Customer Reviews

House to House: An Epic Memoir of War

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David Bellavia's "House to House" is indispensable reading for anyone in search of an unvarnished view of the infantry soldier in modern combat. Told in all its graphic detail are the exertions, weaponry, wounds, tactics, and the camaraderie of the infantry squad. Your squad leader, SSG Bellavia, will lead you step-by-step through one of the goriest battles of Operation Iraqi Freedom: the Second Battle of Fallujah. He will speak to you as all squad leaders do by using some of the most creative forms of profanity possible. All who will read this--the very best narrative to come from Operation Iraqi Freedom--will understand the terror and hardship the infantryman must endure. However, only those who have served will understand the bonds that bind SSG Bellavia's band of brothers. And only those with honor will understand why they consider this job both a duty and a privilege.

This book made my heart pound and hands sweaty. I had no idea of the visceral impact this story would have. This book describes true horrors of close-in combat in the most modern context.

Both sides in this battle were unbelievably brave and uncompromising. The mujahedeen wanted to die for their cause and take as many Americans with them as they could. The Americans put into this battle were hardened, battle-tested warriors that would never give up either.

This story shows how violent house-to-house military battle in a city can be. There's no medical service close by, no way one can get clean or even feel safe for a few minutes. David Bellavia (Bell) was with a platoon that suffered lots of deaths and probably nobody wasn't injured. Somehow these young men fought day after day with little to no rest or sleep, and even continued after becoming sick and with infected wounds.

Toward the end of the book I felt angry as anyone would when the men in Bell's platoon returned from the battle and were unable to get a meal. Momentarily safe in the rear, they were not important enough to be served chow at the time. This part of the story was also difficult to get through but for completely different reasons than the fighting part. I keep thinking about it and what it meant because I don't want to believe that bravery and sacrifice is inconsistent with getting ahead within the military. The pogues, or what the late Colonel David Hackworth called REMFs, seem very important when soldiers return from the field. It's not fair.

Bellavia discovered in his big fight in one house that the enemies fought in Fallujah included Shiia fighters, if I am correct. I didn't see anything about this in the regular media. House to House is not only an action-packed and terrifying story. It's also highly informative regarding the War in Iraq and the 2nd Battle of Fallujah in particular.

This is a gripping and fascinating account of an Army Infantryman's account of his experience in the battle for Fallujah. It is truly well written, incredible, and a definite page turner. I really enjoyed this book. If one were into first hand accounts of battle, I recommend this as a good read, albeit brief.

"House to House" is a brutal, profane account of a US Army platoon in Iraq, written by a Sergeant who led the action. It is a "can't put the book down" thriller that details the killing of both his own troops and the enemy insurgents. This is what war is all about.
The book's final chapters left me exhausted, describing in great detail hand-to-hand, close quarters combat, at times challenging the believability of it all.