Being an ex-Army soldier of the OIF/OEF time, I have a tendency to be drawn towards Iraq stories. You could say that my draw becomes almost magnetic when it involves dogs. With that being said, the second I discovered 'From Baghdad, With Love', it skyrocketed to the top of my "must read" pile.

Even with my biases, this book was absolutely phenomenal. It is extremely easy to read and has the feel of talking to a war buddy, in this case LTC Jay Kopelman, as he illustrates the journey of his 4 pawed buddy Lava's journey "home" to America. The book may not be absolutely correct when it comes to writing and journalism. There are a lot of "right?" and "like"'s in it but I think, instead of hindering the story, it brings you closer to it. There's a bluntness to a soldier, things aren't sugar coated or dazzled up and there's an understanding of war that many people can't understand. LTC Kopelman doesn't bother to make sure what he's saying is politically correct, he just calls it like it is which I also enjoyed.

Soldiers are an interesting lot. From a vet side of view, I often read these types of books because we're not exactly "normal" in the head anymore and it gives me a long lost feeling of belonging. So I immediately was brought to the familiar comfort of soldier to soldier war stories. But I don't think you have to be a soldier, or even a dog lover for that matter, to feel the profound impact that this story will have on you deep inside.

Whether you are looking for something that's easy to read or you just want an incredible story about a heroic journey, this book hits it right on the head.

I honestly felt that this book was one of the most memorable and true-to-life books that I have read in many years. I would recommend, however, that the book not be given or read to children or young teenagers, because of the graphic descriptions of war injuries and how clearly descriptions of those injuries from bombs and other devices had left soldiers dismembered and near death so many times over during this war. The one prevailing theme of a heroic soldier and his rescued canine "angel" absolutely made this book and its story one I will never forget or cease to be amazed at.

interesting, heartwarming,angering, -- war is hell and there is no way to deny that after reading this book. Puppies are cute and the author kept his sanity caring for this puppy.

This book shows a true picture of the US soldier and the war in Iraq. The gut wrenching horrors of the terrorist oppression of the Iraqi citizens and the noble fight to prevent them from killing thousands of innocent people. The struggles the US soldiers have staying alive and the warm heart of our soldiers and their need for love in the midst of a bloody jihad. Lava fulfills their need to give love during this horrible time. One soldier takes a stand to defend the life of a dog that helped his squad wind down from the horrors of the day. In the end, upon the soldiers return home, he is confronted with the ignorance of the US media and their inability to understand the importance of not only Lava's life, but the protection of the innocent Iraqi's that are being murdered by the jihadist terrorist. My son, a US soldier, recommended this book to me. I loved it. I have recommended it to others. It will make you laugh, cry, shudder and think. Amazing work by a US soldier and a 191 page book.

That book was received in excellent condition and arrived in a timely manner. Service was excellent.

R. Chasse

I was initally drawn to this book because I am a dog lover, but was plesantly surprised to find that this book had so much more to it. I felt like it combined both a vivid description of the war and also how the compassion of so many people helped save one scruffy, abandoned puppy. I would recommend this book to everyone and I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

This was a surprisingly great read and I have been recommending it like crazy to all my friends. FROM BAGHDAD WITH LOVE is a heart-warming and somewhat heartbreaking story that had me captivated from beginning to end. It tells the story of a starving abandoned puppy named Lava and the hardened marine who along with wartime journalists, Iraqi citizens and many,many others saved him from certain death on the bombed out streets of Iraq and eventually got him onto US soil.

Well written and containing 8 pages of photographs there is no secret to Lava's outcome but this is still an utterly fascinating story. Lava is initially discovered by the Third Marines unit known as The Lava Dogs when they storm an abandoned house in Fallujah Iraq and almost shoot him. Then not knowing what to do with the 5 week old puppy and forbidden by military law to keep pets the marines begin feeding and caring for the dog as they set up a command center in the abandoned house. Lava's presence allows the soldiers a pass from reality, a small piece of sweetness and normalcy in their daily hell and something else to think about other than getting killed. Has anybody fed the dog today? There are some touching scenes as we witness these big, tough military men falling apart, talking in baby talk and playing with the puppy as he pees on their boots and destroys their belongings and they think he's cute.

Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman is eventually adopted by Lava who chooses his boots to sleep in. Subsequently several scenes play out like a movie as Lava is hidden and moved from red zones to green zones and finally crated as they attempt to drive him across the Jordanian border. The last few chapters are really exciting, and even though you know the outcome you will find yourself wondering, how exactly are they going to pull this off?

I learned a surprising amount about the war in Iraq reading this book and really got a feel for what the soldiers go through on a daily basis living in a war zone. Just how hard it must be to maintain your sanity amidst all the chaos and death. The ending is WOW and had me close to tears, as it's Lava who ultimately saves one marine from the emotional ravages of war. This is a book that I can highly recommend, especially if you're a dog lover in addition you'll get to learn a little something about a war that most of us barely notice anymore when the images and numbers flash past on our TV screens.

I read this book after a friend recommended it. I found it a great story that shows the love between man and dog. A Marine disobeys orders, convinces others to do so as well, and in the process brings a bit of humanity to the early days of the war. The book is about the struggle to survive in war torn Iraq. I read it in 2 days and found the story touching and heartwarming. I creates a clear picture of life in Iraq back in the beginning and how many sides can come together for achieve what may seem impossible.

I thought this book was so amazing! The things this Marine went through to get this little friend to America. Dogs play a big role in some peoples lives. To be in the situation that he was in, with all of the killing and death and never knowing about tomorrow, I think this little mutt brought some kind of stability and a sence of "home" to some of those Marines.

I love most dogs and how some really work miracles on one's being and that's exactly what this book is about. Here is a souldier so deeply touched by a pooch that he commited some extraordinary acts to keep his buddy close forever. I'm convinced their bond and friendship improved their lives.

Everything about this book is excellent, from the ordering and receiving and receiving to the book itself.From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava

I knew I would like this book just from the cover and I wasn't disappointed.
The author writes with candor, honesty, and heart. Although, Lava an adopted stay puppy is the main character, the reader is brought into the terror and destruction of the war in Iraq. The miracle of bringing Lava to America requires the stealth of a small army of people.
Despite the death and danger surrounding Colonel Kopelman, he never compromised his position as a US Marine in a war zone, or his personal mission to bring Lava home with him.
If you like this book, you might also enjoy this story.
She Came from Heaven

This is a heartwarming book, a tale of "forbidden love" that pulls at every last heart-string. It's a quick read, and those of us who are sensitive or just love animals ought to have a box of tissues close by. It's thought-provoking in that it begs the question of whether or not the US military's policies on mascots needs some revision. Lt Col Kopelman is a hero in many ways, one of which is that he follows his heart despite every reasonable objection. I will recommend this book to my friends and family as not-to-be-missed.

Kopelman does a great job of telling a story from beginning to end in a setting (Iraq) that would normally dominate the reader's attention. It's plain to see what kept this soldier sane during his time there. A great philanthropist's story!

I enjoyed reading how rescuing this little puppy brought some degree of humanity in an otherwise horrible situation. It was also interesting reading about some of the day to day dangers and perceptions of being in Iraq from a person that clearly experienced it.

I absolutly melted at the cover and wasn't disappointed by the story. It's about a US Marine who's company finds a dog in an abandoned house in the middle of a war zone (Iraq) starting in 2004. What attracted me was not necessarily the story of man and dog but of living in the war itself - it was told in the most beautiful way and gives human meaning behind the pictures we see and articles we read around areas of war, you could feel emotion and the atmosphere.

The simple comment of why not save a child over an animal highlights the overall naitivity of society and his respone of at least i saved something, depressing and hopeful at the same time.

Its a short read but I definately have taken away some new perspectives and has given me plently to think about.

I bought this as a gift for my daughter-in-law. She had begun reading the book when I talked with her, and was already fully in its grip. I look forward to hearing what she has to say after she completes it.

I really like this book because I learned about the Iraq war from a Marine's point of view. Dogs are wonderful and it was a blessing that animals can be there for our military. Hopefully the rule to not let dogs and cats (and other animals) help our young men and women in the military can change.

Thank you for writing this book!

