The Good Soldiers

By: David Finkel

Narrated by: Mark Boyett

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

It was the last-chance moment of the war. In January 2007, President George W. Bush announced a new strategy for Iraq. He called it "the surge". "Many listening tonight will ask why this effort will succeed when previous operations to secure Baghdad did not. Well, here are the differences," he told a skeptical nation.

Among those listening were the young, optimistic Army infantry soldiers of the 2-16, the battalion nicknamed the Rangers. About to head to a vicious area of Baghdad, they decided the difference would be them. Fifteen months later, the soldiers returned home forever changed.

Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter David Finkel was with them in Bagdad almost every grueling step of the way. What was the true story of the surge? Was it really a success? Those are the questions he grapples with in his remarkable report from the front lines.

Combining the action of Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down with the literary brio of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, The Good Soldiers is an unforgettable work of reportage. And in telling the story of these good soldiers, the heroes and the ruined, David Finkel has also produced an eternal tale - not just of the Iraq War, but of all wars, for all time.

©2009 Dave Finkel (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

100 Notable Books of 2009 (The New York Times)

Best Books of 2009 (Publishers Weekly)

Best Nonfiction of 2009 (The Boston Globe)

Best Reads of 2009 (Slate.com)

Best Books of 2009: Nonfiction (Christian Science Monitor)

"Finkel's keen firsthand reportage, its grit and impact only heightened by the literary polish of his prose, gives us one of the best accounts yet of the American experience in Iraq." ( Publishers Weekly)

"A superb account of the burdens soldiers bear." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Wow Powerful book!

Believable & inspiring! A look at what height young men can achieve fighting for their ideals & for their brothers at arms. Made me feel great full for the troops who truly understand AMERICAN values & why we are so privileged to live in the land of the feee and home of the brave. Sadly that may not be a viable option for some we endeavor to protect.

A powerful story told without agenda

In case you weren’t aware, war sucks. Those doing the fighting on the front lines gave all.
One thing that I learned from reading this book is the memorials to recently killed soldiers are given in the war theater. That was something I wondered about but didn’t know about.
The advancements in medical technology and skills have saved the lives of soldiers who might otherwise would not have survived their wounds. That is true from every war.
A powerful story told without agenda.

Puts one on the ground in Iraq during “The Surge”

This is a relatively neutral, seemingly honest account of one US Army group’s experience in Iraq during Bush’s last ditch attempt to salvage and justify the invasion, disruption and destruction of Iraq’s infrastructure and culture. One gets a view of a soldier’s daily life, the seeming futility of the mission and the distance between how an officer and a grunt saw things. Good narration of a somewhat prosaic, matter of fact work.

It's like you're there, and you know them

One of the best narrations of a true story that has you feeling as if these brave people are your loved ones. Great historical accounts of a 9 billion dollar per month war, that should never have happened.

Reality

I liked how well all aspects were covered, with input and feelings from Specialists to Colonel, including spouses

Charlie Company 2/16 inf. 4th IBCT 06-10

it was a true story told form the authors perspective and Colonel K's. I do wish it had more on the COPs and other smaller soldier level details. but that may just be me. overall a very good read.

One of the best audiobooks of the year

Great writing, compelling story, and superb narration equal one great audio experience. i can understand why this book won the Pulitzer. Any young man thinking of going to war should read this to make an informed decision.

Gritty and Real

A harrowing story, noteworthy for its gritty realness. The Finkle accomplishes the difficult task of telling the story of the 2-16 apart from any narrative on his own time in Iraq. He writes simply of what happened to the men fighting the war.

The Truth Has Been Seen

David Finkel, a reporter and the author of this book, went to war to see the truth and write about "the Surge." This battle was fought in an attempt to secure Baghdad. The Army infantry soldiers who fought were forever changed. David Finkel tells the listener just how horrific war is. This book is filled with true words from the soldiers themselves and what David Finkel witnessed.

The book is brutally honest. Should there be a man or woman who does not know how wars are fought, The Good Soldiers, tells it all. The reader will come away from this book with the understanding and proof that the US infantry fight with courage, honor and love of country. These men are heroes of the highest order.

The book should be listened to by everyone and know just why and how our warriors face death each and every day that they are fighting in Iraq and other countries. Counterterrorism is a different type of war than ever has been fought before. American soldier's do not want to kill the men, women and children who live in Iraq. They want to offer them help in teaching them how to have a government whereby they can live free, without fear of retribution from the Taliban or other forces who control them. However, these men and women have lived as they do now for centuries. They know no other kind of life. The American's who try to help are seen as their enemy. When an American is seen by the populace of Iraq, they look with hate at them and want to kill them.

Listen to The Good Soldiers and you will understand how the hate for American's is executed by the viciousness of the terrorism of how they fight against us. You will come away from listening to this book a changed person.

Soldier's story almost without politics

Powerful story of the soldiers with very limited politics. No completely blatant Bush bashing but there is a twinge of a liberal swing. But forget that because it is barely noticeable and the stories of the soldiers involved is very powerful.