Average Rating: 6.8Menu: Curry Chicken, Greek Salad, Naan, Cupcakes from Cupcake
(Ethnic food from Iraq, plus dessert I couldn't get while I was there)
Rachel: 9.5 - Very much liked this book, especially the solid stories from each individual soldier. Eye opening! Found a couple of the stories more interesting than the others, like the one about the two soldiers dating at war.
Tina: 6.5 - Liked the idea of the stories and book but thought it was poorly written. Was bothered by the picture of the author in the back. Felt the book was too much about the author and felt she wrote in a jargon that was too condescending. Liked the individual stories but wanted to know more.
Sara: 5.5 (from Chicago) - Was excited to read this book; however, she didn't think it did well at describing the war. She also felt the author wrote in a condescending manner. Liked the stories of the women with children at home and how as a mother their maternal nature kicked in when taking care of their soldiers.
Rebecca: 5.5 - Glad the book exists and that we read it. The writing was poor - it took away from the stories. There wasn't good flow. Thought if it was told in the first person with footnotes it would have been a much better book. Wanted more personal views of their wartime experiences. Loved the pictures.
Anne: 7.0 - Liked the stories but thought the book was choppy. Better if it was written in the first person. Loved the pictures. Really enjoyed reading about the way soldiers train for war, then get tested in war - the real thing. She thought this was very intense. (which it is).
Dana: 6.0 - She felt the author asked each soldier the same set of questions. And, the author did a poor job (not the real expression used).
Becky: 7.5 - This book was exactly what I needed to read after being home from Iraq for 6 months. I wanted my friends to have other accounts of the war to build on instead of just mine. I needed them to understand me a little more instead of me being in my own world, adjusting. I also needed to relate to something, have something that was coming from the same vein as most of my thoughts these days.
I think the author should have stated in the beginning that this was a thesis - turned into book. Also, she should have stated that her thesis was that women should be allowed on the front lines. She doesn't state this until the end. I know its extremely hard to tell your story, especially since most don't understand your jargon, many don't want to hear it, and you don't feel it's interesting being just a soldier (most soldiers don't think of themselves as special, honorable, heroes - we went to war, like we were supposed to, like we were trained to do). I could write a book about this........perhaps.
Angie: Not finished enough to give good rating
