From the front lines of the battle against Islamic fundamentalism, a searing, unforgettable book that captures the human essence of the greatest conflict of our time.
Through the eyes of Dexter Filkins, the prizewinning New York Times correspondent whose work was hailed by David Halberstam as “reporting of the highest quality imaginable,” 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: deserts, mountains, and streets of carnage; a public amputation performed by Taliban; children frolicking in minefields; skies streaked white by the contrails of B-52s; a night’s sleep in the rubble of Ground Zero.
We embark on a foot patrol through the shadowy streets of Ramadi, venture into a torture chamber run by Saddam Hussein. We go into the homes of suicide bombers and into street-to-street fighting with a battalion of marines. We meet Iraqi insurgents, an American captain who loses a quarter of his men in eight days, and a young soldier from Georgia on a rooftop at midnight reminiscing about his girlfriend back home. A car bomb explodes, bullets fly, and a mother cradles her blinded son.
Like no other book, 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.
What Others Say
Fantastic Reporting From a Brave Reporter
Be careful when you begin reading The Forever War, 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.
The Forever War really opened my eyes to the many challenges that Iraqis face as a people, the reconciliation of the different tribes and the many obstacles still ahead.
Fantastic book.
Required Reading
The Forever War 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 win some senseless argument that has no answer - that war is the subject of The Forever War and it is an invaluable contribution. Why? Because it captures the reality of this war so that Americans of all political stripes can gain insight into what their elected government has done in their name. If I had to suggest one change to the book, it would be the title: The ... Read More
Filkins
The Forever War 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 of Iraqi's while there and provides a voice to their experiences through his writing. He introduces us to everyday people, from the young girl who would join him during his bare-legged runs along the Tigris River to average Iraqi citizens who spoke with open contempt of Americans for having destroyed their country (p. 244).
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, The Forever War helped me to grasp the complexity of the War while at the same time personalized the impact on individuals on all sides with numerous poetic and personal vingettes. It is as if a good friend is sharing his first-hand account. Highly recommend.
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 the killing zones of Baghdad just for exercise? Well neither could this reader nor could some of the Iraqis who Filkins passed on his runs.
The Forever War is not a pleasant book to read. In fact, it is very upsetting to those of us who only hear about or read the names of our brave combat dead and injured. ... Read More
