At a time when the newspaper industry is in an unprecedented crisis and many wonder whether it will survive, Dexter Filkins provides a powerful argument for the immensely important service that brave newspaper correspondents perform for all of us.
Filkins survived four hair-raising years in Iraq from the 2003 invasion. This vivid collection of essays tells us exactly what happened as a result of Bush's historic miscalculation.
With Filkins, we are there with the U.S. Marines as they storm Falluja; we cower in the Green Zone and in the heavily-fortified New York Times Baghdad bureau; we venture into the madness of Ramadi, where snipers and other insurgents pin down U.S. troops in a fetid room. Filkins seems totally at home with U.S. troops and tries, despite his lack of Arabic, to get inside the heads of the Iraqis as well. He is honest about his reliance on translators who more than once save his life. One does get the feeling Filkins himself became addicted to the danger and adrenaline rush of covering the war and the insurgency and started to take foolish and unnecessary risks.
This book doesn't try to analyse the war or the geopolitical context; it doesn't provide a chronological account of developments. Filkins is like a human camera, recording, painting with words. His pictures say more about the chaos unleashed by the U.S. invasion, the collapse of civil society and the immense suffering of the Iraqi people as the law of the jungle takes over. Filkins is also a compassionate guide through this circle of hell; he feels for the young Americans dying for who knows what, as well as for the Iraqis whose lives are destroyed.
His portrait of Paul Bremer, who for a disaxtrous year ran the country, is devastating. Bremer shows up at a hospital and reels off a list of statistics demonstrating how much better life has become in Iraq. Meanwhile premature babies are dying because of lack of electricity. "I don't like seeing this at all," says Bremer, looking down at a tiny, shriveled body.
It's a suitable metaphor. We don't like seeing this either but we must. If you want to know the truth about what the United States did to Iraq, read this.

If you are looking for a narrative insight into what is driving the war, the people who are involved, what is going to happen to iraq and the middle east - this is not your book.

what this is, is a recollection of a talented writer of his near-misses and experiences in the heart of this conflict. you will gain an understanding of how iraqi and coalition forces are trying to change - and the challenges every day people are facing there. the commentary is even handed and without agenda and the stories are gripping.

I very much appreciated the insights shared by Mr. Filkins and found myself believing the stories and the conclusions the author drew.
Then I reached the chapter in which the military asked for Mr. Filkins aide in locating a reporter being held captive. It was at this point that I realized that for all his time in the field the author had an agenda, and his views were not that unprejudiced after all.
After that point the stories seemed to just run on and on with no particular meaning at all.
This was sad to me as I really wanted to believe I was reading a great book.

This is without a doubt one of the best books I have read lately. It is an incredibly timely piece, difficult, challenging, and utterly evocative of the chaotic and violent realm of war that so many of us have decided to push to the back of our collective minds.

Dexter Filkins, a New York Times correspondent, immerses himself in the turbulent world of pre-9/11 Afghanistan, the siege of Falluja, the murky and unpredictable politics of post-Saddam Iraq, and the troubling implications that these conflicts have for our country, our world, and our common humanity.

In many ways, the style of this book was reminiscent of Rory Stewart. Filkins chooses to present his experiences in a series of vignettes, ranging from interviews with family members of dead Iraqis to stories of political intrigue to encounters with insurgent groups. This is not what I had expected in opening this book, but I found it to be incredibly compelling. It also makes it somewhat easier to read and fully process the stories Filkins has to tell, giving the reader time to reflect on each chapter before moving to the next.

I would argue that this should be a mandatory read for the American people. It offers a very intelligent perspective on the consequences of the war, but doesn't pursue a specific ideological agenda, instead presenting the outcomes and situations for the reader to understand on his or her own. Reading The Forever War made me feel more informed about the real battle on the ground than months of watching network news has done. Filkins cuts through to the important truths of these wars, leaving behind blame and posturing. If more politicians, people, and leaders understood the nuance that Filkins presents, I believe that we would be able to create a more creative and intelligent response to the outstanding challenges that we face in our engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If you have any interest in the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, in our military engagements, in world affairs, or religious conflict, you should read this book. If you want to know more and better understand the complexity of the issues, you should read this book. If you want to count yourself an informed global citizen, you should read this book. Excellent, and highly recommended. Ages 16 and above due to violence and serious themes throughout.

A few quotes that I found especially poignant:

About war and violence in tribal Afghanistan:
"Other times I thought that something had broken fundamentally after so many years of war, that there had been some kind of primal dislocation between cause and effect, a numbness wholly understandable, necessary even, given the pain, but which had the effect of allowing the killing to go on and on." p. 20

On leadership, as learned in the streets of Iraq:
"It was an odd thing about leadership; people talked about it and CEOs wrote books about it. But there was nothing like facing death to feel it in the flesh. It was as if Omohundro wore a mask, and with that mask he gave everyone more courage than they knew they had. The trick was never showing fear." p. 191

On young soldiers and the act of war:
"There wasn't any point in sentimentalizing the kids; they were trained killers, after all. They could hit a guy at give hundered yards or cut his throat from ear-to-ear. And they didn't ask a lot of questions. They had faith, they did what they were told and they killed people. Sometimes I got frustrated with them; sometimes I wished they asked more questions. But things were complicated out there in Kezzletown and Punxsatawney; they were complicated in Falluja. Out there in Falluja, in the streets, I was happy they were in front of me." p. 199

On Iraq:
"It was in the Green Zone that I would think the war was lost. I didn't think about losing when I was outside - when I was in Iraq. There was too much reality pressing in, too many things changing, too much in play./ No; it was when I was waiting for the bus outside the Rashid Hotel, watching the overweight American contractors, making more money than they'd ever dreamed of, saunter into the restaurant for dinner at 5 p.m. It was when one of the American generals in charge of Baghdad, in his office in Camp Victory, pronounced the name of the Iraqi prime minister three different ways in hanf an hour...each time as if he were speaking of some sort of exotic plant." p. 231

