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Title: STRONG WRITING, PAINFUL HONESTY
Review: Mr. Hartley has given us a book of our times. He is literally on the ground of the World Trade Center after the planes hit and goes into Iraq with the invasion. There is a certain lack of pretension in his style and I feel that the writing and the photos he gives us are as close to the reality of being there without being there.He is not afraid to present himself as a humanist who is in love with the Army, which I am afraid will be far too complex for many who cannot reconcile that idea. His foibles, screw-ups, less than flattering lights are all in there.He says he has not read books of other wars and I believe him. If he did, the style and degree of openess would be very different. Without trying to be poetic or profound, he testifies to the day-to-day grind of trying to make a difference in the occupation of a hostile land.This is as real as it gets.
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