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From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava
From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava

 enlarge 		Authors: Jay Kopelman, Melinda Roth
Publisher: The Lyons Press
Category: Book

List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $6.95
You Save: $8.00 (54%)



New (33) Used (17) from $4.75

Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars 121 reviews
Sales Rank: 7916

Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7

ISBN: 1599211823
Dewey Decimal Number: 956.70443092
EAN: 9781599211824
ASIN: 1599211823

Publication Date: June 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 121
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1 out of 5 stars There is More to This Story   September 8, 2008
 1 out of 18 found this review helpful

Those of us who were there, and knew Lava from his first discovery by Marines, thought he was a cute and wonderful animal. But consider that for every hour of attention that LtCol Kopelman devoted to rescuing a puppy, he spent one less hour training the Iraqi forces (his mission). Thousands of other Marines and Soldiers, who put their lives on the line day in and day out during the second battle of Fallujah in a far more visceral and dangerous way than the author, didn't have the luxury of rescuing puppies. They didn't have the luxury of a LtCol's paycheck. They didn't have the luxury of pathos-laden tomes upon their return. They certainly don't have the luxury of royalties, fame, and speaking tours. The other side of this story, unfortunately, is about an officer whose commitment should have been to his fellow Marines and his mission, not to the rescue of a puppy (no matter how wonderful a dog he was).


4 out of 5 stars Not just for dog lovers   September 4, 2008
This is an interesting book to get a soldier's perspective of the war in Iraq. It's not the best written book but if you understand it's not fine literature going into it then you'll be fine. I think everyone should know what's going on over there -- what our soldiers are going through for us here back at home.

Thank you LTC Kopelman for your service to our country and for writing a book about your experiences. I am so happy for you that Lava came into your life.


5 out of 5 stars A Moving Tale   August 26, 2008
This is a nice little novel about, as I'm sure you already know, a group of Marines who come across a very young puppy who they named "Lava" and "unofficially" adopt him, despite orders that prohibit soldiers from keeping pets.

It's a simple book written by a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps who grew attached to the puppy and made it his mission to save the dog. Some other reviewers complain it's poorly written and has too much profanity throughout the story. Well, when you take into consideration the author, the story, where the story takes place, etc...it's perfect.

The author, Jay Kopelman, does an excellent job of making you at least comprehend just a fraction of what he and thousands of other soldiers go through while serving in Iraq and you quickly understand why saving at least one life in Iraq was so important to him and everyone else involved in getting Lava to the U.S.

Any dog lover will understand how Lava impacted the life of a Marine serving in a place like Iraq and will understand the emotional roller coaster Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman went through, even if he's unable to put that part of the experience down in words. And this story makes you realize there's more to the war on terror than killing and being killed for the men and women who serve their country with honor and distinction.


3 out of 5 stars Could Have Been So Much Better   June 12, 2008
 1 out of 7 found this review helpful

I had heard about Lava the dog and the many pitfalls it took to overcome to get him home and so I couldn't wait to finally read the book. Unfortunately, this book does not live up to it's potential. It could have been a real gem had the author perhaps had a lot more help from a more experienced writer.

I'm surprised this book had two authors and quite possibly an editor and yet, it's so choppy and poorly written and dare I say, juvenile at times and I'm not talking about the profanity sprinkled throughout the book either. I'm not tremendously offended by profanity. In this case, I didn't feel it added or detracted from the book for me. The problem here is vocabulary. For example, there are several passages where the author used one word or one phrase over and over and over. In one passage it's the word "weird" when he's trying to explain to the reader how being in Iraq was and in another passage it's the phrase "at least" that begins every sentence for at least a paragraph. Maybe someone can gift him a thesaurus.

Frankly, until I read the interview between Amazon and the author, I would have just given the book 1 star because if the subject matter of the book wasn't so attractive, I doubt it would ever have gotten published. In the interview above at least, he does seem to have a more diverse vocabulary than was apparent in the book.

Another thing I found extremely difficult to get past was a passage where the author describes those who join the Army as basically losers, the guys who couldn't get the girl, who didn't play sports and who just weren't "good" enough was the impression I got. So unnecessary to the story and in my opinion, absolutely NOT true.

One last thing that gave me pause was the way he described himself getting into the faces of Iraqi's and hollering at them, including profanity which he insisted the interpreter include when relaying it back. Maybe they needed it, I don't know, I wasn't there but all I could think of while reading that was that's the sort of behavior that quite possibly could cost lives down the line. It's sort of like you can criticize your own children but woe unto those who are NOT a part of your family criticizing them. It just doesn't fly and even the author comes to realize this later in the book.

I don't know if I can honestly say this book is worth reading. I gave it two stars because I love dogs and found the subject matter appealing. The rest of the book just wasn't up to par to me and if you are looking to read down-to-earth, I-Was-There accounts of the goings on in Iraq or poignant, heartwarming stories about dogs then there are much better books out there on those subjects.


4 out of 5 stars Love and War   June 10, 2008
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is not a book I would have ever picked up on my own. Although I love and care about dogs, and all animals, with a passion, I generally don't have any interest in reading true-life "My Dog and Me" stories. However, my mother highly recommended it and now I'm glad I read it, because it made the war more real to me that just about anything else has.

The heart of the story is, of course, the dog Lava, but this book is much more than a story about a dog. The tagline is "A Marine, the War, and a Dog..." for a reason. Lava is the vehicle for Kopelman's journey, and it makes for a powerful story of war and healing. Nowhere is this more evident than the chapter where Kopelman sits at home, in the agonizing hours he waits for news of Lava's escape and at the same time details the deaths and atrocities occurring in Iraq at the same time as all this effort is being exerted for a puppy.

Honestly, I didn't love the writing, but it was effective. Kopelman is obviously a smart and capable guy, and the book reads as though he is sitting in the room with you, relating this crazy story over dinner and a beer. He is honest and emotional about all sides of the war, Marines, and himself, for good and bad. I liked him and was rooting for him as much as the dog. The questions raised by the war for all of us are the questions Kopelman is faced with in person, in the form of a scruffy puppy he finds in his boot. He addresses these questions, if not eloquently, than at least thoroughly and with feeling. He makes his choice, as we all must, and he has to live with it, as do we all. Though it may have been a bit heavy-handed at times, this book brought together many issues, and many facets of each, into one emotional package, and it made me think as well as feel.


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