The Endless War: My First Impression

The Endless War is a great read so far.  I am really enjoying the different descriptions Dexter Filkins offers, descriptions that Americans aren't used to hearing or reading about.  The author has a direct, almost dry way of telling about his travels, but keeps the reader informed while doing so.  He will explain something that an average reader wouldn't normally know about and then tell us how it is.  I think it's remarkable that his first time traveling to Afghanistan was in 1998.  Even more remarkable is that was 13 years ago, the nation has seen war for a very long time.

I now understand what Jessica and Sarah were talking about in book club a couple of weeks ago; the author jumps around quite a bit and it could be easy for a reader to get a little bit lost.  At this point, I think he is just telling different stories about what he has seen in different places, and will probably be able to tie it all back together later on in the book.

While Afghanistan and Iraq are certainly different wars, they are undoubtedly similar and one can see that through just the first parts of this book.  Filkins paints an awesome picture in his writing, which helps me realize the severity of each of these occupations and the struggles that the Iraqis and Afghans face every day.

"Iraq was filled with people like Yacob Yusef.  They weren't survivors as much as they were leftovers." Filkins, p. 72

"Murder and torture and sadism: it was part of Iraq.  It was in people's brains." Filkins, p. 73

Those are a couple of things I underlined in a really dark part of the book.  I am looking forward to finding out more about his experiences in these war battered areas.  It is really nothing Americans have ever seen.  End blog here.