<p>An new book will be arriving on the shelves soon that chronicles the lives of certain members of the class of 2002 (the first class to graduate post-911). You can read the first chapter at this site: [url=<a href="http://www.inatimeofwar.com/%5DINATIMEOFWAR.COM%5B/url">http://www.inatimeofwar.com/]INATIMEOFWAR.COM[/url</a>]</p>
<p>It follows several members of the class of 2002 through West Point and into War. It should be a good read.</p>
<p>I just pre-ordered a copy for my S. Thanks for the info.</p>
<p>We ordered a copy a few months ago--one of the main characters was the son of a family in our local parent's club--he was lost in Oct of 2003 to an IED.</p>
<p>He is the cadet mentioned in the first chapter that you can download. His older sister also graduated from West Point</p>
<p>I have pre-ordered mine as well - but I know it will break my heart reading it....</p>
<p>thanks for the info!
A must read for sure</p>
<p>I went into West Point in the summer of 2002</p>
<p>God this book is good!!! Any parent with a kid at any of the service academies will appreciate and love every word. I was gonna write a book but after reading this I doubt if I'll ever put a pen to paper again!! Ha ha just kidding but this is awesome. Kind of a sequel to "Absolutely American" the great book about four years at West Point. Pulitzer Prize material in my not so humble opinion. Pick it up as soon as you can...but warning, you won't be able to put it down.</p>
<p>Ive been reading my copy as well. I've been communicating with Lt. Todd Bryant's father off and on this week about it. Im not sure I will let my wife read it yet. It is in a completely different class by itself and I think I need to digest it fully so I can help her when she reads it. It's a very tough read emotionally.</p>
<p>Okay...how did you two get a copy? I thought it wasn't available until tomorrow.</p>
<p>Mine arrived this morning from Amazon.com---I pre-ordered it there a few months ago.</p>
<p>I just finished reading it. On the positive side it tells the story of some of the heroic members of the Class of 2002. However, I thought it was poorly written, melodramatic at points and oddly blended in some political viewpoints that were stilted and inappropriate. Not surprising since the writer is a lawyer and a former assistant to Bob Woodward. Absolutely American is a classic - this book will disappear quickly never to be heard from again.</p>
<p>I would have to disagree, Big Green--I found Absolutely American pretty boring. I found this book to be especially well written and politically neutral. It vividly describes the darker realities of war as it affects not only the soldiers who gave their lives but also their families. The whole point of the book WAS "to tell the story of some of the heroic members of the Class of 2002". I thought the author did so in a politically neutral and realistic way. I certainly didn't notice anything non-factual in it. It reminded me of a book I read a few years back, about the Battle of Sugar Loaf Hill on Okinawa. I know that the familiy of Todd Bryant supports the book and they are among the most "conservative" people politically that I know. The book tells the story of their son and his classmates, some of it charming, some of it heroic, and some of it just plain ugly war.</p>
<p>You guys are just proving my theorem, it is impossible to really enjoy a book that is recommended by others. If you discount them, you never read the book. However, if you value their opinion, the book never lives up to your inflated expectations. The same goes for movies.</p>
<p>HA!!--thats so true usna69! Everyone read and judge for yourselves--I think having sons and daughters there now, or actually knowing some of the people in the book, puts a slant on things as well, although not always in the same direction! The class of 2002 at WP has suffered much---I figure any book that tells their story (and if they aren't complaining about it) is worthwhile.</p>
<p>I have this book sitting in my living room waiting for me to open it - now what shall I do? Wait until my brain forgets about book reviews? LOL</p>
<p>I just got done reading "Love my Rifle More than You" and I am not sure I can take another Army book right now.....
Maybe I will go dig out my daughter's old Calvin & Hobbes book. That can be my cheese in between my sips of wine.</p>
<p>I just finished this book last night. If you don't want to read my opinion about it, stop reading NOW.</p>
<p>I thought the book was well written (other than a couple of spelling mistakes/typos that weren't corrected). I did not feel it pushed one political viewpoint over another. I was interested to see what the class of 2002 did after graduation. As a mother of a future Army officer, some of this book was hard to read. With him at the academy I can distract myself from the realities of what is to come. This book does not let you ignore what war is really like for both the soldier and the family at home.</p>
<p>Now I need to read something light and fluffy before returning to another serious book like this. JAM - could you share that Calvin and Hobbes?</p>
<p>I certainly can share, WaMom - would you like "The Indispensible Calvin & Hobbes" or "The Authoritative Calvin & Hobbes"?
Perhaps I will bring both in two weeks!</p>
<p>While on the subject of books - I also recently read "Breathing the Fire" by Kimberly Dozier. She is a CBS News foreign correspondent who was critically injured by an EOD on Memorial Day 2006 in Baghdad.
While the book is clearly part of her "healing process" she gives excellent insight into what our soldiers are faced with. She is working tirelessly as an advocate for excellent care of our wouded soldiers. Speaking for them when they cannot speak for themselves.</p>
<p>I'm reading this book now, and two things come to my mind:
1. Its truly incredible to read about the WP experience, having finished it, and realize that, no matter how much things change, so much remains the same from class to class, generation to generation. I'm amazed how simple words can evoke such strong memories of the long, gray winter of my Plebe year, Ring Weekend, or time spent shared with friends; it's just amazing how it brings you back. I read absolutely american while I was a yuk and had the same feelings, but I'd be interested to see how that made me feel now. I felt that book was a masterpiece and truly captured the cadet experience like nothing else, but that was after only experiencing it for a year, I'm sure it'd be much different now.
2. It's incredible to see how much Iraq has changed in the last few years. In a week or so, I will have been here for a year, and the combat depicted in this book bears no resemblance to the experience I've had. Period. I've lead over 400 combat patrols in my time here, and nothing has come close to how things were. I think that shows a great deal of promise for the future. As many flaws as Iraq has, it is not the chaos that I think the vast majority of Americans (those who take the time to think about it, that is) think it is. I was overwhelmed when I was home on leave in August by the impression most people had of what I'd been through. Make no mistake; I've been shot at, rocketed, watched Soldiers die, basically seen the absolute worst in humanity, but nothing like what is depicted in this book. I feel we've crossed an important berm in this war, and, more than ever, that this thing can be won (if you were to ask me this question at this time last year, on the eve of deploying, I would have said the exact opposite).</p>
<p>^That is good to hear ScreamingEagle.</p>
<p>ScreamingEagle, Thank you for your perspective on the book and, especially, thank you for your perspective on the Iraq War. It is great to hear directly from you that things are better in Iraq now than they were a year ago. </p>
<p>:)</p>