Will They Ever Trust Us Again?: Letters from the War Zone
- Book Review,
by Michael Moore
From Publishers Weekly
Over the last year, Moore invited soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as their friends and family members, to send him letters. He received "thousands" of responses, mostly via his Web site, and this book presents a sampling of those transmissions. Some are short notes thanking Moore for Fahrenheit 9/11 and ranting against Republicans, but the vast majority are personal stories written with passion and an obvious mixture of emotions—anger at the Bush administration ("I signed a contract with the government to serve in our military, and proudly, but I never thought that our military would be used in such a self-serving, crooked, and disgraceful way"), remorse ("It didn’t hit me until I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 that I was driving the ship that was sending planes to kill people"), fear ("I am wondering if this is the last Christmas I will spend with my son") and sorrow ("Chris, the dead young man, was a former student of mine. This incredibly stupid war now has a face and a name, and I find I can’t quit crying"). A recurring story is that of the naïve teenager who signed up "looking for some extra pocket money and a way to college" and who is now jaded, angry and searching for a way out. In his introduction, Moore writes, "What makes these comments unique and so intense is the fact that they are not the words of the Left or the rhetoric of the antiwar movement—they are the war movement." It’s clear, however, that many of the contributors are Left-leaning or firmly in the Democrats’ camp. Not a word of dissension (and it’s safe to assume the Moore has received letters from those who don’t agree with him) is included here. Nevertheless, this collection packs the emotional punch of a SCUD missile and will open readers’ eyes to the fact that it’s not just the country that’s divided; the soldiers fighting overseas are, too.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
Filmmaker Michael Moore shares emails from his Web site, combining them into an audiobook. Multiple male and female readers bespeak the writers' anger, sorrow, and profanity. All the correspondence is from U.S. service members, and all letters support Moore's anti-Bush politics. The author reads a personal introduction, and a woman gives Moore's short acceptance speech for his Oscar in 2004. A change of narrator every minute or so delivers pleasant variety, and the care taken to match the voice with each letter's sender deserves praise. Still, the tedium produced by hearing five hours of disconnected paragraphs with the same message could have been lessened with a judicious abridgment. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Book Description
American soldiers serve willingly. They risk their lives so the rest of us can be safe. The one small thing they ask, though, is that they not be sent into harm's way unless it is absolutely necessary. But after being lied to about weapons of mass destruction and about the connection between al Qaeda and Iraq; after being forced by stop-loss orders to extend their deployment; after being undertrained, underequipped, and overworked long after George Bush declared Iraq "Mission Accomplished," these soldiers have something to say. From his famous 2003 Oscar acceptance speech to his record-breaking documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore has been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration and the war in Iraq. But in this book, Moore gives the spotlight to the real heroes of protest: the men and women who have fought in Iraq and want the American public to know how they feel about their mission and their commander in chief. Moore also fields letters from veterans of other wars and mothers, wives, and siblings of our heir anger and frustration, their tears and pain, and their hopes and prayers. Impassioned, accessible, and moving, these are letters that reveal the true hearts and minds of the men, women, and families on the front line.
Download Description
"American soldiers serve willingly. They risk their lives so the rest of us can be safe. The one small thing they ask, though, is that they not be sent into harm's way unless it is absolutely necessary. But after being lied to about weapons of mass destruction and about the connection between al Qaeda and Iraq; after being forced by stop-loss orders to extend their deployment; after being undertrained, underequipped, and overworked long after George Bush declared Iraq ""Mission Accomplished,"" these soldiers have something to say. From his famous 2003 Oscar acceptance speech to his record-breaking documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore has been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration and the war in Iraq. But in this book, Moore gives the spotlight to the real heroes of protest: the men and women who have fought in Iraq and want the American public to know how they feel about their mission and their commander in chief. Moore also fields letters from veterans of other wars and mothers, wives, and siblings of our heir anger and frustration, their tears and pain, and their hopes and prayers. Impassioned, accessible, and moving, these are letters that reveal the true hearts and minds of the men, women, and families on the front line. "
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