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The Forever War
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
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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.
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Politically Neutral??.....Not.
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By: Evan Wright
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Policing Saigon
- By: Loren W. Christensen
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Policing Saigon isn't Platoon or Apocalypse Now, but the story of Loren W. Christensen's experience as a military policeman (MP) in a city of millions at a time when chaos and fear reigned. As a 23-year-old from a small town in Washington State, the author was plunged into a chaotic city of brawling servicemen, prostitutes, racial violence, enemy rockets, riots, and death. It was a place that would give him a unique opportunity to see up close a different side of the Vietnam War and its effect on the human condition.
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Forget about it.
- By Amazon Customer on 07-22-21
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All Things Must Fight to Live
- Stories of War and Deliverance in Congo
- By: Bryan Mealer
- Narrated by: Karl Miller
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In All Things Must Fight to Live, Bryan Mealer takes listeners on a harrowing 2000 mile journey through Congo, where gun-toting militia still rape and kill with impunity. Amidst burnt-out battlefields where armies still wrestle for control, into the dark corners of the forests, and along the high savanna, where thousands have been slaughtered and quickly forgotten, Mealer searches for signs that Africa's most troubled state will soon rise from ruin.
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Outstanding story and narration
- By Cthulhu's slobber on 09-19-19
By: Bryan Mealer
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I Lost My Love in Baghdad
- A Modern War Story
- By: Michael Hastings
- Narrated by: Michael Hastings
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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At age 25, Michael Hastings arrived in Baghdad to cover the war in Iraq for Newsweek. He had at his disposal a little Hemingway romanticism and all the apparatus of a 21st-century reporter: cell phones, high-speed Internet access, digital video cameras, fixers, drivers, guards, and translators.
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Sad story...
- By kathryn on 01-01-09
By: Michael Hastings
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The Odyssey of Echo Company
- The 1968 Tet Offensive and the Epic Battle to Survive the Vietnam War
- By: Doug Stanton
- Narrated by: CJ Wilson
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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A powerful work of literary military history from the New York Times best-selling author of In Harm's Way and Horse Soldiers - the harrowing and redemptive account of an American army platoon fighting for survival during the Vietnam War.
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Great look into what a Nam solder endured.
- By Tony on 12-13-17
By: Doug Stanton
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Places and Names
- On War, Revolution, and Returning
- By: Elliot Ackerman
- Narrated by: Elliot Ackerman, Mark Deakins
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Toward the beginning of Places and Names, Elliot Ackerman sits in a refugee camp in Turkey, across the table from a man named Abu Hassar, who fought for al-Qaeda in Iraq, and whose connections to the Islamic State are murky. At first, Ackerman pretends to be a journalist, but after establishing a rapport with Abu Hassar, he takes a risk by revealing to him that in fact he was a Marine special operation officer. Ackerman then draws the shape of the Euphrates River on a large piece of paper, and his one-time adversary quickly joins him in the game of filling in the map.
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A crazy ride through the Mideast.
- By Kent Prochazka on 12-05-19
By: Elliot Ackerman
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The Vortex
- A True Story of History’s Deadliest Storm, an Unspeakable War, and Liberation
- By: Scott Carney, Jason Miklian
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 15 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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In November 1970, a storm set a collision course with the most densely populated coastline on Earth. Over the course of just a few hours, the Great Bhola Cyclone would kill 500,000 people and begin a chain reaction of turmoil, genocide, and war. The Vortex is the dramatic story of how that storm sparked a country to revolution.
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One of the Best books this year!
- By Nazir on 05-26-22
By: Scott Carney, and others
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No Good Men Among the Living
- America, the Taliban, and the War Through Afghan Eyes
- By: Anand Gopal
- Narrated by: Assaf Cohen
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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In a breathtaking chronicle, acclaimed journalist Anand Gopal traces in vivid detail the lives of three Afghans caught in America's war on terror. He follows a Taliban commander who rises from scrawny teenager to leading insurgent, a U.S.-backed warlord who uses the American military to gain personal wealth and power, and a village housewife trapped between the two sides who discovers the devastating cost of neutrality.
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Outstanding book, remarkable narrator
- By captainramius on 04-05-19
By: Anand Gopal
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The Long Road Home
- A Story of War and Family
- By: Martha Raddatz
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In April 2004, soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division were on a routine patrol in Sadr City, Iraq, when they came under surprise attack. Eight Americans would be killed and more than 70 wounded. Back home, as news of the attack began filtering in, the families of these same men feared the worst. This intimate portrait of the close-knit community of families Stateside, the unsung heroes of the military, distinguishes The Long Road Home from other stories of modern warfare.
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Narrator spoils this one
- By Four Bears on 12-09-07
By: Martha Raddatz
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Gentlemen Bastards
- On the Ground in Afghanistan with America's Elite Special Forces
- By: Kevin Maurer
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Until the war in Iraq, the Special Forces were the military's counterinsurgency experts. Their specialty was going behind enemy lines and training insurgent forces. In Afghanistan, they toppled the Taliban by transforming Northern Alliance fighters into cohesive units. But in the almost nine years since, Special Forces units have forgone their previous mission, instead focusing on offensive raids.
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The book that shouldn't been written.
