The Forever War

By: Dexter Filkins

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2008 Dexter Filkins (P)2008 Books on Tape

Thought provoking and mesmerizing

Exceedingly well read with great sensitivity, intelligence, and honesty.

Straight forward compelling account that provides some insight into the incredible quagmire and clash of cultures in the Middle East.
A lucid and revealing depiction of utter chaos.

The Best

This book is MUST read!!! You will be surprise what you do not know about a war.

Analysis?

When I saw Mr. Filkins inverviewed on TV, I thought the book would have analysis. Maybe I need to read between the lines better. The book is a series of experiences he had living in war torn Iraq for 4 years. I do understand better now, but it was a number of years ago now.

Heart-wrenching

This book examines the hatred of the Muslim people toward all people's even themselves. It explains why there will never be peace in this area of the world.

No Message

Is there anything you would change about this book?

A unifying message.

Any additional comments?

This reads like a serious of blog posts. The writing is good but lacks a coherent thread to tie it together. The book's title and theme should have focused on the specific war in Iraq since that's where most of it takes place. The real forever war is taking place in Afganistan but little is discussed on that.

The words of a talented journalist and courageous patriot.

A must read. There is good reason that this book won a Pulitzer Prize. Dexter Filkins reminds us of how important courageous and talented journalists are to the survival of democracy. We are indebted to him and all journalists with integrity.

Iraq...unfiltered.

I've read and listened to several books covering someone's (mostly soldiers) experiences in Iraq etc. This one is among the better ones. It does jump around a bit, the narrative lacks an overall structure, but for me that probably mirrors Iraq in general and it worked for me. Rather than fret about how cohesive it was, I just took in the stories/experiences and felt in the end I received a realistic sketch of a country beset by the chaos of war and violence. He is clearly a good reporter, and tells his stories in a manner that I would expect from a reporter...matter of fact but with a heart (though a somewhat jaded one over time). He leaves out the politics and for the most part policy and instead focuses a lot on the his visions of the human toll. From his encounters (4+ years worth), you get perspectives from soldiers, Iraqis. politicians. regular Joe's, and family victims, so I felt it was balanced. What I'll probably recall most is his characterization of what could best be described as pure insanity,

Journalism at its most powerful

From the opening chapter, which features a nightmarish, almost cinematic scene of combat between US Marines and Iraqi insurgents, Filkins grabs the reader on a hook and doesn't let go. Aside from being an incredibly ballsy reporter who put his own life at risk to embed with soldiers on patrol, travel on his own through dangerous parts of Baghdad, and interview insurgents, Filkins is skillful at turning his experiences into gripping, personal narratives. He refrains from much editorializing, conveying the confusion, absurdity, pain, and stranger-than-fiction realities of life in a war zone in direct, unadorned language. Frankly, his observations themselves are so astonishing and telling, that any commentary would be redundant.

The book is written as a series of vignettes, each offering its own perspective into the dark maze of contradictions, mistakes, cultural misunderstandings, and clashing ideologies that is the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. This narrative-centered format keeps the book at the street level and does a lot to illuminate the individual humanity that's been all but lost on CNN and Fox News. Among many difficult-to-forget moments are a scene where a 19 year old soldier talks of his dreams back home and is killed minutes later by a sniper's bullet; another where a US colonel expresses confidence in a newly created "highway patrol", whose members the author later finds lurking under a bridge in their US-issued uniforms, waiting for "Americans to kill"; and another where Muslim fanatics take a break from building bombs to try to hook up the porn channel. Filkins lets these astounding moments speak for themselves, reminding us that in war, what goes on officially, what goes on in the streets, and what goes in people's minds are rarely in alignment.

Filkins doesn't arrive at any solutions or offer much comfort, but I think this work will stand for many years as a fascinating, poignant, and immediate testament to how human beings really are in war

Brilliant, honest

I listen to a lot of books about Iraq. This one is the best one I know of. I dare say I can't imagine listening and not coming away with a mixture of awe and bewilderment that cuts to the quick of the subject. I feel deeply grateful to the author for sharing his experiences in such a raw, poetic, clear fashion. I wish it were longer.

Not bad, but not worth 2 credits

This book offers some interesting insight into both the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq through the eyes of a journalist who has been there. It really amounts to a series of individual war stories from his personal experiences. There is very little integration between these stories. Some stories take you aback, some disgust you, and some enlighten you about these wars in these countries. The sum total, however, is not the awesome experience I was expecting and I am disappointed to have used an extra credit on a book that was good...but just good.