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Nabaza.net-The MarketPlace - My War: Killing Time in Iraq
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List Price: $25.95
Our Price: $5.99
Your Save: $ 19.96 ( 77% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 956.7044342092
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Putnam Adult
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 368
Publication Date: 2005-10-06
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Studio: Putnam Adult
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Editorial Reviews:
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A raw, edgy, yet intimate new voice from the front lines in Iraq-the most authentic we have had yet from the war, heralding this generation's Catch-22.
Like many of his generation, Colby Buzzell was jumping from one dead-end job to another, a paycheck away from moving back home. He spent his time skateboarding and killing as many brain cells as humanly possible. Tired of the monotony, he found himself in front of an army recruiter. Within months he was in Iraq, a machine gunner in the controversial Stryker Brigade Combat Team, an army unit on the cutting edge of combat technology, and the first of its kind.
This is the startlingly honest story of a young man and a war. Trapped amid "guerilla warfare, urban-style" in Mosul, Iraq, Buzzell was struck by the bizarre, absurd, often frightening world surrounding him. He began writing an online web log describing the war-not as it was being reported by CNN or in briefings on Capitol Hill, but as he experienced it. The result is an extraordinary narrative, rich with unforgettable scenes: the fierce firefight in which the resistance came from "men in black"; chain-smoking in the guard tower, counting the tracer rounds fired over the city; the raid on an Iraqi home during which a woman couldn't stop screaming as her husband was being taken away; and the hesitation of a young soldier who had been passed around from platoon to platoon because he was too afraid to fight. As the popularity of his "blog" grew, Buzzell became the embedded reporter the army couldn't control despite its best-and often hilarious-efforts to do so.
My War is the debut of a fresh and remarkable voice, and it is already being compared to the classics of youth and combat Herr's Dispatches and Heller's Catch-22. But My War is much more than a war story; it is the story of a generation caught between the hyper-reality of a technological age and an ever more complicated and dangerous world.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Not as hard hitting as the blog, but still a good read
Comment: I've been a fan of Colby Buzzell since his blog first exploded on the scene in 2--4. I was working in Army Public Affairs when I heard someone mention "Hey, have you seen this guy's blog? Looks like it was written by a second grader." Snobby co-workers aside, it was a little rough around the edges - but it was a powerful narrative of the everyday Joe soldier... without all of the happy-faced nonsense picture the Army and the administration insisted on trying to paint for the Iraq war.
This guy got it... he understood what the war was all about - from his level. He wasn't like a number of his contemporaries who've written about the war, the ones who try to figure out what was going through the President's mind, or why our leaders made the decisions they did. Buzzell stays at the squad and platoon level the whole time, and doesn't pretend to have any idea why things happen.
I'm pleased to see his success as a writer in the years since his separation from the Army. I look for him every month in Esquire, and was especially touched by the article he wrote about being recalled in the IRR.
Anyway, great read at a great price. I hope this isn't the last we see of Colby Buzzell.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Raw, Vivid, Real
Comment: This is the sort of war history your cousin or nephew would have written -and still might! It's not a polished meditation on the nature of war or a defense/attack of invading Iraq in the first place. Colby Buzzell's book is best described as an average combat infantryman's experience told in a vivid, raw and real way.
I can easily hear my nephew's voice when Buzzell tells of his life before the Army and his reasons for joining. In his focus on certain incidents - his rejection by a bored Marine recruiter followed by an enthusiastic Army recruiter, for example - Buzzell's account must ring true for countless other soldiers. His matter-of-fact, unblinking descriptions of the mostly tedious life of occupation troops punctuated by combat with enemy jihadis is compelling reading. While every Army infantry soldier will have his own story, almost certainly all would find something in Buzzell's narrative that would make them say "Yeah. I remember that. It was like that. That's my war too."
So why only 3 stars? Well, I thought we could have used a lot more "what I felt" moments, stronger characterizations (we only know Buzzell), and a better sense of how Colby thought the war and his life were going. Unlike some other reviewers, I thought the start of "My War" was the best part: Colby introduces himself as a directionless young man looking for a purpose, trying to decide what he wants to do and finally choosing to enlist as a way of doing something purposeful, something more than parking cars, earning some money, in the meantime.
But while we get a good idea of the aimless pre-Army Colby, we don't get much of Colby's interior life after. He drops into a more descriptive "we went here, did this, and went there" mode. There's little of Colby's attitude to the monotonous base life, little of the feelings combat must've aroused. It's as if Buzzell doesn't have too many introspective moments that he cares to share with us. It would've helped our understanding if he'd included more moments like the 4th of July celebration and how the army's attempt to make things more like home only served to make you miss home all the more. Colby wonders then if his old civilian friends are even thinking of him and deciding that it wasn't likely.
We don't even get a good sense of his army friends. Virtually none are even given a capsule description. Aside from a sentence or two on a disliked leader or a respected squad medic, we don't know these guys. A quick bio and description would've gone a long way to making the other soldiers real.
I wouldn't expect Buzzell to analyze the war and his part in it to any great depth - but I did think we needed more about this infantry soldier's opinion on what he and the Army were accomplishing. Did he feel that progress was being made? What did Colby the private think of his mission? Was he finding purpose as a soldier or "just killing time".
