House to House

An Epic Memoir of War

By: Staff Sergeant David Bellavia, John Bruning

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

This is the personal side of battle, where emotion, courage, and strength are stretched to the limits.

In one of the most compelling combat narratives ever written, Staff Sergeant David Bellavia, an Army infantry platoon leader in Iraq, gives a teeth-rattling, first-hand account of 11 straight days of heavy house-to-house fighting during the climactic second battle of Fallujah. His actions in the firefight, which included killing five insurgents in hand-to-hand combat, earned Bellavia the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, and New York State's highest military honor, the Conspicuous Service Cross. He has been nominated for the Medal of Honor and for the Army's second-highest combat medal, the Distinguished Service Cross.

©2007 David Bellavia (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"[W]ill satisfy readers who like their testosterone undiluted...a precise, hour-by-hour account of the fighting, featuring repeated heroic feats and brave sacrifice from Americans." ( Publishers Weekly)

Incredible Heroism

This story is incredible. Truly inspiring and humbling to hear the chaos of close quarter battles, the grime of the infantry, and the struggles of a father and warrior. It is a must read for any soldier.

Incredible.

Amazing what Sergeant Bellivia did in the war on terror. The narrator did the story justice.

True American Hero

Thank you for your service and sacrifice. Well read story full of in-depth detail and heart stopping action of the American Hero and his squad.

Wow!

This was great. Good to hear what war is really like from someone who was there. Thank you for your service

Too real

Well written and read. An exciting and very human depiction of war in the middle east.

A Masterpiece of Modern Military History

One of the best books I've ever read in any genre. Intense and terrifying. Honest and humble. A perfect look at a soldier's experience in Iraq. Well written. Excellent narration from Ray Porter. A magnificent book and listen.

Gripping, hair raising tale of war

House to House was so well written and narrated. I could feel my heart pounding when the men became trapped by hardened, well prepared fanatic fighters using well sprung strategies and terrorizing tactics. I also experienced the incredible bond that ties infantry together and creates urges for acts of valor. I loved this very honest telling.

Humbling and inspiring

Hands down the best read yet.
Honest, unyielding and well executed to give the reader an honest idea of what our patriot warriors face in every day life, both on the front line and at home as they sacrifice and serve our country.
This man, the author, a soldier, father and husband is a credit to the human race.

Wow

Amazing autobiography and an amazing account of the sacrifice of soldiers making an incredible sacrifice.

Honest, Gut-Wrenching Story of Feet on the Ground

Okay, this hit hard . . . our son is in the army, he's an NCO, just like Staff Sergeant Bellavia . . . he was in Iraq fighting this same nasty war during the height of the surge, watching his "brothers" die everyday . . . but he's not an infantryman, he's a mechanic . . . and he cleaned their body parts and blood from the vehicles and sent the recovered vehicles back out only to see them returned blown up again . . . he came back with survivors guilt . . . then his younger brother deployed to Iraq, his baby brother, the sensitive one in the family, he left his newborn son to go to a war he didn't understand . . . what he DID understand was the brotherhood, and they fought for each other, to keep one another alive, just like SSG Bellavia . . . our youngest son wasn't an infantryman either, he was a small arms repairman, but in the heat of war, soldiers do what needs to be done . . . like going out on the Tigris River to repair a water pump out in the open and being shot at . . .something that we didn't learn about until years later . . . These soldiers keep a trunk full of memories, like slow-motion movies, stuffed down inside them, that seldom surface. The fact that SSG Bellavia has chosen to share this very personal account of his time in Iraq, is a sacrifice. It is appreciated and valued by this army mom and wife of a retired Sergeant Major. There's no political correctness here, just raw truth. You can't go wrong listening to it. You didn't see or hear this on the news. This is the real deal. Thank you, SSG Bellavia.