Review: Good introduction to Totten's embedded journalism
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 10, 2012
This short description of a nighttime raid does stand-alone as a small, up-close look at a slice of Army life. But, it's more useful as an introduction to Michael Totten's embedded accounts, which are described in much more detail in his full-length "In the Wake of the Surge."There are no gun battles or much violence in this account, but this is a good representation of what life was like in Baghdad in the 2007-08 timeframe - a lot of stress punctuated by brief moments of fear.I was also embedded as a journalist in Iraq at some of the same times as Totten. My accounts are a lot like his, so I can speak to his credibility. This in-the-moment story brings readers right into the frustration US soldiers encountered. And - a good look at what the Iraqis had to deal with as well.If you like this, you will certainly like "Wake of the Surge," or also Totten's excellent "Road to Fatima Gate," about Lebanon.