One silent November evening during the first week of battle in Fallujah, Iraq, in the year of our war 2004, Lt. Col. Kopelman, battalion commander, led his troops through a seemingly empty street sided by seemingly empty houses when one of his men heard click, click, shuffle sound. Sticking his rifle into the doorway he found a yipping, tail-wagging, and nail-clicking fur bundle of puppy.

This discovery began a five month odyssey of puppy rescue. "Lava," the puppy, made it to the United States, in spite of rules forbidding the transfer of animals.

It took a band of conspirators to get the puppy out of Iraq by air to Chicago's O'Hare Airfield, then on to California in April 2005, where "Lava" lived happily ever after.

"From Baghdad, With Love" is one of the better stories to come out of Iraq. With a lot of heart, a few tears and a lot of system spoofing, this well told tale of Marine and puppy is well worth a read.

Richard N. Larsen
Reviewer

Several times throughout this book I cried. I love that this Marine cried too. A tough guy with a BIG heart for a puppy. Definitely the kind of person I like. I had a hard time with reading about what happens to animals at war time. Honestly, I never thought about it much. Now I know. I'm a veg, 20 years, since I see what happens to animals. I find I always connect with people who go above and beyond for animals, so I knew this would be a good read. I highly recommend it. Now on to book two.

In other reviews, some people said they "didn't like the language" or "the way the book was written". I am not sure what they were expecting! I have been a lang. arts teacher for over 30 years, and I thought this was a great story, and it was written the way I would expect a "war story" to be told. It definitely showed me a different side of the war, as well as giving some facts I didn't know at all. I actually read parts of it aloud to my 7th graders. Anyone who has a heart for taking care of all the canines in the world would love this story too.

What can I say that hasn't already been said about this wonderful book? Not much to tell you the truth. It is a great book, very hard to put down. You learn so much about Lava and Jay, as well as what is really going on in Iraq. It took me a long time to bring myself to buy this book.
One reason was I was afraid to read the reality of what is going on in Iraq. Because I knew that there was no way someone could write about a dog he is trying to save, without telling us what is really happening over there. The other is I knew that the military doesn't allow any contact with stray animals. So in my head I thought it was going to be a sad ending.
So I avoided the book, that is until the seeing the second book that came out. I saw that he arrived home safely. Now, I am kicking myself for not getting this book earlier. I laughed, cried, almost hurled (from some of the things that he described), cried, and laughed again.
I hope that this really opens the militarys eyes and sees that our troops really do need the comfort of animals. They just seem to make everything feel better. Just a few minutes of being with your furry pal, puts you in a wonderful zone.
Thanks Jay for saving Lava, and opening the door for the possiblity of more rescues.
Good bless our Troops!!!

I just want to encourage everyone who loves dogs....... and who wonders about the war in Iraq, to read this book. A lot of people came together to save one little dog, and that's really what it's all about. VERY good.

Those of us who were there, and knew Lava from his first discovery by Marines, thought he was a cute and wonderful animal. But consider that for every hour of attention that LtCol Kopelman devoted to rescuing a puppy, he spent one less hour training the Iraqi forces (his mission). Thousands of other Marines and Soldiers, who put their lives on the line day in and day out during the second battle of Fallujah in a far more visceral and dangerous way than the author, didn't have the luxury of rescuing puppies. They didn't have the luxury of a LtCol's paycheck. They didn't have the luxury of pathos-laden tomes upon their return. They certainly don't have the luxury of royalties, fame, and speaking tours. The other side of this story, unfortunately, is about an officer whose commitment should have been to his fellow Marines and his mission, not to the rescue of a puppy (no matter how wonderful a dog he was).

This is an interesting book to get a soldier's perspective of the war in Iraq. It's not the best written book but if you understand it's not fine literature going into it then you'll be fine. I think everyone should know what's going on over there -- what our soldiers are going through for us here back at home.

Thank you LTC Kopelman for your service to our country and for writing a book about your experiences. I am so happy for you that Lava came into your life.

This is a nice little novel about, as I'm sure you already know, a group of Marines who come across a very young puppy who they named "Lava" and "unofficially" adopt him, despite orders that prohibit soldiers from keeping pets.