I hope that the "killing time" subtitle is not an apt one. At least, not in the "wasting time" sense. Colby has a talent for writing. I hope that he's able to direct himself into that direction. As he develops, maybe Colby can give us those characterizations we missed this time. I've no doubt he has it in him to be more introspective and not just about the war. I understand that since he's left the army, he's been divorced (his marriage was a quick, mostly unexplained paragraph or two in the book), moved back home, and seems mostly at loose ends (at least if you judge by his own writing of life after the army) again. Fortunately, his re-call to active duty in 2008 wasn't completed and Mr. Buzzell is not Pvt. Buzzell again.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Depiction
Comment: I was also in Mosul, Iraq at this time and it is a GREAT depiction of what life was like out there before I lost my leg and came home. Anyone that wants to know what Mosul was like. READ THIS BOOK!!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Beer & Blogging in the Suck
Comment: Colby Buzzell started one of the initial troop blogs in Iraq during his 2004 tour of duty. As time wore on, Spc. Buzzell's blog gathered steam and became popular with both military and civilian readers. He provided a grunt's-eye view of the war that drew admiration from many, but dismayed his chain of command, who eventually required him to submit his dispatches for official clearance before posting them. "My War: Killing Time in Iraq" collects Spc. Buzzell's blog posts along with additional exposition. It's a fascinating first-person literary glimpse into a war that most people follow on TV.
The author begins his memoir by cluing us in on why he joined the Army. At 25 his life was going nowhere, and the military looked like a better option than low-paying data-entry work. He initially considered the Marine Corps, but they preferred a younger demographic. The Army recruiter caught him on the way out of the Marine recruiter's front door, and the rest is history. Mr. Buzzell signed up for two years of active duty as an infantryman and was assigned to a Stryker Brigade at Ft. Lewis, Washington. His unit was soon deployed to Iraq, where the author started blogging to counter the boredom between missions. Over time he garnered an avid following and became somewhat of a celebrity (as he reminds us quite often towards the book's conclusion).
Spc. Buzzell posted various bits of military lore that provided context for his situation, such as excerpts from relevant Army manuals, rules of engagement, official after-action reports, and military equipment descriptions. These factoids are interesting, but he really shines when depicting grunt life in Mosul. His "Free Advice" to those deploying in-country, Q & A sessions with blog readers, and even a metal-flavored "Stryker Soundtrack" playlist on his iPod will serve as historical records of Generations X and Y at war in Iraq. Of course, "My War" wouldn't be complete without some harrowing tales of combat. Spc. Buzzell avoids flowery heroic prose in favor of a nuts-and-bolts writing style that conveys the fighting in the best "show, don't tell" tradition, providing a sense of immediacy with the action.
Despite his talent as a writer and fine service to the nation, I found myself a bit confused about Mr. Buzzell as a person. He gives positive portrayals of his fellow soldiers and chain of command (no "Captain America" portraits of incompetent officers here, as in "Generation Kill"). But in the end, Mr. Buzzell vehemently dislikes the Army, the Administration, and the mission in Iraq. What made him that way? Unlike the constant stream of sparse yet heartbreaking situations presented in the excellent "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell," Mr. Buzzell merely teases us with a couple examples of high-command doublespeak and Iraqi brutality. Perhaps he was unable to blog more explicit reasons due to fear of retaliation from his superiors, but this book would've benefitted from deeper insights into the birth and development of his "FTA" attitude - because his distain comes across as merely the "cool" thing to do vs. the result of sustained trauma, betrayal, and disillusionment.
Then again, perhaps it's best not to burn bridges while still attached to one's nemesis. I checked the author's website while writing this review, and it appears that he's been recalled to active service. One thing about enlisting in the military is that they still have you by the shorthairs for a number of years after your active duty time expires. Apparently volunteer manpower must be short, and I wish the author good luck on his second tour. I recommend "My War" for its keen portrayal of a warrior's first go-around in Iraq (along with "One Bullet Away" by Nathanial Fick, "Generation Kill" by Evan Wright, and "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell" by John Crawford). The question is: will we see "My War II: Killing Even More Time in Iraq?" I know I'll be looking for it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Honest, Down To Earth Account - A MUST Read
Comment: I just finished reading My War - Killing Time in Iraq by Colby Buzzell. I bought this book some time ago and started it but was more than a little put off by the first couple of chapters quite frankly because his lifestyle prior to joining the Army is a total antithesis of my own.
I really enjoy military history but I couldn't get into reading it and it eventually ended up in a plastic storage container under the bed in the spare bedroom which is where all my "to read eventually" books end up.
A few days ago, I dug it out, forced myself to start over and to say I'm glad I did is a total understatement.
Very engrossing read. The author is irreverent, loyal, absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious at times, self-deprecating and honest in his accounting. I'm impressed with his writing style, his total lack of pretension and snobbery and most especially his honesty both about his own life pre-Army and of course, while in Iraq. No "spin doctor" here. These are his experiences, warts and all. His writing drew me in so much and was so vivid that his accounting of an ambush/firefight entitled "Men in Black" had me on the edge of my seat. Very you-are-there-ish. Once started, I couldn't put it down.
I love this book. I read a lot and every once in awhile I get the pleasure of reading a book I hate to finish because I enjoy it so much and this is one of those few books for me.
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