No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah

If you are as sick as I am of the press not providing adequate coverage of the heros still fighting in Iraq today, then you must read this book! It is well written and well read. Well worth purchasing.

This book gets 3 stars from me because it talks alot more politics and policy than true grit. I'm like more of a small unit day to day operations listener and this book doesn't cover alot of that. I think it would be a good listen for folks that like a "big picture" type story.

But thats just my opinion.

This was a great listen well documented account of the battle for this pivotal city in Iraq. You never hear about the brave soldiers and the intense fighting that went on. Well read and well written this is something everyone should listen to no matter what side of the issue you are on. The Author gives you a wide view of all that went into the decision making process to under take this fight.

I got this book because I'd read The March Up by the same authors. I found the book riveting in its portrayal of the gritty details of the battle of Faluja. Anyone who has a position on the war should read this book. I found it illuminating, troubling and ultimately affirming of the character of the American fighting man. Regardless of your politics you come away recognizing the courage and sacrifice of the grunt on the ground.

Regardless of how you feel about the war, and I'm no fan, you can't help but be moved by this compelling account.

This book has managed to perfectly mix the two classic methods of delivering history: telling the facts; and telling a story. West manages to lay down the critical details to understanding what, where, when and why and then intermingling real stories from the ground to show us how. This form of historical portrayal gives the reader (or listener) the ability to grasp a higher level of understanding of the situation with the high level command details and then brings you to the front lines to see how that affects the grunts. Brilliantly compiled and presented. Listened to it twice.

Just finished No True Glory. This book deserves a place in the pantheon of great war stories that include Keegan's "Face of Battle", WWII's "Company Commander" and Black Hawk Down. There are no winners in this book, just hard working, ordinary people trying to survive a difficult situation.

This was a very enlightening read. I learned much that the press never covered. I felt frustration at the indecision that came from the Brass out of Washington DC who sat in comfort instead of the hot desert sands The narrative flows at times like a documentary and like at times like a novel but the two come together without distraction. The narration was very well done. At the limited times of 'combat conversation'' Mr. Dean did not try to give voices to each person which in this case I thought was the best approach. I thought it very well worth a credit. And at some later date will probably listen to it again just to keep the facts straight.

The Greatest Generation! Yes, Yes, I know that the World War II generation is know by Tom Brokaw as the "Greatest Generation". I believe that it is not that they were not, but I hear it all the time is that the current group of young people are lazy, not smart, not all there. But what I find is that a major chunk is as great or greater than anyone gives them acknowledgement for. The young Marines in this book a courageous, strong, smart and ready to be our next leaders. Bias toward this generation will be changed after this book is listened to. Great Book! Semper Fi! Ohrah!

The story contained both frontline action and behind the lines brainstorming and strategy. All these were done in fairly equal amounts which kept the story moving. For my tastes, this balance made for a very enjoyable book. As far as the narrator is concerned, I could listen to him all day. He has a unique ability for inflecting real life situations with his voice. I also enjoyed the mellow tones of his voice, it allowed me to concentrate more on the spoken word. Nuff-said, give it a try.