On internal politics and Ahmad Chalabi:
"In the West, he was a famous man, and now a notorious one as well. He was a banker and a millionaire and a mathematics professor trained at MIT and the University of Chicago. He owned homes in London and Washington. But in Iraq, his roots had withered and died. And so now, in January 2005, Chalabi was reinventing himself as an authentic Iraqi. He was running for a seat in the new Iraqi parliament.
The convoy was low on fuel, and a gas station beckoned. Since the American invasion, Iraqis waited hours - even days - for gasoline at the pumps. Lack of refining capacity, smuggling, stealing, insurgent attacks: it was complicated. On the road south of Baghdad, the line was perhaps three hundred cars deep. The Chalabi convoy cut straight to the front of the line. No one protested. It was the guns. Chalabi's effrontery brought not even a peep." p. 255

A better tribute to those who have worked so hard to bring Iraq out of this chaos would be hard to find. What strikes me most about Filkins's book is how absolutely brave so many of the Iraqi's have been. Our lives are so sheltered, needless to say, compared to what those who have held their ground in Iraq have had to live with. That story comes through loud and clear in the book. Past that most important impression, Filkins is just a damn good writer. He shows us the war instead of telling us about it. His words are clear and acute and carry images that speak for themselves. One admires the author for that after only a few pages. After that, it is hard to stop reading. The story draws you in and will not let you go. His personal anabasis will no doubt rank among the great narratives among the many epics spawned by the region. At times his story evokes the image of Xenophon trying to escape from the same land, and yet Filkins stays immersed in the struggle, obviously compelled by the Iraqis and their story. He knows how to reveal a character through the smallest gestures and can evoke a palpable texture with economy. I find it hard to believe an author could hide himself behind his skills as a writer; writers cannot choose words and string them together without revealing something about themselves. One comes to admire Filkins for his fortitude and his humility. His honesty and compassion help us to see through to the truth better, I am convinced.

Dexter Filkins is just a great writer -- he takes you inside the story and lets you make of it what you will. He doesn't preach and he doesn't lecture -- and he doesn't have to, because he makes the characters in this book come alive, and their stories (of orphaned children, women brutally tortured and killed under the Taliban, schools abandoned and cities razed) speak to you so clearly that to comment on them would add nothing. That said, he manages to include a fair amount of the history of both iraq and Afghanistan so that you emerge with a clearer picture of the past in both countries, as well as some sense of what the future might hold. He also does a really good job of telling the story not only from an American viewpoint, but from a European viewpoint, and a Middle Eastern viewpoint. he never says who's a "good guy" and who's a "bad guy" and you find yourself developing a sympathy for the citizens of these nations who seem to only have bad choices and worse choices, never any particularly good ones. He also does a really good job of not inserting himself into the story, while still letting you know how the experience affected and changed him. I wish, alas, that the book were a BIT more analytical so that I could assign it to my classes, rather than just suggesting that they read it on their own. In fact, I think Dexter Filkins should write another book more in the vein of Kaplan's "Balkan Ghosts" in which he covers the same war, but with a bit more historical background. that would also be a classic.

And this is one of them. The one before this was Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. They tell us about a part of the world that most in America will never experience. Its surreal. When one of these books comes along I take as long as I can to finish it, wanting to treasure every page, every word. After a reading I have to sit back in my chair and try to take it all in, to try and comprehend it all - why is the world like this? Its a sad, very sad book, but its beautifully told and written. Dexter has done an incredible job in letting us know what life is like in Iraq. This should be mandatory reading for any politician, for anyone who votes, for anyone thinking of going to war. It should be read by all who just enjoy excellent writing on real world subjects.

The book started off well bringing the reader into the story with avid descriptions of a world unknown to most. At times the book can get a little bewildering with all the different names and places Filkins writes about, but all in all it's a great read.

I made it through 7 chapters before I put it down for good. I was skeptical from the beginning when I saw an Author from The New York Times writing a book on any war, but I thought I would give it a try. If I was a Marine in Iraq or Afghanistan and this guy showed up next to me in the heat of battle I would have highly upset. His theme -- Ignorant young soldiers in an unnecessary battle. At least Dexter Filkins got a life experience out of it while the brave soldiers saved his life.

One of the best war reporting books I've ever read. The type of story Dexter tells is truly passionate and prolific. He offers a narrative and behind the scenes look still not available in today's digitally soaked, opine world.

(I missed my subway stop several times on the way to work because I was so engrossed in this book.)

Fast paced and a great read. I was hooked from the opening chapter in Kabul, Afghanistan to the last word. Highly recommend this book.

Filkins is a reporter for The New York Times, and he covered the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for eight years. "The Forever War," is not a history of the wars in the way that "The Assassin's Gate" or "Fiasco" are, not a recounting of events, decisions, time lines and consequences. It is a personal history of many small events recounted inside a larger story.

Do you think you know about Iraq or Afghanistan? Read "The Forever War."

Filkins lived outside the Green Zone during his work in Iraq. He was shot at, mortared, nearly stoned by angry mobs, chased by assassins and kidnappers. He went on patrol with Marines assaulting Fallujah. He interviewed insurgents. Very few people experienced the war as closely or observed it as keenly as he did.

There are the details you would expect from a reporter's war diary. The American general who can't pronounce the Iraqi prime minister's name and gruffly laughs about it. The degree of isolation of the bureaucrats in the Green Zone from the realities of life in Iraq. The names of young soldiers he'd known, the date, place and manner of their deaths.

The image he most often evokes of the places in Iraq he visits is Dresden, the German city razed by Allied incendiary bombs.

But Filkins' talked with many Iraqis and, more than any other reporter I've read, captures their perspective. He explains their beliefs, culture and attitudes towards the Americans (us). To wit: Our presence there is an "occupation." Our nation building efforts are tangential to the actual power struggles taking place. There is nothing we can do to improve the lives of Iraqis except leave.

Here is one passage that stood out to me, "The Iraqis lied to the Americans, no question. But the worst lies were the ones Americans told themselves. They believed them because it was convenient--and because not to believe them was too horrifying to think about." What are the lies? Lie number one: we can rebuild their government and infrastructure. Lie number two: our good intentions and relentless optimism will turn the tide. Lie number three: if we stay the course, things will settle down and get better.

