Bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Chris Hedges and journalist Laila Al-Arian spent several months interviewing Iraqi war veterans to expose the patterns of the occupation and how it affects Iraqi civilians. The testimonies of these soldiers and marines provide a disturbing window into the indiscriminate killing of unarmed and innocent Iraqis that is carried out daily by the occupation forces.
Collateral Damage is organized around key military operations on the battlefield—convoys, checkpoints, detentions, raids, suppressive fire, and "hearts and minds." Hedges and Al-Arian uncover how the very conduct of the war and occupation have turned the American forces into agents of terror for most Iraqis. The military convoys that speed through the centers of towns, often driving on the wrong side of the street or on sidewalks, have become trains of death. Soldiers fire upon Iraqi vehicles with impunity at checkpoints; pregnant women being rushed to the hospital have been killed at roadblocks when their husbands failed to slow down, and children have watched in horror as their parents have been killed.
Hedges and Al-Arian show how this widespread pattern of civilian killing has fueled the insurgency in Iraq, giving rise to instability, sectarian violence, and total chaos.
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"I had to put it down after the first page because I was getting a knot in my throat, watery eyes and a flushed face. Every responsible U.S. citizen needs to read this stuff. "
— Eduardo (5 out of 5 stars)
“Lloyd James has a gentle but solid voice…Listeners will be moved by the restraint and resolve in his voice as he recounts some of the more disastrous events.”
— Publishers WeeklyNarrator Lloyd James...delivers a respectful and ultimately powerful reading.
— AudioFile“Narrator Lloyd James…delivers a respectful and ultimately powerful reading.”
— AudioFile" The dispicable and inhumane treatment of Iraqi civilians is hauntingly recounted by U.S. military veterans of the Iraqi conflict. I was not surprised but I still was horrified by the stories told. Quick read if you are interested in the topic "
— Robin, 6/27/2013" I had to put it down after the first page because I was getting a knot in my throat, watery eyes and a flushed face. Every responsible U.S. citizen needs to read this stuff. "
— Eduardo, 6/3/2012" Important, well researched book about the war in Iraq on the ground, hidden by the news media. Based on interviews with those who fought the war. Recommended! "
— Kriyakid, 5/30/2012" Confirms what is inferred from the news of the Iraq occupation. "
— Peter, 2/1/2012" It's easy to forget the wars going on. This book is collected from interview with american soldiers about their experiences in Iraq. It's not glamorous or pretty. It's bad. I recommend it highly. "
— Petter, 2/13/2011" A fair reflection on the base nature of war. I felt for both the iraqi citizens and young soldiers portrayed in this book, there are no winners here. "
— Grahammu, 2/2/2011" Important, well researched book about the war in Iraq on the ground, hidden by the news media. Based on interviews with those who fought the war. Recommended! "
— Kriyakid, 1/11/2011" It's easy to forget the wars going on. This book is collected from interview with american soldiers about their experiences in Iraq. It's not glamorous or pretty. It's bad. I recommend it highly. "
— Petter, 12/22/2010" Confirms what is inferred from the news of the Iraq occupation. "
— Peter, 2/11/2010" The dispicable and inhumane treatment of Iraqi civilians is hauntingly recounted by U.S. military veterans of the Iraqi conflict. I was not surprised but I still was horrified by the stories told. Quick read if you are interested in the topic "
— Robin, 8/14/2009Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, host of the Emmy Award–nominated RT America show On Contact, and author of two New York Times bestsellers. War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He was a foreign correspondent and bureau chief in the Middle East and the Balkans for fifteen years for the New York Times. He previously worked overseas for the Dallas Morning News, Christian Science Monitor, and NPR. He holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard University and has taught at Columbia University, New York University, Princeton University, and the University of Toronto. He has taught college credit courses through Rutgers University since 2013 in the New Jersey prison system.
Laila Al-Arian is a freelance journalist living in New York. A graduate of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, she has interned for USA Today and Nation magazine and has written for the United Press International, the Dupont Current newspaper, and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.
Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been a working professional actor in theater, film, television, and voice-overs for more than thirty years. He has narrated over one thousand audiobooks and won numerous Earphones Awards and nominations for the Audie Award and the Voice Arts Award. He holds a BFA degree in acting from Santa Fe University, New Mexico.