MARINES IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN

BOOK REVIEWS

Here are a few of the latest REVIEWS

Best Book on the War in Iraq!

It is rare indeed that you will read a book about war that is so absorbing and entertaining; yet, it is as analytical and probing as any great history book can be. Richard S. Lowry has written the definitive accounting of the battles in and around An Nasiriyah. That includes what happened to Private Jessica Lynch and her fellow soldiers of the 507th Maintenance Company -their capture and misfortune and her eventual rescue from the hospital days later. In his book "Marines in the Garden of Eden", the whole story of this operation unfolds for you beginning well before the actual combat starts. He brings to life the men and women in the various units from the privates to the generals; he lets you know them as people. His writing style is unique in the best of ways. He weaves in all the little details of what was going on by several groups involved in those early days of the war. He simultaneously chronicles the actions taken by each unit so that it gives you almost a god-like view point of the war. You could never experience it like this-even if you were actually there in all the action! His depictions of the battles are crisp and full of energy and give you that eye-witness feeling. This is good reporting and good story telling. This book will be read by military historians for many long decades. It is well documented, well structure, and easy to read. It is also a great book just to kick back and read on the old sofa. This book receives the MWSA's TOP BOOK RATING of FIVE STARS! It is destined to become a classic book on the war in Iraq.

Bill McDonald - Military Writers Society of America

The book is a real treat to readers who appreciate in-depth research. Richard S. Lowry’s attention to detail and the use of many first-person accounts bring us a flawless account of our Marines at war. This story is certain to captivate and hold the readers’ attention.

Leatherneck - September, 2006 Robert B. Loring

Told on the strategic, tactical, and personal level, this book brings the reader into the midst of combat with anecdotes and analysis that create scenes as real and vivid as is possible with the printed word. This book will, in the future, be more than just a fascinating recapitulation of a battle. It should serve as source material for other wider accounts of the war in Iraq and the overall war on terror. For me personally it was a rude awakening to the conditions that exist on the modern field of battle.

IndepthInfo.com - July, 2006 - Will Rayment

Notable military historian Richard S. Lowry has created a stirring tribute to one of the most horrific days in the ongoing Iraq war. On the morning of March 23, 2003, the 507th Maintenance company was brutally attacked. Twenty-one soldiers were injured or killed, six were taken hostage, including Private Jessica Lynch. The week that followed was one of the bloodiest of the war and saw the liberation of the city of An Nasirayah andthe rescue of Private Lynch. This poignant examination of the battle for "The Nas" is a rare glimpse into the lives of soldiers in the field and a valuable contribution to the annals of modern war literature.MILITARY-Recent Conflicts.

AbeBooks - June, 2006

Lowry's nuts-and-bolts description of the fight represents his strongest writing. It took immense research to produce such detail[…]

Publishers Weekly - May, 2006

When I received your book, I planned to read it over the next three to four weekends. It was so difficult to put down that I ended up spending the better part of the past weekend reading it. Neither I nor any member of my family has a military background, so I have no knowledge of the organization of the military, or of their weapons or vehicles. Still, I found your book enthralling because of the human interest you were able to bring to it. This book brings new meaning to the words courage and dedication. Our troops are awesome indeed. I can only hope that your book gets the attention it deserves so we might be able to shift the focus from what the very small number of our troops who do wrong to those who are sacrificing so much and working so hard to do it right.

JdawnL - member of Jesica-Lynch.com forum

I have just completed reading the book and, in a word, fantastic!! I have to say it's even better that I thought it would be. It is very "readable" and the prep chapters you provide leading up to the deployment and the battle are excellent, giving a real "feel" for the terrain and military unit organization. By the time I got to the individual combat actions of that week it was as if I could picture in my mind exactly when, where and how things were developing. One of the best I've read in quite sometime[...]

Bill Bachmann - father of Marine who participated in the battle

Rich, great book! You've done a swell job putting together Nasiriya and what happened in that 9-day battle. The voices of the Marines come alive in their dialogue and when they're on the radio-you get a "you are there" feeling. The maps show which units were where, and what they were doing.

Matt Wiser - member Jessica-Lynch.com forum

Your book made me cry, and laugh. For I have been there, and understand the Fog of War.

David Finzel - Vietnam Veteran.