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What Was Asked of Us: An Oral History of the Iraq War by the Soldiers Who Fought It By Trish Wood ( Back Bay Books )
Release Date: 2007-11-02
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List Price: $14.99
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Product Description
"A visceral account of the war . . . honest, agenda-free, and chilling." -New York Times Book Review
The Iraq war officially began on March 20, 2003, and since then more than one million young Americans have rotated through the country's insurgent-infested hot spots. But although stories of dramatic ambushes and attacks dominate the front pages of newspapers, most of us do not truly know what the war is like for the Americans who fight it.
What Was Asked of Us helps us bridge that gap. The in-depth and intensely probing interviews this book brings together document the soldiers' experiences and darkest secrets, offering a multitude of authentic, unfiltered voices - at times raw and emotional, at other times eloquent and lyrical. These voices walk us through the war, from the successful push to Baghdad, through the erroneous "Mission Accomplished" moment, and into the dangerous, murky present.
"Monumental. . . . Amid the glut of policy debates, and amid the flurry of news reports that add names each day to the lists of the dead, Trish Wood has produced what is perhaps, to date, the only text about Iraq that matter."- San Francisco Chronicle
"An illuminating glimpse of American fighters' experiences in Iraq. . . . There are moments of strange beauty in the soldiers' recollections." -Chicago Tribune
"Stunning . . . chillingly eloquent. . . . Powerful and unflinchingly honest, Wood's book deserves to be a bestseller." -People
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 Inside the Uniform ( sebringdl )
As a psychologist on one of this country's larger military bases, I spend much of my time listening to men and women with similar `stories' that need to be told - for us, for them. What impressed me the most about this book was that, unlike many of the others I've read, it revealed what I see over and over in my work - the complexity and uniqueness of any given Soldier's (or Marine's) experience. Each of the chapters offers us a look into the mind and often soul of an individual tasked with fighting this particular war. And each is different. The battles themselves (both inside and outside the wire) may be shared in the moment but are experienced, given meaning and retold through the lens of each troop's personal history. I watch Soldiers coming and going on post all day and from a distance, in uniform, they all look the same. Interchangeable. Troops. Then one of them walks into my office and I get to meet the man or woman wearing the uniform, and hear their stories. They may sit with me and say little in words; they may talk non-stop. I never hear the same chapter but they're all from the same book. Trish Wood has poignantly given us one edition of that book, presenting both the unique narrative of the individual and the complex commonalities of battlefield culture. Should be required reading for all military psychologists. Bravo.
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If You're Looking for a Good Book about the Iraq War...
[...]
The only other book I've read about the war was also good, but dealt more with the administrative failures, focusing on life in Baghdad's green zone. This book cuts a broader swath, and though the editor's misgivings about the war are apparent, she evokes a wide range of complex emotions and reactions from the soldiers she interviews. To simply call it "balanced" is too narrow. At a time when criticizing civilian leadership for pretense and mismanagement has almost become an American past time --- to the point where it might overwhelm a more complex and nuanced understanding of present circumstances --- this book was a was a stark reminder of how much is at stake, regardless of the course America takes.
During this war I've struggled to keep myself informed, to keep my interest in this historic sacrifice fresh, but too often I feel almost entirely insulated. Too often my interest wanes. What Was Asked of Us contains some of the first stories shared by today's soldiers at war, stories which are sobering and inspiring. I was moved by these soldiers' depth of emotion, irrespective of their varying backgrounds, education, and opinions about the war.
It's an easy, gripping read. And it is a history, at least of the first two years. One of the great virtues of this book is its organization. The stories outline the transition of the War and of the country from the initial invasion, through the first months of occupation, and gradually toward the collective, discouraging revelation that the occupation was destined to become a drawn out and bloody affair. Key events that have marked this progression are described by the soldiers, who often experienced them first hand (e.g. the War's first suicide bomb).
My point is, don't be fooled into thinking that this is merely 300 pages of shock treatment and war tragedies that will leave you more confused than ever about what's happening in Iraq. In fact, as I near the end of the book I'm already wondering if there will be something akin to a "second edition" that relates the experiences of those serving during the War's later phases, such as the spike in violence after the Samarra mosque bombings, and of course the "surge," etc.
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American soldiers in Iraq tell their own stories . . . ( rockysquirrel )
Anyone with a "Support Our Troops" ribbon on their vehicle should read this book. It's neither anti-war nor pro-war, and while readers may well find their own opinions about the Iraq war unchallenged, it will surely deepen their understanding of what that war means for those who have been fighting it. Here in the words of about 35 soldiers, mostly men and mostly marines, are accounts of being under fire, taking casualties, witnessing bombings, dealing with loss, anxiety, and grief, while maintaining a perspective that allows them to continue from day to day - staying the course.
It is impossible not to be moved by some of these stories. In some soldiers the initial idealism remains tried but uncompromised. In others, there is anger and disillusionment. In still others there is the welcome intensity of fighting itself. Among even the ambivalent, there is often pride taken in jobs well done and difficult objectives achieved. A frequent theme in their stories is the varying ability to perceive the Iraqis as fellow human beings or as so utterly foreign as to be beyond empathy. The reader quickly learns that it is inappropriate to generalize about the fighting forces in Iraq. As one of them says, if you ask a hundred different soldiers why they are there, you'll get a hundred different answers.
What the book speaks to is the need for Americans - regardless of their feelings about the war itself - to understand the immense toll that it takes on the mental and emotional health of individual soldiers, and that many return in great need of healing. For a further understanding of post-traumatic stress syndrome among those who have served in the military during wartime, read the books of Jonathan Shay.
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What Was Asked of Us
I know I am biased because my twin sons make up two of the chapters but that aside....this is a book everyone needs to read. It lets the men tell in their own words what they did and how they feel. No one can understand what our men and women are dealing with without reading their words. I encourage everyone to suggest this book. It is not an easy read, especially for this mom, but one that will stay with you long after it is read.
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important and painful reading . . ( mccandless19 )
To say that this book is interesting and/or enjoyable to read is missing the point. This book and the soldiers interviewed are trying desparately through the authors to communicate the devastation of war and in particular this War. We need to listen and learn.
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