After reading "The Forever War," I have decided that I am glad we're pulling out. Our misadventure in Iraq has gone on too long and only brought misery, pain, and chaos. The neocon notion that a Jeffersonian democracy would spring forth from the forehead of George W. Bush in Iraq is a blind absurdity.

The Forever War is a good book and Dexter Filkins is a great journalist. Strong points: his anecdotes. Weak points: his anecdotes.

The short 1 to 2-page anecdotes made for easy reading and were fascinating, funny, educational and moving stories. But they didn't point towards one thesis, or even several theses. I understand that you can't generalize about Iraq (or any other country for that matter), so I liked how he showed many, many sides of each issue. Iraqis like us. Iraqis hate us. Iraqis lie to us. Iraqis do horrible things. Iraqis do good things. This strength was also its weakness, as it was hard to take away a few main themes from his book except that Iraq is completely messed up.

Anyway, that's my only critique. I learned quite a bit from this book. I liked Dexter's own story as much as his stories about others: being a journalist in a war zone, almost getting kidnapped, getting shot at, etc. It was definitely one of my favorite war books and I would recommend it to anyone.

In the hands of a less compassionate and brave journalist this book could have been a failure. But it manages to transcend journalism and becomes the testament of a man who has many stories to tell and who makes the situation in Iraq brutally clear. It can leave the reader breathless at times, too. Along with Lawrence Wright's "The Looming Tower", this formidable book should be read by anyone seeking a perspective on the conflict that has defined recent times.

Dexter Filkins has seen and experienced some pretty incredible stuff in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he conveys them to the reader with admirable clarity and straightforwardness. As a civilian student of counterinsurgency, I found that this book gave me a much better idea of how the wars would seem if I myself were to be embedded in a Marines unit or to interview a Taliban leader. (Well... I am a woman, so I guess I would not be allowed to interview a Taliban leader. But still!) It is well written and simply written, making it quick and easy despite being highly relevant and important. I highly recommend.

You won't be able to put this one down. I can't immagine anyone going through the things that are happening in the middle east.

There were so many stories in this book that really changed the way I looked at Iraq. This gives such a greater depth than all of the news stories in the last 8 years and is a great read. It goes by quickly too.

I will say that this shouldn't be the only book someone reads to understand the on going conflicts. I also recommend "Three Cups of Tea" which is much more positive. The two books balance each other well. Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

Contrary to much that has been and is being written on the Anglo-American (plus coalition) wars and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, Dexter Filkins' book "The Forever War" is not a political book. That is to say, it deals with political issues of necessity, but it does not make a political argument of any particular kind. Rather, Filkins, a war correspondent for the New York Times, has operated as a tabula rasa on which the war events he witnessed could make their impression, without any preconceived notions or arguments getting in the way.

This has the definite advantage that Filkins does not add to the pile of increasingly irrelevant argumentation about the possibilities of ill-defined "success" in these regions, but rather lets the reader vicariously experience the reality of living and fighting in these war-torn countries. In a way, this is nonetheless a political argument on its own, as despite Filkins' good relations with the American soldiers he joined as an 'embedded reporter', it is clear from his experiences that not much is being achieved by way of either 'nation-building' or establishing lasting security in these countries, indeed the least any occupier with pretentions of superiority could do.

The fact that Filkins does not explicitly make this argument, or any argument, is fairly pleasant in that it lets the experiences speak for themselves in a more subtle manner than newspaper moralizing often permits. However, this book also has clear downsides. Filkins does not give much, if any, background information on the combatant parties involved or even of the countries, other than the absolutely necessary. What's more, his war reporting uses a heavily colloquial style that is very grating initially and makes him seem to 'try too hard' to come off as cool, detached and rough - perhaps this is something that he took over from the Marines he was stationed with, but it does not in my view help the book's readability any. One does get used to it and over the course of the book he gets more serious, but the first few chapters are rather annoying.

The main value of the book is probably the service it does to humanizing the people involved, both of the occupying armies and their opponents. They say that truth is the first casualty of war, but surely the greatest casualty of war is a sense of shared humanity. Indeed it is hard to get any group to fight any other without in some way dehumanizing them first, and all the political argumentation of the world does not suffice of itself to repair a warped view of this kind once it is dominant. What can do so is a vivid description of real people and their human traits and follies. It used to be that literature played this role, but the authority and impact of the writer has diminished; now perhaps journalists can take this over to some extent. Some people combine this with the political argumentation for the greatest possible effect, like Robert Fisk does for example, but even if one leaves out the politics, the experience of humanization alone is very valuable. This is what Filkins' book contributes.

This is a great book.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., said that "it is required of a man that he should share the passion and action of his time at peril of being judged not to have lived." By that standard, Dexter Filkins has earned a very high grade.

In the epilogue, Filkins says he was "flattened" by his experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a good description. The tone of the book is almost laconic in spite of the vividly brutal events it often records. It is not, however, so matter-of-fact that it hides the affection and admiration Filkins feels for the people with whom he shared many extreme dangers, particularly the Marines in Fallujah. I very much appreciated that.

I also appreciate that Filkins limited his writing to his street-level perceptions and leaves the moral judgments to the reader. It is a style which makes the moral impact of the book all the more compelling, and one I wish I found more frequently in more experienced and less confident authors.

Wow. This should be required reading for all dummies in the State Department, Pentagon, etc. and anyone in charge of policy development in the Middle East.

Through his accounts of personal experiences from before 9-11 in Afghanistan through his later experiences during Iraq's post-invasion sectarian war, Mr. Filkins truly presents us with a clear picture of what is going on on the war on terror and its sequel. There is no better way of describing a situation than actually living it and recording it for posterity. The image Mr. Filkins provides is frightening and after reading this now I truly believe that the only path left for the US is extricating itself from this war that has become a quagmire.

The taliban enemy is tough and will never surrender, it will continue harrassing the US backed governmet of Afghanistan and running away to its sanctuaries in Pakistan, they will never change or bow to American power, they are the ultimate survivalists and religious bigots. They are cruel, ignorant, single minded and they will never stop until Afghanistan is again a strict muslim theocracy whithout any rights but what the elders and sharia law are willing to give their subjects and relegating women to mere objects. There will be no winning hearts and minds, there is no realistic way of concluding a lasting peace, this is a lost cause.

