The Long Road Home, Martha Raddatz
The Long Road Home, Martha Raddatz
3 Rating(s)
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The Long Road Home
A Story of War and Family

Author: Martha Raddatz

Narrator: Joyce Bean

Unabridged: 9 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/04/2007


Synopsis

From ABC White House correspondent Martha Raddatz comes the story of a brutal forty-eight-hour firefight that conveys in harrowing detail the effects of war not just on the soldiers but also on the families waiting back at home.

In April 2004, soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division were on a routine patrol in Sadr City, Iraq, when they came under surprise attack. Over the course of the next forty-eight hours, eight Americans would be killed and more than seventy wounded. Back home, as news of the attack began filtering in, the families of these same men, neighbors in Fort Hood, Texas, feared the worst. In time, some of the women in their circle would receive "the call"—the notification that a husband or brother had been killed in action. So the families banded together in anticipation of the heartbreak that was certain to come.

The firefight in Sadr City marked the beginning of the Iraqi insurgency, and Martha Raddatz has written perhaps the most riveting account of hand-to-hand combat to emerge from the war in Iraq. This intimate portrait of the close-knit community of families Stateside—the unsung heroes of the military—distinguishes The Long Road Home from other stories of modern warfare, showing the horror, terror, bravery, and fortitude not just of the soldiers who were wounded and killed but also of the wives and children whose lives now are forever changed.

About Martha Raddatz

Martha Raddatz is a senior national security correspondent at ABC. A two-time Emmy Award winner, she was recently named chief White House correspondent for ABC News and has appeared on Nightline, Larry King Live, The Charlie Rose Show, Washington Week, and many other news programs. The Long Road Home is her first book.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Abby on June 05, 2011

I started reading this book about part of the war in Iraq the same night I finished watching the movie "127 Hours" about the guy who got trapped in a canyon and cut his own arm off to survive. The movie was pretty gory, obviously. The first few pages of this book are also pretty gory. I ususally do......more

Goodreads review by Jimmy on August 07, 2016

This book is a detailed look at an ambush that took place in what is known as the Sadr City slum section of Baghdad. A massive rescue effort happened later. Finally, 8 soldiers were killed and many dozens injured. "Some guys have seen things that no one ever wants to see. . . . I understand now what......more

Goodreads review by Kym on January 25, 2021

Raw courage, pride, fear, sacrifice, pain, grief, retaliation, and lives forever changed by war. While I will not mention the names of any characters in this book, reading about what they faced, the permanent scars the soldiers of war were branded with, and the PTSD they experienced, whether they wer......more

Goodreads review by Carol on April 05, 2021

Absolutely a first-rate book. I would give it ten stars if I could! Martha Raddatz is the only major network reporter I've ever seen who really gets the military and has respect for all ranks and all family members. She never condescends, never patronizes, and always tells the facts. The Iraq War wa......more

Goodreads review by Abby on April 30, 2012

Stealing away the heart word by word. Nothing could make you want to say a bad think about this book. You feel for the family and may even think of your own experience. Martha Raddatz book The Long Road Home is a heart grabbing book. Freedom isn't as free as it is made out to be. Without all the......more