Forever War, the (Lib)(CD)

From the front lines of the battle against Islamic fundamentalism, a searing, unforgettable audiobook that captures the human essence of the greatest conflict of our time. Through the eyes of Dexter Filkins, the prize-winning "New York Times" correspondent, 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: a public amputation performed by the Taliban, children frolicking in minefields, skies streaked white by the contrails of B-52's, a night's sleep in the rubble of Ground Zero. We venture into a torture chamber run by Saddam Hussein. We go into the homes of suicide bombers, meet Iraqi insurgents, and an American captain who loses a quarter of his men in eight days. 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.

Review :
"Harrowingly detailed . . . Filkins makes us see, with almost hallucinogenic immediacy, the true human meaning and consequences of the 'war on terror.'"-"The New York Times" 10 Best Books of 2008 "The gaping wounds of Iraq and Afghanistan have produced a torrent of words, but no single volume so far has the precision and power of "The Forever War" . . . Filkins' set pieces have the absolute clarity of lightning flashes that burn away the fog of war."-"Time" Best Nonfiction Books of 2008 "Not since Michael Herr in "Dispatches" . . . has a reporter written as vividly about combat as Filkins does from Afghanistan and Iraq."-"USA Today" 10 Best Books of 2008 "Filkins's meticulously constructed vignettes . . . illuminate and humanize the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.""-Los Angeles Times "Favorite Books 2008 ""The Forever War" . . . achieves a gripping, raw immediacy."-"The Boston Globe"'s Year's Best Books "Splendid."-"Washington Post Book World" Best Nonfiction of 2008 "Dexter Filkins's "The Forever War" is the best piece of war journalism I've ever read. He paints a portrait of war that is so nuanced, so filled with absurdities and heartbreak and unexpected heroes and villains, that it makes most of what we see and hear about Iraq and Afghanistan seem shrill and two-dimensional by comparison. And yet, as tragic as the events he describes are, the book manages to be a thing of towering beauty."-Dave Eggers, "Guardian" Best Books of the Year""""The Forever War" is already a classic-it has the timeless feel of all great war literature. Dexter Filkins's combination of courage and sensitivity is so rare that books like his come along only once every major war. This one is ours." -George Packer, author of "The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq ""Dexter Filkins is the preeminent war correspondent of my generation, fearless, compassionate, and brutally honest. "The Forever War" is h