In Iraq the US has become an unwilling ally to Iranian interests, as the majority Shiite population now controls government, the Sunni relegated from the power they controlled under Saddam and the Bath Party rule are never going to allow to subjugation and I believe will continue fighting. The answer to this will probably be partition and the real winner will be Iran. Americans have lost and dreams of creating a representative democracy that shines above it's neighbors in the Middle East will remain dreams.

I believed the cause for US intervention was just and believed that some measure of order will be accomplished after an extended presence of US troops but that has not happened. I admired the outstanding conduct of the two wars, in Afghanistan with economy of force relying on technology and outstanding training of special forces and in Iraq with a clear demostration of technological and tactical superiority. But after that the occupation has made US servicemen only targets and aliby for violence for sectarian groups.

The US has to quickly find a solution or a honorable way out but is not in the way it has been done, now it has only sown hatred in the Middle Esat and for the world's sake the image the US has to portray is decency and great capacity to solve problems. Radical Islamism is a tough enemy to western civilization and has to be dealt with before it gets stronger and better armed, I hope the US and its allies find the way.

I give this book the highest rating, it is not sanctimonious or try to sell the author's conclusions but rather tells the story from the ground so that the reader can make its own conclusions, best book on the War on Terror I have read.

This is a book about being on the front lines of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Dexter Filkins, a New York Times correspondent, relates his experiences from September 1998 through his return back to the United States. This is a story filled with carnage and sadness and gives a very visual understanding of the experiences on today's battlefields. In the book Mr. Filkins describes suicide bombers and street to street fighting with Marines and insurgents. He also relates the stories of the ordinary people struggling to get by with their country and cities in ruins. Many of them are in despair and yet each day endeavor to get by with their daily lives. This is one of the best books about war that I've ever read. I was struck by the gritty description of the battles that took place in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was amazed That Mr. Filkins had seen as many experiences and and survived the horror and tragedy of war. As an observer following the troops, he witnessed battles, as well as the reactions of the soldiers. I had a very hard time putting this book down. At times I would be on the edge of my seat, with white knuckles, turning the pages to find out the results of the battle.
I would suggest this book to anyone that was interested in the war, or had any questions that they've secretly ask themselves about the purpose and need for this type of military operation. There were times I was shocked that the actions taken by the insurgents and their attacks on Americans and Iraqis. After reading this book I still don't understand the hatred and fury that some of the people in this book possess.
I would give this book 4 stars. I don't know if I'll be reading this book again, but I found that I've been thinking and pondering the stories of these individuals for the last two weeks whenever I hear a story on the radio or article in the newspaper about the war in Iraq or Afghanistan. I have recommended this book to many people I know that enjoy reading simply because this book forced me out of my comfort zone. It was an enjoyable read because it was written about true experiences rather than fictional stories.

Tim Page is an Englishman who was addicted to the adrenalin rush that he fed by the action of the Vietnam War. He was a photographer, taking some of the greatest pictures of the war, and of the numerous books that he produced, one, Requiem, is a fitting memorial to the photographers who died in Vietnam. Due to his need to be "where the action was" he was wounded three times; the last time the doctor who first saw him wrote him off for dead. Dexter Filkins was also where the action was, at the very "front," in Afghanistan, the WTC on 9-11, and Iraq for almost four years, and took certainly more chances than Page--some, seemingly for no reason at all--like jogging in Baghdad during the period of kidnappings and suicide bombers. He managed to draw "three cards to an inside straight" on more than one occasion; he was never wounded. Filkins' book is an important one--he pushed the envelop to the breaking point on far too many occasions, and was thus able to see and report on matters that virtually no one else has. As a conscript I knew the adrenalin rush also, but never enjoyed it; and I had the time to ponder those who voluntarily sought it, like Page and Filkins, whose reportage was from a vastly different perspective. Filkins confirms that difference on page 227: "As an American--as someone who could leave Iraq anytime I wanted--I sometimes found myself taking cheap thrills from my brushes with death." A particular image seems to capture that difference: it is from the movie "Dr. Zhavigo." World War One has just been declared, and there is an image of young Russians throwing their straw hats into the air, happy to join the war, the great adventure. The wiser half-brother of Zhavigo stands to the side, perturbed by the joyous madness, and says: "Happy men don't enlist."

Filkins tells his involvement in America's most recent wars as a series of vignettes. I disagree with the reviewers that say he "just reports the facts," and does not philosophize and analyze. Starting around a third through the book, he does allow numerous personal comments and judgments. For example, from page 115, he discusses the two conversations that were occurring in Iraq, the one in which the Iraqis were telling the Americans what they wanted to hear, the other between the Iraqis themselves. On page 130 he does a twist to the same theme: "The Iraqis lied to the Americans, no question. But the worst lies were the ones the Americans told themselves." In terms of the effects of American military actions in searching Iraqi villages, Filkins makes the point (on page 153) that others have about the Vietnam War: "The Americans were making enemies faster than they could kill them." Another echo from the Vietnam War is the exaggeration of the body count (p 206): "Still, it was a curiosity that we had seen so few bodies. The generals were reporting hundreds of dead, thousands even... but we weren't seeing many." Adding to the "Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam" theme, on page 312-14 he relates how the Marines took the Saddam Hospital in Ramadi, bringing the Iraqis in only after it was secure, and seeing it "spun" in the Baghdad version of the 5 o'clock follies: "This Iraqi Army-lead operation will deny the insurgents use of the Saddam Hospital." Finally, in terms of judgments, it would be hard to beat: "It was in the Green Zone that I would think the war was lost." (p230)

I do agree with some other reviewers that the book is episodic, (typical, all too often, of accounts by journalists) and disjointed. At one point he goes back a year and a half. The chapter that he lists all the Iraqi opposition units seems to make as much sense as a catalog of American battalions in the war. But still, some chapters were enjoyable gems, such as the one entitled, suitably enough, "Proteus," on that slick character, Chalabi; another good chapter was "The Madhi," on Muqtada Sadr. And the ending, searching for Gertrude Bell's grave was all too fitting, and very well done.

