In Review

04 December 2008 03:21 BST

From Baghdad With Love by Lt Col Jay Kopelman

Published by Bantam Press, out April 2nd 2007, hardback, pp223, £12.99.

In a nutshell…

One Marine and his dog.

What's it all about?

A former US marine reveals the blood, sweat and tears reality of trying to make a difference in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. Sadly, however, in this real-life true story he decides to look beyond the all-too-obvious humanitarian crisis and focus instead on a "mangy, flea-ridden puppy".

Essentially a 200-page Sunday supplement feature, the tale revolves around this stray Iraqi puppy, stumbled on by chance and adopted on-the-spot by the marines. It then recounts the soldiers' attempts to evacuate this beloved pooch to the US in a calculated attempt to make middle-aged American housewives from Kansas to Colorado go "Awwwwww" in unison.

Who's it by?

Unsurprisingly, From Baghdad With Love is Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman's first book. What with being rather busy fighting toe-to-toe with Iraqi insurgents and all. He was drafted into Iraq in September 2004.

However, the book bears all the hallmarks of being totally ghost-written by co-writer Melinda Roth. A journalist by day, it's impossible not to detect her presence all over the skits cataloguing Iraqi casualties, military misinformation and condemnation of the war effort. At least Mrs Roth has pedigree - she previously wrote The Man Who Talks to Dogs.

As an example…

"Once the weather turns colder, he comes inside at night. That's when he starts bugging me, hanging around looking wide-eyed and cute, all paws and snuffles and innocence."

"In reality, when he isn’t asleep, he's anything but innocent."

Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster

If, heaven forbid, this dirge ever makes it to the supermarket shelves, don't bother looking for it in the non-fiction aisle. This book is so sickly sweet, it'll nestle comfortably between syrup and clotted cream. Such soppy sentimentalism, in fact, that surely even Disney would baulk at showing it on the silver screen.

What the others say

"One of a handful of heartwarming tales to emerge from the war in Iraq" - USA Today.

"This touching, often hairraising story of how a scrappy little puppy captured the heart of a tough-minded marine will move you to tears" - Zooba

So is it any good?

Any writer who exhaustively dissects a needle in a haystack risks missing out on the bigger picture. Now, readers might be entitled to expect that a former marine, lifting the lid on his time in Iraq, would have something interesting to say. And very occasionally, Jay Kopelman does.

However, then he remembers he's writing a soppy piece of fluff for dog-lovers everywhere and reverts to his default stance - puppy-eyed doting. It's a classic case of not being able to see the wood for all the trees.

Add to this the fact the book is woefully padded out, with blow-by-blow accounts of every dog charity email not fooling anyone. And for £12.99, it goes without saying you could buy at least six Sunday paper supplements of infinitely better quality - with enough left over to gorge in sickly syrup to your heart's content.

A missed opportunity to show what life's really like in Iraq, From Baghdad With Love is most definitely barking up the wrong tree.

2/10

Richard Frost

Your comments:

"Hmmm, a missed opportunity? I think not. It must be nice to be cosied up, languishing in our own importance. However, having personally seen the horrors of war, I feel this piece is inspiring and cleverly written. Perhaps the subtle title and prologue was not clear enough - "A Marine, A War, and a Dog Named Lava"..?? The storyline seems quite clear enough, and I feel we as the reader should feel honoured to have been given a "human" view of how troops in the warzone are faring. There are plenty of 'sunday papers' with the Associated Press' version of "life in Iraq", it is refreshing to hear it put so blatantly by somebody who is brave enough to write it! I beg of any readers to ignore Mr Frost's scathing review, and take a chance on this wonderfully refreshing book. Richard - too much 'literature' is boring, and so thus becomes the reviewer." - Nat Woods

"Regarding From Baghdad With Love, we have a phrase in the States and Canada that describes Mr Frost perfectly - he's an educated idiot. It's also quite clear he's never spoken to anyone who has seen service in any war, let alone the one in Iraq, or he'd have known that Lt Col Koeplman's voice is an authentic soldier's voice and Lava's rescue is, as the Colonel says, SOMETHING that was rescued from Iraq. But then, what do I know? I don't have Mr Frost's academic credentials; I'm merely the mother of a former Lava Dog who is now defusing bombs on the highway into Baghdad." - Karen Delaney

"A sad, sad review from a no mark that clearly has no clue about what soldiers go through on tour! It does exactly what it says on the tin, with some bitter undertones about the reality of the Iraq war. There is only one person 'missing the bigger' picture here, and it certainly wasn't Miss. Roth." - Sandy Martin

"I agree with Sandy Martin. The book reads to me as a genuine account of a wartorn environment. It does not come across as a work of fiction and is not in the least part soppy. Mr Frost seems to have missed the point doesn't he? I mean surely the book carries a deeper message. It is not so much about rescuing a cute little pupy dog, but more an account of how inhumane war is and what it does to humans. We are given a graphic account of the life of a marine in war torn Iraq and how even soldiers who kill their "enemy", never truly abandon their humanity.

It also reminds us of institutionalised violence because we are told that there were other dogs that were 'rescued' by soldiers, but which were not allowed to escape. Dogs that were actually destroyed simply for the sake of a rule. Indeed because of this absurd rule the book tells how people who wanted to save lava from the war were forced to risk their lives to get him out.

President Bush should read this and feel ashamed of this rule. There has to be a better way.
So in my view the book is not in the least 'a soppy piece of fluff', but rather a deeply philosophical and thought provoking account.

My congratulations to Mr Kopelman both for rescuing Lava and for having the courage to write the book. Well done." - Wendy James

"I would echo some of the previous comments left here and beg anybody reading this to pay no heed at all to Mr Frost's review. It must be great being Richard Frost, being able to basque in his own self-importance having left his compassion at the door. You don't have to have experienced combat to find Lt Col Kopelman's story moving and uplifting, or to understand the positive effect looking after animals can have on a person. This was an aboslutely wonderful story, told with a refreshing frankness and honesty. My congratulations to all those involved in Lava's rescue - your efforts have restored my faith in human nature - and my very best wishes to all those still involved in the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan." - Jamie Cunningham

"As a female who has recently become interesting in the Iraqi war over the last year, I found this book very interesting and Jay explains in great detail the events he was in, so well that I could actually visualise what he is describing at some places... I think he has a heart of gold and what he did for Lava was showing the highest level of humanity... I loved it...(Scottish reader) Well done to him - I think it was a hit!!!!" - Lynne Bennett