Review: The Forever War
Dexter Filkins is a journalist in the best sense of the term. Different folks have different ideas about the goals of the vocation, so here’s how I evaluate them. Journalists go into a situation, immerse themselves in it, and return stories that help us understand it. They bring their observation, investigation, and communication skills. They also bring their minds, biases, and hearts. Humans have to.
Filkins plied that trade in the Middle East in the first decade and a half of the 21st century. He’s seen Taliban beheadings, daily life in Mujahideen camps, been embedded with US Marines in Fallujah, and watched the Green Zone, and US attitudes that underlie it, evolve. He reports on it all clearly, with head and heart. And he is honest about the prices he paid to be there, even when others paid them. Readers may disagree with elements of his reporting but his dedication to bringing these stories to others is outstanding.
H/T @kairyssdal for the recommendation.
Strongly recommended.