War Journal: My Five Years in Iraq

I have read his books. He makes you feel as if you are standing right beside him as he describes the people, places, and sounds of Iraq. I did not know him personally other than to say an occasional hello, but when I was around him he was a professional newsman asking the tough questions. He was/is fluent in Arabic and speaks with the same nuances and slang as do the people. Engel is fearless always going around Iraq & Bagdad and into the most dangerous of places for his stories. I worked for a civilian "3 letter alphabet"government agency" for 6.5 years before I was wounded and had to come out. I can tell you this, the stories Engels tells I can validate. Not because I was there with him all the time, but because we walked in the same sand & sewage in the streets. He's one great newsman and a compassionate human being. I'd run across him in some of the strangest places only to find out he'd been there hours ahead of our team chasing a lead, as were we, although for much different reasons. We'd gleen his information, what he'd allow us to have, and verify it with ours. The man was never wrong. I really wished I made his friendship but my assignment would not allow it and I suspect his movement & time element would not have allowed it either. You have to read his books. He pulls no punches and tells it like it is. The Good, The Bad, & stuff so insane you'd have to have seen it to believe it. Rich, if you read this review, you'll piece together who I am. Best of luck to you, always. Till the next war!

I gave this book as a gift to my father, so this is in some ways a second-hand review, mixing my observations and comparisons of what he usually reads and enjoys along with what he's told me of his experience with this book.My dad's a retired Army Colonel and reads a ton of biographical, fiction and non-fiction military books, mostly centered on the Vietnam and Korean wars, and he's picky about his authors. I was a little hesitant about picking something for him from something so contemporary, but I just admire Richard Engel's reporting so much, I thought I'd give it a chance.My dad generally humors me and wouldn't tell me if he disliked something I bought him (as an example, I bought him Colin Powell's biography a few years back and he hated it, but never told me), so I never expected him to say anything, but about a week after Christmas, my mother called to tell me that he had picked up the book and the day before and was hardly putting it down. I finally had a chance to speak with him a bit later on and he said it was just an excellent, intelligent, unbiased and engrossing book. He hadn't expected to be interested in the conflict in Iraq as a war story at all, but Engel's writing was so vivid and his reporting was so exacting that he found he enjoyed the book as much as he enjoyed the other books that he usually read on topics that he was personally familiar with.So since I got a big huge thumbs up from my very picky military father about the quality and enjoyability of this book, and since I personally also love Richard Engel's reporting and writing and I've had a chance to start the book myself now, I have to give this book a great review from my dad and a great starting off review from me.

Like many of the reviewers on this page, I've read many of the bestsellers on Iraq. From "Fiasco" to "Assassin's Gate," there have been a number of excellent, heroic accounts of the debacle in Iraq. What sets Engel's apart is his ability to analyze the political situation in Iraq with his own personal struggles. His five years in Iraq pushed him to the emotional edge and it resulted in his divorce. It is these personal accounts of what drove him to stay in Iraq and to flirt with death, misery and a society that often appears totally hopeless that I found absolutely fascinating. Richard Engel doesn't come off as a cocky, indestructive, superman; but as a complex and sensitive individual who simply is trying to make sense of a society gone mad. Furthermore, his description of the basis of the ongoing insurgency are clearly articulated and explained. His explanation of the Shia/Sunni rift is as good as I have ever read.For modern day war journalism that is increasingly dangerous, this account should be considered a classic. It's his skillful combination of presenting the Iraq tragedy in a concise and meaningful manner with his own personal insights that make this account stand out from all the others.After I finished this book, I kept asking myself the following questions: What drives a guy like Richard Engel? And what's next for an individual like this? Is he self-destructive and somehow addictively drawn to war?? Why are so many of us so fascinated by war??What I'd give to have a beer with Mr. Engel and ask him these questions! But read the book, you won't regret it. Perhaps you'll get the answers to some of these questions.

Some good descriptions of time spent on ops with military forces and the impact of life as a correspondent under constant pressure of kidnappings, car bombs and IEDs.Very detailed descriptions of the Iraqi temporary govt setup (interim constitution, elections, how the Shi'ites won the election, etc) and lots of insight about the various factions of Islam, their infighting, Arab culture and Islam accompany many events (eg, the assassination attempt on Hussein during Eid al-Adha).Sometimes a little gory but necessary to understand the situation.It's obvious that Engel is anti-George W. Bush and against the War in Iraq, and views the whole situation from the VietNam War journalist (of which he was not) that no matter what the govt and military is lying to the press.He really tends to lose his credibility when he resorts to buzzwords like "neocon" when trying to establish a point.But, that being said, he articulates his points well and is easy to read. Definitely a good read.

Richard Engel makes you feel like you are on the ground with him, experiencing all the horrors of the Iraq war first hand. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in what life was like during the war.