HARD TO GET THROUGH.

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For more than one reason.

One of those reasons is the sheer mass of knowledge and facts that were added. I’m not sure this needed nearly 400 pages to say everything the author did. Yes, he definitely did his homework, but goodness, it was dense. I occasionally skimmed to move everything along.

Another reason was the heaviness that is war. In detail — injuries, death, and more was conveyed throughout these pages. I literally cringed at the thought of every one involved having to witness and withstand these horrors.

I liked that the Special Forces (and other portions of the military) were explained. I personally don’t have anyone immediate that is in the military so I didn’t understand all the pieces that go into being part of it.

There were A LOT of people involved in this story. And the author let you know about them alllll. I think it took me at least 100+ pages to remember who was who and what group they were apart of.

The only thing that bothered me was how all of these soldiers now have their names and faces planted everywhere. We live in such a digital age that I wonder how often media hurts more than helps (answer: often). They deserved to stay as private as they choose.

My lower rating is mostly attributed to how tough this book felt to get through. It wasn’t an easy read and I struggled to read more than 20 pages at a time. This in no way takes away from what the soldiers accomplished. As I said in my note, this is specifically about the book.

Overall audience notes:
- History: military, war
- Language: occasional (recounts of the dialogue)
- Violence: descriptions of: torture, battle wounds, treatment of women, and more