Dexter Filkins' credentials are unparalleled. As a journalist for the Los Angeles Times and New York Times, he has essentially lived in Iraq and Afghanistan for the past ten years- witnessing the pre-9/11 Taliban, the Battle of Fallujah, and everything in between. Filkins has sacrificed much to report on these troubled regions, surviving countless near-death encounters and attempts on his life. He is a journalist with unmatched credibility, and an observer who has experienced the tragedy of the "Global War on Terror" the way American soldiers have- grieving for it as its promise passed by.

Straightforward and honest, Filkins' memoir, The Forever War, is a gripping read. As a veteran, I consider Filkins to be one of my own because he has shared both my experience and perspective and like me, become numb to the sadness of it all. What I find compelling, however, is his ability to find empathy for everyone involved, and to report without the prejudice veterans sometimes retreat to. What ties all of his experiences together are the frightening reality and finality of violence, and the maddening realization of how good intentions can go bad when opposing cultures collide. This is the street-level view.