- By jeffrey on 05-30-15
By: Kevin Maurer
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Wonderful
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What listeners say about The Forever War
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- D. K. Parshall
- 10-29-15
An Inside Account of the Mess
Listening to The Forever War one canes to realize the complexity of solving the problem of the war the US have gotten into. You can help some people some of the time but you cannot help all the people all of the time. We have opened a Pandora's box and it is a mess.
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- Abbey u
- 08-22-16
Wanting More!
Great reporting but I am not sure the unabridged versions is the way to go. Cuts were needed to help the flow. At times I lost the time line. The author has an amazing view and tremendous language in the way he described the events around him. He painted the picture with his words. The narrator saved it for me and I thought he was a great choice. I wanted a bit more opinion from the author. The epilogue saved the book for me because we finally got a complete view rather than a partial piece.
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- J. Faught
- 06-19-17
Everyone Should read/listen to this book
It is not what I thought it would be.
The author does a great job of telling the entire story. He spent time speaking to many many people involved: Generals, soldiers, religious leaders, citizens, normal people, strange people, terrorists, etc.
The author does a great job laying out how confusing the Middle East is to US. He doesn't blame anyone or anything. Just finds the info and puts it on display in this book.
I'll be reading this book over and over.
You will not be disappointed
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Overall
- Matthew
- 03-27-09
Great stories, but totally disjointed
If you're looking for a book with a normal beginning, middle, and end this isn't it. The stories are excellent first-hand accounts of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars from a very brave and very skilled journalist. Unlike most other books on Iraq, it isn't totally obsessed with bashing you over the head with the author's political perspective. It's almost impossible to follow, though, as it jumps around like crazy. Most of the individual stories are excellent--basically if you like reading excellent quality real life war correspondent journalism, you'll love this book, but if you're looking for a more regular story, then skip it. As for the double-price--these stories are really unique and so worthwhile, but don't bother unless you really enjoy reading real life non-glamourized war stories.
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- suldes
- 10-08-15
A different perspective.
If you could sum up The Forever War in three words, what would they be?
a non-military perspective
Any additional comments?
Read this very well written (and read) book on a recommendation and I wasn't disappointed. I appreciated the perspective from a non-military / non-political reporter on the ground, among the people and among the fighters. It filled in the blanks for me between what we get on the news and what we get from our government. Most important was the viewpoint of the people themselves regarding religion, their predicament, the Americans and their bleak futures. Ugh.
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- Ken Larsen
- 11-10-14
Overwhelming
Would you listen to The Forever War again? Why?
Probably not . . . the book and presentation were excellent, but the thought that we're fighting for feckless mercenaries who have virtually no moral conscience is very disturbing.
What other book might you compare The Forever War to and why?
I read about a book a week and The Forever War is in a class of its own.
The idea that this war will last forever initially seemed ridiculous until I listened to this audio book . . . I now believe that it's not only possible, it's probable.
What does Robertson Dean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
The book is very well written, so I mean no disrespect to Mr. Filkin, but Mr. Dean did a wonderful job of bringing characters to life with his reading, voices and accents.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Yes, I definitely had an extreme reaction to the book. I was only able to listen to in for brief periods. It's very disturbing.
Mr. Filkin's description of the Iraqi culture and way of life is so disturbing it takes one's breath away, yet so well explained it was clear why this war will last forever.
The presentation was so well done and the description of the gun battles so compelling, I could almost smell the gun powder, hear bullets piercing the air over my own head and feel the anguish loved ones would soon feel upon learning that their son, father or husband had been killed for what history will judge to be a senseless cause.
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Overall
- TCinDC
- 02-16-09
A memorable "read"
This book transports you to places in Afghanistan and Iraq before and after the wars began, fraught with danger, intrigue and surprises. Filkens writes not with just a reporter's eye but with that of a keen observer of people and events. You can all but smell the air of cafes, homes and the battlefields of the streets.
I was impressed by the brutal honesty of Filkens, which is not always flattering to him. One story in particular -- which I won't give away -- is haunting, not only for the listener, but for Filkens. But for all that happened, this man is certainly no coward. He's more of a daredevil. What kind of person goes jogging in Iraq OUTSIDE of the Green Zone? Filkens certainly tempts fate throughout the book.
This is one of those books that sticks with you after you've finished. While it's expensive at a hefty two credits, it's worth every one.
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12 people found this helpful
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Overall
- David
- 06-09-09
Incredible writing
This books is more of a best of of Filkins' reporting on the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts then a coherent narrative. Filkins shares his extensive experience on the front lines of the "Forever War" and gives some idea of what it is like to live and work in that environment. Most of all he shares his incredible writing ability. Filkin's description of the Marine assault on Fallujah with the contrast of the Mosques issuing a call for Jihad with the Marine's blasting "Highway to Hell" is one of the most memorable pieces of journalism I have ever read.
If this book was priced at one credit it would be an easy five stars. At two credits still a four.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Ed
- 11-09-10
Haunting
The characters and catastrophes, often one-in-the-same, that populate this book are compelling. If it is possible, Filkins' accounts of Afghanistan and Iraq are simultaneously hopeless and hopeful. Disjointed, haunting and enigmatic, the book mimics the conflicts Filkins was covering. It's not a book you understand intellectually as much as feel in your bones.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Francisco Nascimento
- 09-15-15
Crushing stories
This book crushes your certainties, your misconceptions, your hope and your skepticism and the same time. It erases all the black and white and covers our whole world in
grey.
And in the end you're left with a crushed heart.
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