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In The Company of Soldiers (Abridged): A Chronicle of Combat in Iraq Audiobook
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(3.05) - 561 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
For soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division, the road to Baghdad began with a midnight flight out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in late February 2003. For Rick Atkinson, who would spend nearly two months covering the division for The Washington Post, the war in Iraq provided a unique opportunity to observe today's U.S. Army in combat.
Granted complete access to the commanders and troops of the 101st, Atkinson saw their war from the preparations in Kuwait through the occupation of Baghdad. As the war unfolded, he witnessed the division's struggles to overcome a murderous attack by one of its own soldiers, a disastrous Apache helicopter raid, and fierce resistance from guerrilla diehards in Najaf, Karbala, and Hilla.
At the center of Atkinson's drama stands the compelling figure of Major General David H. Petraeus, described by one comrade as "the most competitive man on the planet." Atkinson observes Petraeus as he teaches, goads, and leads his troops and subordinate commanders in several intense battles. All around Petraeus, we watch the men and women of a storied division grapple with the challenges of waging war in an unspeakably harsh environment. But even as the military wins an overwhelming victory, we also see portents of the battles that would haunt the occupation in the long months ahead.
In the Company of Soldiers is a dramatic, utterly fresh view of the modern American soldier in action from the premier military historian of his generation.
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"A very interesting account of the invasion of Iraq. The author follows the 101st Airborne lead by current Head of Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Petraeous, in the lead up and the intial faze of the war in Iraq. You meet many of the officers involved in the planning and execution of the invasion plan. The behind-the-scenes look at how the invasion plan changes from hour to hour is most profound aspect of the book. It is not so much a infantry story, most of the novel is spent with the officers discussing strategy, the military heirarchy and political ideas. The background information about the military men involved is a nice addition to the novel, especially the focus on the other campaigns these soldiers have been through. The author consistently compares the present military battles, engagements and tatics with the past exploits of the American military with aplumb. This aspect of the novel was the most enjoyable aspect for this reader, the direct comparsion between the conversations between officers and military engagements, and the long history of the military."
— Patrick (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A beautifully written and memorable account of combat from the top down and bottom up as the 101st Airborne commanders and frontline grunts battle their way to Baghdad…A must-read.”
— Tom Brokaw -
“Intimate, vivid, and well-informed…On the field of battle where more than 770 journalists were ‘embedded,’ Atkinson stood apart as one of the very rare war correspondents who are also fine military historians.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“An engaging and accurate view of life on the ground during the Iraq war. It likely will be the Embedded Book to Read.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“A perceptive, exciting, and engaging book. The battle scenes are heart-pounding narratives.”
— Washington Post Book World -
“A fascinating first-hand account.”
— Economist -
“A thoroughly engrossing look at the strategies, personalities, and struggles of waging modern warfare…Atkinson’s perspective, combined with a direct, economical writing style, allows him to present sides to the war not often seen or considered.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“An exceptional achievement…With a skill rarely seen in the genre of military narratives, Atkinson tells a compelling story about the war and the modern American military that fought it.”
— Indianapolis Star -
“The best account yet to come out of the Iraq War…The son of an army officer and thoroughly up to date on the modern American army, the author pays an eloquent and incisive tribute to how the men and women of the 101st won their part of the war in Iraq, in a manner that bears comparison to his Pulitzer-winning WWII volume, An Army at Dawn. Superb writing and balance make this the account to beat.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“A narrative that is rich in immediacy, yet seasoned with thoughtful analysis…This is a candid, well-paced work by a writer with an appreciation for the region’s culture and geography.”
— School Library Journal -
“As current history, Atkinson’s excellent reportage will be intently read, both as a tableau of contemporary martial argot and ethos, and for officers’ thoughts about their assignment in Iraq.”
— Booklist
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
In The Company of Soldiers Listener Reviews
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" Behind the scenes account of the US invasion of Iraq. Atkinson was an embed with the 101st Airborne. Fascinating view of an army at work. "
— Steven, 2/3/2014 -
" This was a bit of a dry boring book but it did give a pretty good insight about the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Rick Atkinson is obviously a strong opponent of Bush and the military in general. Most of this book is spent on bashing the Bush administration and declaring our military incompetent. This takes up most of the book and there is very little description of the actual war. "
— Lee, 1/25/2014 -
" This was a good book for the subject matter, however, this is not my genre so I stopped reading it with about 100 pages to go. I'm glad I read what I read, but just wanted to move on to other books. "
— Dominique, 1/11/2014 -
" Detailed look at the division going to war. Excellent study of Petraeus. Forget the scandal headlines and read this to see why he's o e of the better commanders that this nation has produced. "
— Brian, 1/9/2014 -
" I couldn't put this one down. "
— Keith, 1/7/2014 -
" I think Rick Atkinson is the best historical journalist of our time and in 2003 he was embedded with the 101st Airborne, walking the same point in history as the soldiers themselves and he does his ever-perfect job of describing it as a chronicler. "
— Stephen, 1/7/2014 -
