Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
A real solid effort, written with a very straight forward approach, this book covers the very beginning of the second Iraq war. When one compares it to a book like The Good Soldiers, which details the "insurgent" war much later, the combat covered in this earlier time is almost child's play, which is not to say the book isn't full of critically dangerous situations. This book shows how mismanaged the war was from the very beginning, despite having the war fought by well-trained and dedicated military (in this case Marines). In fact it's a little amazing how quickly the Marines highlighted in this book recognized how unprepared the Bush Administration was for the occupation of Iraq. It should be added that one of the strengths of this book is the care the author puts into detailing the various personalities of the Marine unit in which he was imbedded. By doing so, he lets the situations speak for themselves without having to editorialize.
Rolling Stone journalist Wright was embedded with the First Recon Marines during the invasion of Iraq and this books recounts his experiences with one of the units that lead the way during the first push to Baghdad. Lots of interesting info but it was the soldiers that really made this book. Am currently watching the HBO miniseries.
Such an important book. Full review over here: https://rickusbookshelf.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/generation-kill-by-evan-wright/
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Modern warfare is far removed from the idealized soldiers of the world wars. While I've read pretty extensively of the latter era, I'm just now reading about the former. This is probably because I experienced the wars in the middle east during my life time. They took place on channels like CNN or MSNBC for all the world to see. When I thought of these conflicts, I thought of American technology superiority mostly. While it's definitely present, this book also paints the picture of the failures and limits of that tech. Radios are great, so long as everyone is working with the same ones...night vision goggles and thermal cameras are amazing, so long as you have enough batteries, Multi million dollar missiles and planes can create air superiority, so long as there isn't a dust storm and they can see what they are shooting at. Mostly this book paints a picture of the men themselves and how little it seemed their leadership really knew what it was doing. They come from all walks, many used the military as a way to rise up from rough beginnings in the States. Overall, it was a quick and interesting read about the liberation of Iraq from the perspective of the troops on the ground. I remember HBO has a miniseries based on this, I'll have to check it out to fully immerse myself a bit more.
Reading this book after seeing the HBO miniseries was interesting because it filled in a lot of the gaps - backstory, the general context, the political implications of the Recon Marine Unit's actions as the first boots on the ground in the 2nd Iraq War (OIF). Inevitably I compared the text to the miniseries in my mind, and I knew the ending from the start (who doesn't?) but Wright has laid down a remarkable story here, even if he's kind of smug about it. When he sticks to the words of the soldiers he's the most compelling - less so when he editorializes about a war he and these Marines still don't really understand.
Got impatient waiting each week for the excellent David Simon adaptation. I have plenty of friends and family in this war and have heard all kinds of crazy shit.
Oddly though nothing really brought it home like this book. It's not so much the details of the story. It's more of a situation where I can't help but feel "Fuck if this is what it was like when the lines between us and them were clearly drawn I can't imagine how bad it must have turned when everything really went to shit.
Insanity on a grand scale.
Oddly though nothing really brought it home like this book. It's not so much the details of the story. It's more of a situation where I can't help but feel "Fuck if this is what it was like when the lines between us and them were clearly drawn I can't imagine how bad it must have turned when everything really went to shit.
Insanity on a grand scale.
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
If you can stomach the way the marines in this book talk to each other/about Iraqis, underneath it is a fascinating and bleak account of what it’s like on the frontline of American imperialism.
I came to this via the fantastic HBO miniseries adaptation by David Simon and Ed Burns, but they chose this book for a reason, and it more than stands up on its own as an essential document of this time. It’s a vivid work of reporting, providing a vital portrait of the 2003 invasion of Iraq from the perspective of a battalion of Marines on the ground. The red-hot political debates are very far away (and when those debates show up, it’s startling how different they are from historical memory—even those who lived through it can forget just how fervent pro-war sentiment was. Wright details an argument between reporters, with one gung-ho correspondent yelling down a more skeptical colleague). That distance redounds enormously to Wright’s benefit. I remember being initially wary of this book, thinking it was propaganda arising from the Bush administration’s efforts to embed the media with troops to get them (and their stories) on the side of the war, but Wright is too good of a reporter for that. His book faithfully paints a portrait of Marines of all calibers, from the insanely competent to the sociopathic idiots, but overall, you get a sense of a battalion trying its best to execute constantly shifting orders, with the larger objectives of the war out of sight, as oftentimes contravening interests from the officers can alternatively put American forces at reckless risk, or be so obsessed with protecting their own that they commit atrocities against the Iraqi people, one such deed presented with such force that it shook me emotionally in a way few books ever have.
Wright embeds in a Humvee that drives through hostile territory, as he comes under fire, and is torn between his fondness for the men he rides with and coming to grips with horrible acts committed by those Marines he trusts with his life. Throughout the book, you get a full account of the invasion of Iraq from the perspective of those wearing the boots on the ground undertaking a task that would be insanely difficult even if the political leadership hadn’t ensured that the Iraq War was a once-in-a-century fiasco. When Baghdad falls and the Marines are sent all over on futile missions, the feeling of doom descends upon the whole battalion. “This is madness,” says one of the most competent officers as he observes children playing on unexploded ordnance as if it were a hobby horse.
The greater disaster is only beginning to unfold as this book ends. Even as this horrible aftermath dominates our understanding of the Iraq War, Wright’s account of the invasion is vital in understanding how it began and is gripping reading on its own. It’s because of these Marines’ insulation from the raging historical debate that this vivid portrayal of the First Recon Battalion remains a necessary and vital work from this era.
Wright embeds in a Humvee that drives through hostile territory, as he comes under fire, and is torn between his fondness for the men he rides with and coming to grips with horrible acts committed by those Marines he trusts with his life. Throughout the book, you get a full account of the invasion of Iraq from the perspective of those wearing the boots on the ground undertaking a task that would be insanely difficult even if the political leadership hadn’t ensured that the Iraq War was a once-in-a-century fiasco. When Baghdad falls and the Marines are sent all over on futile missions, the feeling of doom descends upon the whole battalion. “This is madness,” says one of the most competent officers as he observes children playing on unexploded ordnance as if it were a hobby horse.
The greater disaster is only beginning to unfold as this book ends. Even as this horrible aftermath dominates our understanding of the Iraq War, Wright’s account of the invasion is vital in understanding how it began and is gripping reading on its own. It’s because of these Marines’ insulation from the raging historical debate that this vivid portrayal of the First Recon Battalion remains a necessary and vital work from this era.
Definitely an interesting inside look into some of the most dangerous combat situations in modern history. After a while, though, it seemed to be the same thing over and over and the book started to lose some steam. It was also tough keeping track of who was who and who reported to who.
Overall, a solid book, just faded for me by the end.
Overall, a solid book, just faded for me by the end.