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The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family | 
 enlarge | Author: Martha Raddatz
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $4.99
You Save: $10.01 (67%)
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Rating:  67 reviews
Sales Rank: 23658
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Paperback
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.1
Dewey Decimal Number: 956.70443092
ASIN: B0016493S4
Publication Date: January 2, 2008
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Product Description
From ABC White House correspondent Martha Raddatz, the story of a brutal forty-eight-hour firefight that conveys in harrowing detail the effects of war not just on the soldiers but also on the families waiting back at home.
In April 2004, soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division were on a routine patrol in Sadr City, Iraq, when they came under surprise attack. Over the course of the next forty-eight hours, 8 Americans would be killed and more than 70 wounded. Back home, as news of the attack began filtering in, the families of these same men, neighbors in Fort Hood, Texas, feared the worst. In time, some of the women in their circle would receive "the call"-the notification that a husband or brother had been killed in action. So the families banded together in anticipation of the heartbreak that was certain to come.
The firefight in Sadr City marked the beginning of the Iraqi insurgency, and Martha Raddatz has written perhaps the most riveting account of hand-to-hand combat to emerge from the war in Iraq. This intimate portrait of the close-knit community of families Stateside-the unsung heroes of the military -distinguishes The Long Road Home from other stories of modern warfare, showing the horror, terror, bravery, and fortitude not just of the soldiers who were wounded and killed but also of the wives and children whose lives now are forever changed.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 62 more reviews...
A Must Read For All Americans March 1, 2007
Military Wife (USA)
62 out of 69 found this review helpful
I found this book to be a very thorough and accurate description of the unrelenting bravery of our military, the hell our soldiers go through during combat, and the emotional strain that the families back home endure. The Long Road Home is very well written and should appeal to a variety of audiences, both male and female. It is important for the American public to fully understand what going to war means for our military and its families, and Martha Raddatz has captured this impeccably in her book.
Bravo Martha..... March 7, 2007
Chris Mclaughlin (Hawley, Ma USA)
29 out of 31 found this review helpful
If you are prepared to know firsthand what our troops and the people who love them are facing day in and day out while we go about our lives in the safety of our borders read this book. It'll break your heart and make you proud...yes, we have gotten ourselves in a mess but that does not minimize the sacrifice our soldiers are facing everyday...and their families...such courage in the face of overwhelming adversity. Thank you Martha for one of the most, if not THE most important book about the Iraq War/Civil War.
 Good but suffers from bias March 18, 2007
Honest Abe (United States)
27 out of 41 found this review helpful
If you have read or saw "Black Hawk Down," "The Long Road Home" will be familar to you. The books are quite similar. "The Long Road Home" details the heroics and brutality of war, covering the events that occurred in one specific early Sadr City battle. What starts out as an ambush turns into a general attack on the US military in a whole section of Baghdad.
I will not detail the book's strengths. Others here have already done so and I largely agree with their sentiments. It is a graphic, well-written description of this modern war. Instead, I will voice my one complaint: Raddatz is too close to her subject - the military. As a result, she does not ask the questions that a reporter should be asking.
Why were troops ferried into combat on open-bed trucks or unarmoured vehicles, even after it became clear how dangerous the situation had become? Why did the decision to stop using the open trucks take so long? Where was the air support for the convoys that are constantly being shot up from the roofs? The heroics were amazing but, on a command level, so were the tactical blunders. Were any commanders held accountable for the tragically and needlessly high injury and death toll?
These are some of the difficult questions that Raddatz should have explored. She didn't. Surely, she must have considered them. I just wish she went on the record as to why she avoided them in her book.
We remember their sacrifice so we may be worthy of it. March 14, 2007
T. L. Weibley (Weedsport, NY)
19 out of 22 found this review helpful
My husband is one of the soldiers mentioned often in this book (see page 175/176 for an example); Seth was Captain Denomy's driver on that fateful day (BTW, the proper spelling of our last name is WEIBLEY). We received our copy last night, and after reading excerpts to my husband over the phone (on his way home from work), he stated everything I'd read was dead-on. When he came home, he was reading the book - and whenever he set it down, I picked it up. We're devouring it! It's an intense read, to say the least. My husband is very humble, and for the most part, I've only learned about his acts that day from the awards he's received, the word from his friends, and this book. After you read the story of Black Sunday, you'll understand why he doesn't speak about that day often. I guess the only issue I have (other than the misspelling of our last name) is that in the back of the book where the soldiers lives and families were followed up on, there is no mention of Seth. Not of his life after the Army, his continuation of protective federal service in the civilian sector, and nothing about his receiving The Valor Device award. Generally, the valor device is for specific heroic acts during or supporting direct combat with the enemy. The explanation for why Seth SPECIFICALLY won the award SHOULD be a part of this book, as well as his multiple nominations for The Bronze Star; if my husband was overlooked, others were as well. Every one of these amazing men and women should be recognized, it's IMPORTANT, it's HISTORY. Perhaps in the 2nd edition these corrections may be made, and the details that were overlooked and/or left out, included. In the end, I give credit to the author for not making this book a political soapbox. She wrote it about the soldiers, and that's where her focus remains throughout. Martha Raddatz showed these brave souls the respect that they, and their families (the silent ranks), deserve. And I, for one, thank her for this VERY well-written - and powerful - account!
An important book March 5, 2007
Harriet Klausner
18 out of 26 found this review helpful
This is a terrific true bird's eye view of life on the ground in Iraq especially starting with April 2004 Sade City bloodbath that killed eight American troops. TV journalist Martha Raddatz interviews the soldiers caught in street fighting against the Mahdi militia in what was considered a babysitting mission until all hell broke out. The author also takes the audience back to the states to meet family members who lost loved ones. There are no political spins like recent claims the bombing of the mosque last year started the insurgency. Or even a worse lie that the American people are sacrificing to bring democracy to Iraq, Ms. Raddatz makes it clear from one small concise chapter to the next that in the United States only the soldiers and their family members are sacrificing. What have I given up - nothing; not even taxes to pay the war costs or the subsequent reequipping bill; while the military in some cases have lost their lives or limbs.
Harriet Klausner
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