Reporting From Iraq, On The Ground in Fallujah is a young adult book about Ann Garrels and her time reporting on Iraq from 2003-2004. Despite being a very short read it actually covers some major points about journalism in Iraq during this period.
The main part of the book is obviously about the 2nd Battle of Fallujah in 2004 but it also covers the change in work environment that Garrels went through. She went to Iraq in October 2002 where she had a government minder who took her on authorized tours before the invasion. When she could she snuck off. Compare that to 2004-05 when Garrels had to dress in Iraqi women’s clothes to hide that she was an American out of fear that she would be attacked or kidnapped. This was a major issue and gave foreigners a taste of what it was like for regular Iraqis to lose any sense of security during the U.S. occupation.
Reporting From Iraq also gives a good impression of what it was like to embed with a U.S. unit. Garrels was with the 1st Battalion 3rd Marines Regiment in Fallujah. It had never seen combat before and some of the Marines expressed their apprehensions beforehand. When the battle of the city started she was mostly away from the frontlines but one time when she was with a combat unit it was hit by an RPG leading to some wounded.
The aftermath of the battle is the hardest hitting part of the story. Garrels went to the funeral for some of the Marines in the U.S. and saw their comrades break down and cry. One of the main impacts of embedding for a journalist was the bond that they formed with the troops they were working with and this was a perfect example.
For a kids book Reporting From Iraq is surprisingly good. It is all about the Americans which can be expected. It give a sense of what it was like to work in Iraq during the early occupation for a journalist. It also gives a taste of combat, losses and grief that U.S. forces faced. There’s no propaganda for the Bush administration. It just focuses upon a short snipped of Garrels’ time in Iraq.
Link to all of Musings On Iraq’s book reviews listed by topic
No comments:
Post a Comment