I do not feel this book deserves a full 5-stars, like the book of another courageous journalist, Neil Sheehan. Several statements and claims I am uneasy with, some certainly seem apocryphal. Take the story of the "Saudi women" flying to Kandahar, on page 43. Filkins later in the book while in Iraq admits he understands very little Arabic. So, the only way he could have obtained this story is through his "Afghan interpreter," Farid. Clearly Arabic was not Farid's first language, maybe not even his fourth. How well did he understand Arabic? Was he just telling Filkins a nice tale that he might want to hear? How many Arab jihadis were married? How many took their wives to war with them? How many would say: "I could be shopping in Paris..." Ah! Like the Iraqis who told the Americans what they wanted to hear, Farid almost certainly spun a tale with "good journalistic copy." I was also uneasy with the amount of driving around Iraq Filkins did during the invasion, with no mention of an interpreter, or guides, and even: "I pulled up to the gates of the presidential palace in Tikrit just before the marines." (p104). I was equally uneasy with "The Labyrinth," the kidnapping of Jill Carroll. Filkens feels obligated to tell the American Embassy about his contact, and where she might be, but then won't reveal the requested phone number.

And then there were the "dogs that didn't bark;" what was missing. Four years in Iraq, during the period of the Abu Ghraib prison scandals, yet virtually no mention of same, and certainly no interviews with the perpetrators or the victims, which might have helped connect some dots with the insurgency. To what degree did Filkins feel constrained in what he reported? Americans don't like the word "censorship" in reference to their own media, but what degree of "guidance" did he receive from his editors? Did he ever file a "story that was too hot to handle"? Not mentioned. By in large, Filkins "supports the troops." They are usually portrayed as heroic, or at least "just doing their job," and no doubt, many are, but what of the others, the ones who have become thoroughly disillusioned with the mission? And to what degree is the military dependent on non-Americans to fill its ranks?

As was said about Alexander Werth's book on the Soviet effort during WW II, a better account will almost certainly not be produced, essentially because he was the man there at the time, with the contacts. The same will be said of Filkins' book, but for all our sakes, it could have been better if he had been a bit more skeptical, and addressed some of the "missing" issues.

This book is essential reading for any American who has never been to the middle east, and for some that have. Dexter Filkins gives a rare non-bias, non-political look at the middle east mentality. What it really is like to try and overcome the hardships we face now, in the past and what our kids kids will endure need to be looked at through this book. One of the best war books ever written.

Very disjointed. Simply a series of jottings from his notebooks. A bit precious - the author is in a warm bath of self-regard which I find irritating but not surprising in a big time yuppie reporter.

I wonder why he never learned more than a few words of Arabic, him being so in touch and all in those years in Iraq...

I've never been to Iraq or even met an Iraqi, but his "discovery" after years on the ground that the Americans don't have a clue as to what is going on in the local hearts and minds is comical to me.

Only one piece of wisdom in the entire book: somebody says to the author that it's not possible to have a conversation about Iraq with anybody who hasn't been there. Indeed, but Mr. Filkins spoils this by replying that he can't have ANY sort of conversation with anybody who hasn't been to Iraq. Oh, the humanity! Again, the author is simply sitting there all the time admiring himself in the mirror.

Two stars. I finished it, but probably would've given up if I'd had another book handy. I notice 80% of the reviewers give it a perfect five stars. God help us.

For all of his misdeeds and faults; G.W.Bush was correct when he informed the American public that we would be engaged in a new type of warfare. That the enemy and challenges we face are ignorance, radicalism; and the level of brutality our foes are willing to use have no boundaries. The present wars in Afganistan and Iraq have no foreseeable end. They truly are the "The Forever Wars." Most of the reviews on this page have correctly summarized this unique perspective on the conflicts in Iraq and Afganistan, as one that is void of political polymics or opinion. It is a personal story in which the details of daily life in these conflicts give the reader a view that is both sympathetic and tragic. Through Mr. Filkin's own experiences we feel, smell and experience the tragedy that has become Iraq. Of note, is his account on the battle of Falluja, which I think, is one of the most moving accounts of a conflict that I have ever read. It should go down as classic war reporting. If you've read "Fiasco" and the numerous other, very good books on the politics of Iraq, and you want a moving, cleared headed version from "on the ground", then definitely read this outstanding achievement by Mr. Filkins.

I have nearly 100 books in my personal library having to do with geopolitics, especially that of the middle east. This is by far the best book I've ever read on ANY war. I gave a copy (one of many) to my stepson who had the misfortune of having to spend a year in Iraq/Afghanistan. His response was that Filkins "nailed it". This is less a political book than a first-hand account of what a real war in the middle East is actually like. It's amazing Filkins has survived to tell the tale. This book will produce an emotional response in those who read it. A MUST READ for all. Especially college students. It's no wonder this book is winning awards...

In an age where we are bombarded and psycologically manipulated with war images and stories, Dexter Filkins' book outstands in its neutral tone that is suprisingly humane... Humane not in the sense that it justifies human behaviour in all wrongs and rights but rather in the sense that it accepts as face value and does not judge the rights and wrongs of human behaviour. It feels like you watch the shootings of a camera that is also able to capture the feelings of the cameraman. Nothing exagerated, which is so rare and precious to find.... A must read, especially for those, who are to take decisions over going or not going to war....

This account is accessible to anyone. Whether you are well informed or learned about the gulf for the first time, you can pick up this book and learn and understand. The portrayal of the tribal behaviors and Muslim expectations is accurate.
Filkins is daring and yet simple- safe enough to use excerpts in the high school classroom. While we are spared the actual images of the mutilations, Filkins leads us to into questioning the realities of mortal decay.
This book will connect you to an experience and vision that will profoundly touch you.

Excellent book
Like Dexter said "War destroyed everything and everyone it touches". No one can better write about war than person who was on ground the reporter who saw himself.

