The War I Always Wanted

The War I Always Wanted

Hardcover edition cover of the book.
Author Brandon Friedman
Genre Nonfiction, Personal narratives
Publisher Zenith Press, Minneapolis
Publication date
 2007
Pages 256
ISBN 0-7603-3150-2
956.7044 3092
LC Class DS371.412.F74 2007

The War I Always Wanted (2007) is a nonfiction war memoir by Brandon Friedman. The story details Friedman's experiences in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2004, roughly tracing his metamorphosis from a young, eager cadet into a disillusioned-but-wiser adult and veteran.[1] The book received favorable reviews upon publication and within three years had been named one of the best memoirs of the past decade by media outlets like the Military Times[2] and Daily Kos.[3]

Synopsis

Spanning the course of three years, Friedman tells his story through a combination of present action and flashbacks. In all, he covers events in Afghanistan (including his experience in Operation Anaconda in March 2002), the 2003 invasion of Iraq and his time in Baghdad, the beginning of the insurgency in northern Iraq during the latter half of 2003, and his re-adjustment upon returning home in 2004.

Critical reception

While Publishers Weekly gave The War I Always Wanted faint praise (calling the book "cynical but appealing"),[4] subsequent reviewers were more effusive. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General (Ret.) Wesley Clark called the book "compelling and moving," going on to say that "among the many excellent war memoirs by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, Brandon's stands out as the best." Historian Steven Pressfield, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Gates of Fire, called Friedman's work "outstanding non-fiction" and described it as "ris[ing] at numerous points to the level of literature."[5]

Newspapers and journals reacted in similar fashion. The Baltimore Sun proclaimed, "You'll want to read parts aloud,"[6] while the Mobile Press-Register described The War I Always Wanted as being "rendered with more literary flair and sophistication than even the accounts by bigwigs," calling it "an elegant meditation on his loss of innocence."[7] In the military community, the Military Times described Friedman's memoir as "vivid, frank, precise and dramatic,"[8] while Military Review, the journal of the United States Army Combined Arms Center, concluded that The War I Always Wanted was "tragically compelling" and that "[Friedman's] work is fresh, angry, cynical, and riveting."[9]

In January 2010, Military Times named The War I Always Wanted as one of the "best military books of the decade."[10]

Reviews of The War I Always Wanted

References

  1. ↑ About the Book
  2. ↑ The best military books of the decade - Military Times, J. Ford Huffman, January 2010
  3. ↑ The best books of the decade - Daily Kos, Susan Gardner, December 13, 2009
  4. ↑ Publishers Weekly, 25 June 2007
  5. ↑ Reviews of The War I Always Wanted
  6. ↑ A soldier's look at the real war in Afghanistan and Iraq - Baltimore Sun, David Wood, October 21, 2007
  7. ↑ The dream of war, and the truth - Mobile Press-Register, John Sledge, January 1, 2008
  8. ↑ Savvy and sincere: Two war-zone accounts that stand out - Military Times, J. Ford Huffman, October 26, 2007
  9. ↑ The War I Always Wanted: The Illusion of Glory and the Reality of War: A Screaming Eagle in Afghanistan and Iraq - Military Review, Michelle Miller, January–February 2008
  10. ↑ The best military books of the decade - Military Times, J. Ford Huffman, January 2010
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