02 January 2008

The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family

by Martha Raddatz

From the publisher:
From ABC White House correspondent Martha Raddatz, 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, 8 Americans would be killed and more than 70 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.

Martha Raddatz is one of our most respected news journalists. As ABC's Senior National Security Correspon-dent, she reported extensively from Iraq. 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.

From LWBN:
This is the first softcover edition of a previously released hardback.