I found this a compelling book on the War in Iraq. Filkin's survival instincts provide a backbone throughout the book and his observations of Iraq define the growing animosity towards Americans without preaching. The horrors in Iraq are complicated by the internal struggles between the religous sects of Islam, the Taliban and Iran. I appreciate the respect for humanity in each account.

Personal naratives have been a favorite of mine since the post-Vietnam era. This book ranks in with the best I've read, but in a different way. Rather than just vividly capturing the events, Mr. Filkins has also captured the struggles of the people affected by war - both U.S. and Iraqi. This book has caused me to further question U.S. foreign policy as intrusive and often times unwanted

Interesting. Easy read. But unevenly written. Sometimes nothing more than pages from one of his many field notebooks. Other times, he actually connected the dots. For a while, thought style was intended to be a reflection of the choas he was reporting on but no matter how much I tied to ignore or accept, could not.

Certainly do not consider it one of the best "war" books ever written.

Had a photographer with him a lot of the time, yet very few photos in book. Would have liked to have seen pics of all the various that worked for or with him.

Would I recommend it? Guess so as it did provide me with some insights but wish an editor had done something with the ragged final product.

"Generation Kill" was the first book I read on both the invasion of Iraq and the men who would bear the brunt of the cost of that war;"Forever War",like "Generation Kill",Dexter Filkin's book, has no political axe to grind nor any commentary on the justification of the war;he presents in a cogent and moving fashion the war fought by the young men and women of the United States military,straight reporting with an artist's flair for writing. The good and the bad are both reported with virtually no bias nor editorializing;his meetings with soldiers and meetings with Iraqi politicians and U.S. officials leave the reader to judge for himself. The suddeness of combat,the mindlessness of IED's(improvised explosive devices),the decay of Iraq during the U.S. occupation,the escalation of violence in the four years after the invasion are all told in a journalistic and well-written fashion. Again,the reader can reach his own conclusions about the necessity of the invasion but "Forever War" leaves no doubt about the tenacity and spirit of the American soldier. Definitely,the best book yet to have been published about the fighting in Iraq.

This book was wonderful. It was an in depth look into the American involvement in the Middle East. It is a non-biased, factual account of the problems the Middle East face. You will not be able to put it down.

Well written war stories based mostly on direct experience gained at great risk by a talented writer. The war may not yet be won (but at least the Iraq front in the war was declared a "success" today by the outgoing CIA director) but this book is a win, win and win, that is, for the author the publisher and a large readership seeking to more fully understand our current conflict.

Dexter Filkins started as the foreign correspondent at the Los Angeles Times before moving on to work for the New York Times. During this time, he covered the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the American invasion there after 9/11. The bulk of the time was spent covering the war in Iraq. This book is based on his eyewitness accounts of the wars in both countries.

That dry description does no justice to this stunning book. The author has an extraordinary ability to bring the brutal reality of the war right up in your face. He uses simple and direct language to describe what he sees and hears and keeps his personal observations to a minimum. The genius of the author lies in knowing how to distill his vast store of observations and conversations, which is where his remarkable insight comes to the fore. His empathy and affection for his subjects and the occasional flashes of humour give the book a warmth despite the brutal and uncompromising nature of his coverage.

The first four years of the war on Iraq occupies nearly 80% of the book. His coverage exposes the monumentally catastrophic lack of post war planning that took place before the American invasion. The troops did not understand the country or the people and were unprepared, even clueless. It is also clear that the troops themselves are not to blame - they went in to fight an army, not a terrorist insurgency and certainly not to rebuild a country torn apart by the rule of a brutal dictator and three wars in three decades. They went in and also continue to stay with the best of intentions, as much as possible. While the author does not explicitly point any fingers, he doesn't have to. It is painfully clear that the incompetence of the political appointees let down the troops and the Iraqi people very badly.

As the book progresses, the numbness that is felt by the author can be felt by the reader as well. It is difficult to read about the steady stream of brutalities that comprises war - not some glorified and sanitised version presented by Hollywood, but the real thing - without feeling a little numb. Whether you support this war or you don't, this book will give you plenty to move you and plenty to think about.

And finally, I am in awe of Dexter Filkins, his bravery, his intelligence, his empathy and his compassion. I am glad he went to these places and I am even gladder that he survived to tell his tale. He is a truly remarkable individual.

Impossible to praise this book too highly. It doesn't tell how we got into Iraq and Afghanistan, or how to get out of it, no blame assigned, no pointed fingers, this isn't that book. It's just a reportorial account of what Filkins saw when he was stationed in both places as a journalist, a book that counts the human cost of war. He is an extraordinarily able writer, his prose makes you flinch. Some examples:

[in Afghanistan] "Sometimes on the street a woman would pass and you'd hear something from behind the vent in her burqa. Sometimes it was light and flirtatious, sometimes a little darker.
"I was a teacher of Persian," one of them said once from behind her vent. "This is like a death."

and

[in Iraq]

"...whenever the prospect of normalcy presented itself, a long line of Iraqis always stood up and reached for it...And they went to the slaughter. Thousands and thousands of them: editors, pamphleteers, judges and police officers...The insurgents were brilliant at that. They could spot a fine mind or a tender soul wherever it might be, chase it down and kill it dead. The heart of a nation. The precision was astounding."

"There were ugly moments and there were hopeful ones," Filkins writes, "and they made me wonder not only what the Americans were doing to Iraq, but what Iraq was doing to Americans." He goes on to describe an American raid on the village of Abu Shakur, where men, women and children were pulled from their beds in the early hours of the morning and found no guns or suspects in the subsequent search. "If you multiplied the raid on Abu Shakur a thousand times, it was not difficult to conclude that the war was being lost: however many Iraqis opposed them before the Americans came into the village, dozens and dozens more did by the time they left. The Americans were making enemies faster than they could kill them."

I had to put the book down for a while after chapter 11, "Pearland," where he describes the battle of Falluja. "...Bravo Company's three platoon leaders, each responsible for the lives of fifty men, were twenty-three and twenty-four years old," Filkins writes, but he also goes on to say, "There wasn't any point in sentimentalizing the kids; they were trained killers, after all. They could hit a guy at five hundred yards or cut his throat from ear-to-ear. And they didn't ask a lot of questions. They had faith, they did what they were told and they killed people."

