Fifteen Days

Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death From Inside the New Canadian Army, by Christie Blatchford.

Quickie Recap: Fifteen "important" days are highlighted from among Blatchford's trips to Afghanistan to spend time with the Canadian army. Unfortunately, "important" in this case means that shots were fired, lives were lost. Blatchford uses the tragedies to underscore the closeness of the army in ways that we don't normally hear from the media.

Quickie Review: Army books are a bit of a hard sell with me, but this book wasn't what I was expecting. It's not political, not remotely. It's about the people who are serving their country, and what that really means. Blatchford reports respectfully but she's not detached. These are real people she's writing about, and she lets us know it. I think that's why it resonates in the reader so strongly.

Quickie Recommendation: Despite the tightness in my chest, yes.