Negative Positive
Title: Decent, but flawed
Review: Mr. Atkinson is a gifted writer and this is a very readable book. As a military professional, I appreciated his conspicuous respect for the soldiers, officers and enlisted alike, with whom he lived and travelled. Embedding with the 101st Division HQ allowed unique access to the Division's General Officers, which yields an interesting perspective on their leadership styles and concerns sometimes at the expense of what might have been a more comprehensive account. I would give this particular effort 2.5 stars with the main downside being the author's clear and present disdain for the national command authority's decision to go to war in Iraq. I do not argue that the decisions made should not be scrutinized closely, but Mr. Atkinson addresses them only with matter of fact (and mostly contemptuous) comments. I enjoyed his writing enough to find An Army At Dawn in the library and am glad I did.
Is the review positive or negative? 