From Baghdad, With Love

A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava

By: Jay Kopelman

Narrated by: uncredited

Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's Summary

Love and hope often arrive in the strangest places and in the strangest ways. During his tour of duty in Iraq, Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman of the U.S. Marines endured the emotional stress common for those involved in bloody battles for freedom. Although the rules forbid pets, Kopelman and his comrades adopted an abandoned puppy left behind after the battle for Fallujah. The dog (named Lava) befriended the Marines and journalists, and was eventually smuggled out of Iraq by the soldiers with the help of NPR reporters, John van Zante and the Helen Woodward Animal Center, Iraqi citizens, and the Iams pet food company.

©2006 Jay Kopelman (P)2006 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Exciting." (Publishers Weekly)

Wonderful Book

This is for everybody that loves animals. I cannot tell you how I was on the edge of my seat with the story of how this man would get the puppy out of Bagdad. I listened to it and could not put my Ipod down. It mixed the ugliness of war with the beauty of hope and love between a man and his loyal pet found in a horrible place. A must listen!

Worth Five and a Half Stars

I wanted to give it six stars but needed to take half off because of the very occasional bad language and graphic description of human injury that make it not suitable for less than teens. A wonderful rollercoaster ride of a story that you know has a happy ending. AND IT'S A TRUE STORY! Fascinating insights into the US Marine Corp of which I now have a great respect for (I am an Australian, non military). The narration was perfect. I'm very glad that this book was written, and that the audio was made. Very unlikely to disappoint anyone.

You Get It, or You Don't

This is a fantastic book. I usually by-pass the abridged versions, but this was the only choice. I'm glad I did. Unless you are a dog person, don't bother with this book, you'll likely miss the point and the emotions this book wells up inside you. If you are a dog person, get get it, sit back and enjoy the experience.

One of THE best books I have ever read!

What made the experience of listening to From Baghdad, With Love the most enjoyable?

The love that grew between Lava and Jay Kopelman and his posse.... How many people there and here, spent time and resources to love, take care of and get Lava back here. How it was intermingled with the war and what was going on...

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kopelman, his gruffness and then his softeness was portrayed wonderfully

What about the narrator’s performance did you like?

The way he captured exactly what Kopelman would say in exactly the way you would imagine him saying it... He was a great narrator!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The end. When after all the build up and dissappointment is disspelled because Lava makes it!

Any additional comments?

LOVE IT! Wish it had never ended!

Listened to it twice!

I enjoyed this book the first time... as a heartwarming version of "tough guy who goes all mushy over a puppy" a few years ago when it was new. Just listened to it all over again a couple years later and thoroughly enjoyed it all over again. Good for dog lovers and you learn about the Marines, how reporters are embedded into active units, and the war in Iraq. Interesting all the way... and not a long book either. Great length to fill in a car trip.

a must read

excellent start that held my attention all the way until the end. I found myself crying and cheering for Lava dog. I liked the overt and suttle humor and the inside view of the war

One of the best!

As an Army Wife, a lot of books don't really show an unbiased viewpoint when it comes to our military families. This is the best book I have ever listened to. Its not violent, but it lest you know how a military family works during a deployent, both from the soldier's view, and their family at home.

GREAT!!!

From the content...to the narrator, I enjoyed every minute of this book. During 75% of the listen, I was at the edge of my seat!!! In order not to give too much away...the narrator was fantastic, I laughed...I got a little teary-eyed...there were moments that my mouth was agape from the graphic nature of some of the content. Overall, I very quick listen and every minute was enjoyed - I have over an hour commute each way to/from work and I even found myself do a couple extra circles around my house to listen even longer.

An Excellent Read

My wife suggested that I read this book. While I am big dog lover (our lab mix is the best) I just thought that this was going to be a "chick book". I was wrong. The story of the rescue of "Lava Dog" is a heartwarming tale (no pun intended) and well told by the author. My only criticism - the narrarator. His voice and delivery was not suited to this (type of) story - reading a Stephan Hawkings book yes, but not this one.

A Gripping Story

I will add my concurrence to the previous review. My own pampered and lucky dog got really long walks while I listened to this story because I hated to leave my iPod.
An amazing look at real feelings and experiences of our soldiers in Iraq and the power of our 4-legged friends to keep us human against the odds.

A Great Book

It was lovely to hear the human side of war and the antics the dog gets upto!

beautiful story!

A moving story! Well narrated! Suitable for anyone who appreciates the bond that forms between man and dog!