| In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point's Class of 2002 | 
 enlarge | List Price: $27.50
Buy New: $13.75
You Save: $13.75 (50%)
Buy New/Used from $13.75
Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 13 reviews)
Sales Rank: 10513
Category: Book
Author: Bill Murphy
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Studio: Henry Holt and Co.
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co.
Label: Henry Holt and Co.
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 080508679X
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.0092273
EAN: 9780805086799
ASIN: 080508679X
Publication Date: September 16, 2008
Release Date: September 16, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The dramatic story of West Point?s class of 2002, the first in a generation to graduate during wartime They came to West Point in a time of peace, but soon after the start of their senior year, their lives were transformed by September 11. The following June, when President George W. Bush spoke at their commencement and declared that America would ?take the battle to the enemy,? the men and women in the class of 2002 understood that they would be fighting on the front lines. In this stirring account of the five years following their graduation from West Point, the class experiences firsthand both the rewards and the costs of leading soldiers in the war on terror. In a Time of War focuses on two members of the class of 2002 in particular: Todd Bryant, an amiable, funny Californian for whom military service was a family tradition; and Drew Sloan, the hardworking son of liberal parents from Arkansas who is determined to serve his country. On the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, Todd, Drew, and their classmates?the army?s newest and youngest officers?lead their troops into harm?s way again and again. Meticulously reported, sweeping in scope, Bill Murphy Jr.?s powerful book follows these brave and idealistic officers?and their families?as they experience the harrowing reality of the modern battlefield. In a Time of War tells a vivid and sometimes heartbreaking story about courage, honor, and what war really means to the soldiers whose lives it defines.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 The Road from Idealism to disillusion ... November 9, 2008
Author Bill Murphy offers a compelling portrait of selected members of the West Point class of 2002, the first ones to graduate after 9/11 and help launch the global war on terrorism (GWOT). From patriotic fervor to growing disillusionment with the costs, aims and strategy of the war, the Army officers undergo a transformation. Some pay the ultimate sacrifice. Others bear surgical scars. Still others bear psychological wounds.
"In a Time of War" is not an anti-war polemic, but it will provide fodder for those who question America's strategy there. It will also offer a vivid portrait of the sacrifices called upon those who serve there.
My biggest issue with the book was that the cast of characters was so wide that it was difficult to keep track of the different subjects of the narrative. Old men start wars and young men fight them. "In a Time of War" illustrates the price paid by those young men
 Interesting November 8, 2008
I enjoyed this book. I thought that the author could have integrated the various soldiers' stories more cleanly than he did. The story about Todd Bryant is just tragic. Such a promising young man cut down in the prime of his life. And the effect on his wife was just devastating. It's interesting that even among West Point officers there is mixed support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If nothing else, this book puts names and faces to headlines.
Of course, as for the West Point mystique, I did not really get that. The book focuses more on the war than on West Point. As someone from a non-military family, I do not understand why West Point is the place it is. But then again I am an outsider not part of the military culture.
Good book.
Must Read November 4, 2008
As a veteran of the Iraq War, this book was deeply personal for me. If you are a veteran who hasn't reflected on your service, then you should read this book. I didn't know any of the young officers in the book, but I felt their struggles and their friendships because the book does an amazing job of demonstrating what it is like to serve. I feel as if most books either talk of the evils of the war and paint soldiers as victims of an out of control administration or they are Candyland sugar coated stories about the glory of serving. This book does neither. It is the true story of young officers experiencing the war. You get a sense of their love of country and their love for each other, but you will also understand their frustrations and their sadness. Soldiers are not one dimensional and this book shows their inner turmoil. I thank Bill Murphy for writing the book, but my fear is that it will only be read by those who already understand what it is to serve.
 In Time Of War October 30, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have a grandsond, class of 2002 who has been in Iraqi and wounded by IED, now in Afghanistan and a co. cmndr. It is well written but seems to co-op some of the content from The Long Road Home which was also a wonderful well written book.
works on several levels October 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Several authors have written about the West Point experience, but this one goes further. The author shows West Pointers after graduation in the distinctly non-glamorous jobs they do as Second Lieutenants.
Murphy blends the human interest stories of selected West Point graduates with a sobering account of life in a war zone. I was surprised to to learn how much drudgery and boredom coexist with the very real dangers of war. Apparently officers do a lot of counting and inventorying.
For the most part, these officers seemed to experience good leadership. One becomes aide to a particularly humane general. Another gets a special x-rated assignment when his commander realizes he's growing bored.
It's very hard to read parts of this book because Murphy spares nothing when he describes the deaths of these brilliant, idealistic young officers who are also very decent human beings. Most of us view war as senseless and these particular casualties seem to have no purpose.
It's easy to get engrossed in this book and, like many readers, I find myself wishing for a sequel. Where are these brave officers now?
|
|
|
