Outside the Wire: The War in Afghanistan in the Words of Its Participants
by Kevin Patterson
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A remarkable collection of first-hand accounts written by soldiers, doctors and aid workers on the front lines of Canada's war in Afghanistan. Visceral, intimate and captivating in ways no other telling could be, Outside the Wire features nearly two dozen stories by Canadians on the front lines in Afghanistan, including the previously unpublished letters home of Captain Nichola Goddard, the first female NATO soldier killed in combat, and an introductory reflection by Roméo Dallaire. show more Collected here are stories of battle and the more subtle engagements of this little-understood war: the tearful farewells; the shock of immersion into a culture that has been at war for thirty years; looking a suicide bomber in the eye the moment before he strikes; grappling with mortality in the Kandahar Field Hospital; and the unexpected humour that leavens life in a warzone. Throughout each piece the passion of those engaged in rebuilding this shattered country shines through, a glimmer of optimism and determination so rare in multinational military actions-and so particularly Canadian. In Outside the Wire, award-winning author Kevin Patterson and co-editor Jane Warren have rediscovered the valour and horror of sacrifice in this, the definitive account of the modern Canadian experience of war. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This book is a collection of first-hand accounts of Canadians who have been involved in the mission in Afghanistan, including the late Captain Nichola Goddard.
It's an absolutely priceless collection, written by those who might not even have had the intention to write and be published. Circumstances have made it that they write and tell their stories from their heart and soul, as profoundly, intimately and raw as one can imagine, and no matter how professional their writings are or not, there's no comparison, as far as I'm concerned, to someone who writes in the moment, because there just might not be a tomorrow to tell their stories. Captain Goddard's pages prove just that point.
A lot of terminology and jargons to sift through, but show more there's always the Internet, so it's never a challenge to read this book. Its urgent importance outweighs excuses to not read it.
And, any more review from me would just be disrespectful, to the storytellers, and to everyone who serves in Afghanistan. show less
It's an absolutely priceless collection, written by those who might not even have had the intention to write and be published. Circumstances have made it that they write and tell their stories from their heart and soul, as profoundly, intimately and raw as one can imagine, and no matter how professional their writings are or not, there's no comparison, as far as I'm concerned, to someone who writes in the moment, because there just might not be a tomorrow to tell their stories. Captain Goddard's pages prove just that point.
A lot of terminology and jargons to sift through, but show more there's always the Internet, so it's never a challenge to read this book. Its urgent importance outweighs excuses to not read it.
And, any more review from me would just be disrespectful, to the storytellers, and to everyone who serves in Afghanistan. show less
Moving in places, but very difficult for me, as a civilian, to understand all of the terminology.
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5 Works 519 Members
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Canadian Forces
- Important places
- Afghanistan
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- 41
- Popularity
- 715,755
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.83)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