But he calls them kids, because that's what they are. Just kids.

There is a brief chapter that describes his life when he returns home to America and the alienation he feels. "We drew closer to each other, the hacks and the vets and the diplomats, anyone who'd been over there. My friend George, an American reporter I'd gotten to know in Iraq, told me he couldn't have a conversation with anyone about Iraq who hadn't been there. I told him I couldn't have a conversation with anyone who hadn't been there about anything at all."

You should read this book. If you think you can bear it.

Impossible to praise this book too highly. It doesn't tell how we got into Iraq and Afghanistan, or how to get out it, no blame assigned, no pointed fingers, this isn't that book. It's just a reportorial account of what Filkins saw when he was stationed in both places as a journalist, a book that counts the human cost of war. He is an extraordinarily able writer, his prose is so sharp it leaves marks on your skin. Some examples:

[in Afghanistan] "Sometimes on the street a woman would pass and you'd hear something from behind the vent in her burqa. Sometimes it was light and flirtatious, sometimes a little darker.
"I was a teacher of Persian," one of them said once from behind her vent. "This is like a death."

and

[in Iraq]

"...whenever the prospect of normalcy presented itself, a long line of Iraqis always stood p and reached for it...And they went to the slaughter. Thousands and thousands of them: editors, pamphleteers, judges and police officers...The insurgents were brilliant at that. They could spot a fine mind or a tender soul wherever it might be, chase it down and kill it dead. The heart of a nation. The precision was astounding."

"There were ugly moments and there were hopeful ones," Filkins writes, "and they made me wonder not only what the Americans were doing to Iraq, but what Iraq was doing to Americans." He goes on to describe an American raid on the village of Abu Shakur, where men, women and children were pulled from their beds in the early hours of the morning and found no guns or suspects in the subsequent search. "If you multiplied the raid on Abu Shakur a thousand times, it was not difficult to conclude that the war was being lost: however many Iraqis opposed them before the Americans came into the village, dozens and dozens more did by the time they left. The Americans were making enemies faster than they could kill them."

I had to put the book down for a while after chapter 11, "Pearland," where he describes the battle of Falluja. "...Bravo Company's three platoon leaders, each responsible for the lives of fifty men, were twenty-three and twenty-four years old," Filkins writes, but he also goes on to say, "There wasn't any point in sentimentalizing the kids; they were trained killers, after all. They could hit a guy at five hundred yards or cut his throat from ear-to-ear. And they didn't ask a lot of questions. They had faith, they did what they were told and they killed people."

But he calls them kids, because that's what they are. Just kids.

There is a brief chapter that describes his life when he returns home to America and the alienation he feels. "We drew closer to each other, the hacks and the vets and the diplomats, anyone who'd been over there. My friend George, an American reporter I'd gotten to know in Iraq, told me he couldn't have a conversation with anyone about Iraq who hadn't been there. I told him I couldn't have a conversation with anyone who hadn't been there about anything at all."

You should read this book. If you think you can bear it.

Unquestionably, Dexter Filkins, after years of reporting from Afghanistan and Iraq, has been unable to think of much else, as he himself admits. Not only did our incursion destroy a nation and create the landscape for a bitter and vicious civil war beyond our understanding, but it wrecked lives far and wide across the West. Filkins himself states that "...I lost the person I cared for most. The war didn't get her; it got me."

The author takes us down memory lane as he graphically sketches what we've been reading about and watching in the comfort of our living rooms: incident after incident, battle after battle in places like Najaf, Falluja, and Ramadi, and his sad encounters with ravaged civilians. We remember the death squads, the kidnappings, the daily suicide bombings, the ambushes, and the awful deaths of both Iraqis and Americans over the years. Iraq degenerates before Filkins' eyes into utter chaos, tribalism, madness, and a state of constant terror. We are also made to understand how clueless the Americans are as to what Iraqis actually feel about them. Filkins himself felt he knew as much if not more than any of our officials. And he expresses his contempt for the fat contractors sitting safely in the Green Zone as they suck up money for hopeless rebuilding projects.

This collection of journalistic pieces brought home to me the true reality of this endless state of war. It is clear that America was thoroughly unprepared for engaging in this folly. Rumsfeld, Rove, and the neocon clan were criminally ignorant of Iraqi society and simply bullied their way into a trap. Their arrogance and foolishness have wrecked the lives of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, and the end game is still very much unknown. I also felt overwhelming sympathy and sadness for our troops, brave men, rushing into a heartless guerilla war without a viable reason or a winning strategy. They deserve our respect, understanding, and care, not our indifference or contempt. Every American needs to appreciate this.

If you really want to feel what the Iraq war has been about, read this book. It will no longer be an abstraction. It will be reality.

I have read many books on Iraq, and many deal with different aspects of the war. Some the sectarian politics in Iraq, others the fighting on the ground, others the generals, others the politics in Washington, but this one takes a different course. Dexter Filkins was on the ground in Iraq through it all, the suicide car bombings, the ied's, the kidnappings, and the hell that ensued. He gives a personal account of what it was like to be there during the mayhem. Filkins stays as unpolitical as possible and tells a series of stories that give a different glimpse of Iraq. This is a must read, and will become one of the classic books of this war.

What's missing from this narrative are the people who kept Mr. Filkins safe while he had his great adventure. He refers to them periodically in passing and credits them for his survival, but they are pretty invisible as you read through the book. Any number of reporters have been kidnapped or killed in the course of the two wars he reports on in this narrative. The have been fair game for the bad guys. Mr. Filkins tacitly implies that he was somehow exempt from attack due to his audacity. The only audacity understood by his potential attackers comes from the business end of a weapon.

As one who has spent a fair amount of time in "harms way", wherever that is, during altercations around the world including an extended period in Vietnam, I know that when you are there, you are absolutely convinced that it is the "other guy" who is in trouble, not you. This, more than any other part of Mr. Filkins book, is what makes it a necessary addition to a well read combat participant's library. He never talks about it overtly but it is there in every page. Some would call it fatalism or resignation. It is not that at all, it is simply the reality of being in combat. When you quit believing in yourself, a giant bullseye appears on your chest.

