Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

As a former Marine and a connoisseur of war literature, I read "Generation Kill" with great interest. While I thought the book did a passable job of describing the war as it unfolded, I found the author's lazy prose and thin research to be disagreeable. "Generation Kill" is essentially a loose collection of flippant observations tacked together with innumerable rumors, myths and other apocrypha conveyed to him by the Marines he was embedded with (such saucy rumors no doubt delighted his editors back in Los Angeles). Because I'm familiar with the events he describes I'm able to debunk a lot of the misguided characterizations and errata he offers up, but most civilian readers, lacking such insights might think that Wright knows his business, which he does not. It was quite obvious to me as I read the book that Wright had done virtually no fact-checking or re-interviewing and never spoke with any Marines outside of the platoon he lived with for the course of the invasion. This type of writing works for Rolling Stone magazine where portions of the book first appeared but in a hardcover book pretending to compete with the likes of "Black Hawk Down," it simply doesn't fly and Wright's stunning lack of research results in numerous errors which are glaringly obvious to anyone familiar with the US military. (He repeatedly misconstrues aircraft, munition types and US military doctrine and training). Put simply, Wright failed to do his homework, hoping to get by on pure enthusiasm alone, and it shows. After reading through this misguided tome I was struck by the visceral power of the Stockholm Syndrome (which causes hostages to identify with their captors) and blown away at how easily civilians are swayed by gun-toting servicemen who speak convincingly about warfare. Wright is, in my mind, a well-paid war tourist and was quite obviously so enamored with his newfound comrades that he felt no need to double-check on any of the myths and slander that his subjects floated in his general direction.(In their defense, they probably didn't realize that Wright was going to publish their off-hand comments as established fact.) In "Generation Kill," Wright commits the cardinal sin of journalism: he presents opinion as fact and fails to corroborate many of his assertions. This book inadvertently reveals much of what is wrong with American journalism today. Buyer Beware. Recommended instead: STORM ON THE HORIZON: KHAFJI--THE BATTLE THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF THE GULF WAR by David Morris.