" This book is about Iraq, not so much about the battles or the political aspect of it all, but about the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division and how they fight their battles. Not dry history but living breathing people. "
— Pam, 12/14/2013 -
" Well written, insightful and approachable. A compelling overview of the strategy of the first phase of this Iraq war and the initial approach to Baghdad - same timeframe as Generation Kill, but with a focus on the thought process and challenges of General Petraeus. "
— Kimberly, 12/10/2013 -
" Very different tone from his Liberation Trilogy (An Army at Dawn; etc). This is a personal journal of his time embedded with 101 Airborne. It provides a more immediate chronicle of day-to-day life with the division. A good read. "
— Rod, 12/4/2013 -
" He makes the details interesting. "
— Janet, 10/28/2013 -
" Good audio book, though abridged....why? Interesting view of the war from a journalist's eyes. good portrayal of petreus. "
— Jose, 10/26/2013 -
" Objective overview of operations of 101st Airborne Division in Iraq in 2003. Just the right amount of detail and also interesting historical information about the region. "
— Bryant, 10/23/2013 -
" outstanding. learned a lot about the mindset of generals fighting a modern "Rumsfeld" war. "
— Chris, 3/14/2013 -
" Nice overview of the start of the Iraq war from the perspective of the 101st Airborne division and General David Petraeus..... "
— Michael, 12/25/2012 -
" Great book on the invasion of Iraq. It plays more from the perspective of the Generals (specifically General Petreus) than regular soldiers, but it provides great insight into what they were thinking as the invasion happened. "
— Larry, 11/25/2012 -
" It was well written and the author had great insight into the Army (101 Airborne Division) as they deployed to Iraq and moved into Baghdad. "
— Jonathan, 11/5/2012 -
" An insider's perspective on the decision-making of commanders in the 101st Airborne Division during the Iraq war. There's a lot of military jargon, but this is much more about the personalities of the leaders of men, primarily General Petraeus, and those that served with him and for him. "
— Mark, 9/20/2012 -
" This book can be safely ignored with no loss to critical understanding. There haven't been any really good books written yet about the Iraq war--probably won't for a few years. "
— Craig, 8/26/2012 -
" What do you believe about the Iraq War? This book may not change that, but if your mind is open you may see it differently after reading it. Very well researched and well told narrative by an embedded reporter close to Gen. David Petraeus in the first weeks of the invasion. Real close. "
— Joel, 6/15/2012 -
" Eh, it was okay. I mean, it was sort of interesting, but nothing about the book really grabbed me. "
— Jennie, 6/11/2012 -
" The author's account of the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and their trek to Baghdad in February 2003. I don't know all the politics behind the soldiering but I really liked this book. "
— Rae, 9/22/2011 -
" As a military history lover, I thought this was a great read. A very tiny bity liberal but factual and interesting. I'm a big fan of General Petraeus. Let's you into the day-to-day operations of a military leader in the middle of a war. "
— Tina, 5/10/2011 -
" Should be entitled In the company of colonels and generals... Terrible book. What a waste. I wanted to read about soldiers' accounts of the war they fought for the US and got this instead. Bummer. "
— Etienne, 3/22/2011 -
" An intersting account from a Pulitzer prize-winning author embedded with the 101st during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. "
— Tim, 3/9/2011 -
" An insider's perspective on the decision-making of commanders in the 101st Airborne Division during the Iraq war. There's a lot of military jargon, but this is much more about the personalities of the leaders of men, primarily General Petraeus, and those that served with him and for him. "
— Mark, 1/8/2011 -
" Eh, it was okay. I mean, it was sort of interesting, but nothing about the book really grabbed me. "
— Jennie, 10/2/2010 -
" Great book on the invasion of Iraq. It plays more from the perspective of the Generals (specifically General Petreus) than regular soldiers, but it provides great insight into what they were thinking as the invasion happened. "
— Larry, 8/19/2010 -
" Good audio book, though abridged....why? Interesting view of the war from a journalist's eyes. good portrayal of petreus. "
— Jose, 7/30/2010 -
" outstanding. learned a lot about the mindset of generals fighting a modern "Rumsfeld" war. "
— Chris, 7/3/2010 -
" As a military history lover, I thought this was a great read. A very tiny bity liberal but factual and interesting. I'm a big fan of General Petraeus. Let's you into the day-to-day operations of a military leader in the middle of a war. "
— Tina, 6/1/2010 -
" Behind the scenes account of the US invasion of Iraq. Atkinson was an embed with the 101st Airborne. Fascinating view of an army at work. "
— Steven, 5/14/2010 -
" Nice overview of the start of the Iraq war from the perspective of the 101st Airborne division and General David Petraeus..... "
— Michael, 3/13/2010 -
" Well written, insightful and approachable. A compelling overview of the strategy of the first phase of this Iraq war and the initial approach to Baghdad - same timeframe as Generation Kill, but with a focus on the thought process and challenges of General Petraeus. "
— Kimberly, 1/26/2010 -
" I think Rick Atkinson is the best historical journalist of our time and in 2003 he was embedded with the 101st Airborne, walking the same point in history as the soldiers themselves and he does his ever-perfect job of describing it as a chronicler. "
— Stephen, 12/16/2008 -
" This was a good book for the subject matter, however, this is not my genre so I stopped reading it with about 100 pages to go. I'm glad I read what I read, but just wanted to move on to other books. "
— Dominique, 11/6/2008
About Rick Atkinson
Rick Atkinson, a former staff writer and senior editor at the Washington Post, is the highly acclaimed author of several books of military history. An Army at Dawn won the Pulitzer Prize for History, and The Guns at Last Light was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Among his many accolades and awards are the George Polk Award, the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award, the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize, the Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award, the Axel Springer Prize, and the Henry Adams Prize, among others.