 24 hours, despite very heavy content the writing is excellent and smooth reading.
shawntowner's review against another edition
3.0
I'd heard such good things about The Good Soldiers and I'd been on the library's waiting list for it for so long that I was probably setting myself up for disappointment. And disappointed I was. The Good Soldiers is a book about an incredibly interesting topic: an Army infantry battalion assigned to Baghdad during the surge. Unfortunately, the book reads too much like a series of AP wire reports than a cohesive work. Maybe I've just been spoiled by all the good literary non-fiction that I get from my subscriptions to McSweeney's and the Believer, but I found The Good Soldier a relentlessly dull read. Which is a shame, considering the events described in the book provide an insight into the lives of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians that most news reports, even long-form stuff, just doesn't manage to equal. If The Good Soliders had been published as a series of articles, it would have been fantastic. When read straight through, however, it leaves a lot to be desired. I'm interested to see how The End of Major Combat Operations (included with McSweeney's 34 compares.
dujyt's review against another edition
4.0
Puts the war in Iraq/Afghanistan in a grimmer light and contributes a real-life narrative understanding of the futility of the current war and its strategies. The stories of these 19 & 20 year old soldiers and their families, with their horrible physical and mental wounds, combine to create a almost incomprehensible picture of horror and anger and frustration that makes me question all the opinions I had about this war before reading the book.
I listened to a podcast interview with the author ( http://fora.tv/2010/02/27/David_Finkel_The_Good_Soldiers ) and felt compelled to read the book. The author spent time physically embedded with the Army unit he writes about, and does not editorialize about the facts and experiences. Great journalism at work.
I listened to a podcast interview with the author ( http://fora.tv/2010/02/27/David_Finkel_The_Good_Soldiers ) and felt compelled to read the book. The author spent time physically embedded with the Army unit he writes about, and does not editorialize about the facts and experiences. Great journalism at work.
keclark's review against another edition
5.0
So powerful. And sad. So very sad. Some parts were hard to read because of the truth of it but it's also so important.
jfl's review against another edition
4.0
An extraordinary view of the American soldier in Iraq during the surge. Finkel captures the war in vivid colors--its strains, pressures and depressions. The young turn old; the strong, painfully resigned to inevitable defeat. His is the single best book that has come out of the war to date. Required reading if we hope to begin to understand the consequences of our middle eastern strategy.
brettp's review against another edition
5.0
Finished "The Good Soldiers" by David Finkel. This tells the story of the 2-16 battalion and their time in Iraq during President Bush's "surge" strategy. The book is well written and well researched, combining first-hand reporting with after-action interviews with many soldiers and leaders of the battalion as they faced IEDs, exchanges of small-arms fire and the challenge of living in a war zone. It describes their injuries - both visible and invisible, and did so the telling of a poignant story. The story also includes what Wikileaks referred to as "Collateral Murder" in which a helicopter fired on two Reuters reporters and their group on the ground for holding a camera, resembling a weapon. It gives the reader a lot to think about. I recommend it strongly.
prof_shoff's review against another edition
4.0
A surprisingly compelling account of the human cost of war that offers no answers and few conclusions.