It's a simple book written by a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps who grew attached to the puppy and made it his mission to save the dog. Some other reviewers complain it's poorly written and has too much profanity throughout the story. Well, when you take into consideration the author, the story, where the story takes place, etc...it's perfect.

The author, Jay Kopelman, does an excellent job of making you at least comprehend just a fraction of what he and thousands of other soldiers go through while serving in Iraq and you quickly understand why saving at least one life in Iraq was so important to him and everyone else involved in getting Lava to the U.S.

Any dog lover will understand how Lava impacted the life of a Marine serving in a place like Iraq and will understand the emotional roller coaster Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman went through, even if he's unable to put that part of the experience down in words. And this story makes you realize there's more to the war on terror than killing and being killed for the men and women who serve their country with honor and distinction.

This book is one of those that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page. Deeply emotional. Heroes vs evil. The author infuses his psychological insights into a story of an insane situation.

The horrors of the true story memoir creeps and builds. Intertwined by the deeds of the people coming together to help, adds hope to dispel the sense of a world with no compassion.

The emotional connection to the group of Marines known as Lava (named for where they trained in Hawaii) is immediate in the first few pages.

A career Marine fighting in Iraq (and sometimes near the border of Syria) desperately searches for a way to bring home to the States - a rescued puppy. (Thou shalt not have pets nor befriend animals, Article G something). Marines, news reporters, State side animal rescue groups, supportive Iraqis; fighting against the military machine ordered to shoot dogs. All this, while under the guns of insurgents, rocket propelled grenades, car bombs, cows strapped with suicide equipment.


To add more heart pressing depression to the harsh truths revealed, reading the parts about puppies being buried alive in sewers, fresh in my mind was the 'youtube' story. (Of the puppy thrown off the cliff by Marines making home videos. How could you?)

The author describes the military rationale behind some of the numbing military rules and realities.

Do I feel a little wiser after reading this?

What's the difference between foreign militants or American Marines shooting puppies?

I read this book in one sitting, not skipping to the last page (no cheating). I couldn't put it down.


Apple pie, Marilyn Monroe, dogs and waggily tailed puppies.


Tears for 21 Lava. Angels with wings, for sure.

I had heard about Lava the dog and the many pitfalls it took to overcome to get him home and so I couldn't wait to finally read the book. Unfortunately, this book does not live up to it's potential. It could have been a real gem had the author perhaps had a lot more help from a more experienced writer.

I'm surprised this book had two authors and quite possibly an editor and yet, it's so choppy and poorly written and dare I say, juvenile at times and I'm not talking about the profanity sprinkled throughout the book either. I'm not tremendously offended by profanity. In this case, I didn't feel it added or detracted from the book for me. The problem here is vocabulary. For example, there are several passages where the author used one word or one phrase over and over and over. In one passage it's the word "weird" when he's trying to explain to the reader how being in Iraq was and in another passage it's the phrase "at least" that begins every sentence for at least a paragraph. Maybe someone can gift him a thesaurus.

Frankly, until I read the interview between Amazon and the author, I would have just given the book 1 star because if the subject matter of the book wasn't so attractive, I doubt it would ever have gotten published. In the interview above at least, he does seem to have a more diverse vocabulary than was apparent in the book.

Another thing I found extremely difficult to get past was a passage where the author describes those who join the Army as basically losers, the guys who couldn't get the girl, who didn't play sports and who just weren't "good" enough was the impression I got. So unnecessary to the story and in my opinion, absolutely NOT true.

One last thing that gave me pause was the way he described himself getting into the faces of Iraqi's and hollering at them, including profanity which he insisted the interpreter include when relaying it back. Maybe they needed it, I don't know, I wasn't there but all I could think of while reading that was that's the sort of behavior that quite possibly could cost lives down the line. It's sort of like you can criticize your own children but woe unto those who are NOT a part of your family criticizing them. It just doesn't fly and even the author comes to realize this later in the book.

I don't know if I can honestly say this book is worth reading. I gave it two stars because I love dogs and found the subject matter appealing. The rest of the book just wasn't up to par to me and if you are looking to read down-to-earth, I-Was-There accounts of the goings on in Iraq or poignant, heartwarming stories about dogs then there are much better books out there on those subjects.