The reason this book doesn't warrant the fifth star is simply because of Mr. Filkins occasional obeisance to his employer's unfairly biased view of the war. He tried to walk the fine line between a personal memoir that simply describes and a political tract. For the most part he succeeded.

Filkins's collection of essays on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are an unflinching view of how things have been at the combat front line. The descriptions are direct and vivid and analysis, of which there is little, is made superfluous. It's an unforgettable book.

Read this book in 3 nights. A harrowing depiction of what America's soldiers are dealing with "over there". Clearly a different kind of war, unlike any the brave men and women of the Armed Forces have seen throughout their history. Will have appeal to both liberal and conservative, as it pays appropriate tribute to our troops, while so clearly and explicitly pointing out why this war, even if "won", will not likely lead to a permanent outcome or solution. A great lesson in the culture and politics of the region for those who do not understand it.

Expertly written account of American misadventures in post Saddam Iraq. You are left wondering how a NY Times reporter had access to go just about anywhere he wanted to go. You and I would have stayed bunkered somewhere in the middle of the Green Zone. The best book yet that I have read about the Iraqi War.

The Forever War is an objective, yet captivating book by a journalist about his observations while on assignment in Afghanistan and Iraq both before and after September 11, 2001. There is limited to no author analysis about what he sees - Filkins leaves this to the countless other books and political pundits - but there are numerous stories and tragedies that begin to allow the reader to piece together how messed up and complex the situations are - how there really is no clear answer and we are no closer to finding an answer than we were five years ago. Rather than being skewed by a constant flow of analysis, the reader is left to form their own opinions about the author's experiences.

As Filkins says:
"I think we've all heard our share of arguments about these wars. We've all heard a lot of moralizing-who was right and who was wrong. I'm exhausted by it; I think probably most people are. But in a deeper sense, I think much of the moralizing we've heard is self-indulgent. Moralizing is something you get to do from a TV studio, what someone at a cocktail party gets to do. If you are actually in Iraq or Afghanistan, you don't get a chance to do a lot of that. People are dying. If my book is about anything, it's about the reality on the ground. Down there, politics is irrelevant."

As an up-close account of the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, this book was painful to read but impossible to put down. Dexter Filkins has seen it all--and the effect of it is written on his countenance, in the jacket photograph. The stories are about the people he encountered, or worked with, or met formally as a reporter for the New York Times. There are stories of soldiers, ordinary Afghan and Iraqi citizens, and leaders both American and Iraqi.

Filkins placed himself in grave and constant danger to cover the various war zones, and he saw people kidnapped and killed at close range. The portraits of young soldiers are heartbreaking, but as a seasoned war correspondent he does not report on them sentimentally.

But the events take a toll on everyone concerned, as becomes painfully clear in his reports. After four years in country covering these wars, Filkins was numbed, and he compares his reentry into safe and comfortable New York to the experience of the orbiting dog, Laika, who circled the earth from a space capsule.

"My friend George, an American reporter I'd gotten to know in Iraq, told me he couldn't have a conversation with anyone about Iraq who hadn't been there. I told him I couldn't have a conversation with anyone who hadn't been there about anything at all.

The writing is gorgeous, luminous, and graphic. What it tells is almost unbearably painful to read, but elegantly rendered and compelling. It's hard to imagine a war account more valuable, and one that makes the case so perfectly--without ever stating it--that war should never, never happen.

Dexter Filkins has produced a compelling account of his experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq while employed as a correspondent for the L.A. Times and NY Times between 1998-2006. He writes with an edge, relating the stories and observations of the different cultures of the two countries with vivid imagery and honesty. I learned a good deal about Afghanistan and the Taliban in this book, and was able to frame Mr. Filkins' adventures in Iraq within the context of my own. I found this to be credible, non-political and an accurate glimpse into the war not just from the military POV, but also through the eyes of the various civilians, government types and militiamen he spent so much time with. What you end up is a tour de force and kaleidoscope of multiple perspectives. I wish Dexter had been embedded with our brigade in Southern Baghdad in 2007 so that he could have experienced the progress made during the surge first hand. After reading his book, I feel that he would have told our story well.

Written as a series of short passages or vignettes, each addressing a different experience by the author, this book is deeply personal and touching in a way that sets it apart from other books about the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. I had expected something along the lines of The Assassins' Gate - another outstanding book about Iraq for different reasons - but Filkins' more personal approach is unique. The reader will learn about fierce battles, tense conflicts, heart-wrenching loss, and touching personal gestures, all made that much more credible and powerful by the fact that the author either experienced them first-hand or personally interviewed those who did. By immersing himself in both the Afghan and Iraqi cultures (to a startling degree in the case of the latter), the author is able to give an honest and accurate account of life and death in places so dangerous that it's hard to imagine how he made it out alive. This book is a must-read for anyone trying to understand what has been going on in Afghanistan and Iraq.

All that being said, I do have one qualm with the book: The author tends to skip around in time and often fails to inform the reader when particular events occurred. That makes it difficult to figure out where the story is in time. Although the stories are organized more or less in a loose chronological order, there are enough deviations to make it confusing frequently.

I've read quite a few books about the Iraq war, but none of them really cover the same ground as The Forever War. Filkins' role as a journalist allows him access to people and places that are seen through a one-way lens in books written by soldiers, embedded journalists or political analysts.

Filkins also differs from the "competition" in style: The book consists of short tales and impressions gathered over years spent in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are in turn moving, shocking, heart-warming and surreal: A Westerner's comfortable existence doesn't equip you to imagine a world where someone lives by selling the meat of goats that have wandered into minefields and exploded. There is little in the way of analysis or conclusions, but together, the stories paint a picture that is much more vivid than mere combat descriptions or battle plan dissections can convey.

The book made quite an impression on me and definitely ranks up as one of the best yet written about America's present conflicts. I would recommend it to everyone interested in a deeper understanding of what's behind the explosion-filled news stories.