Customer Reviews

Marines in the Garden of Eden: The True Story of Seven Bloody Days in Iraq

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Richard, thank you for finally getting our story right. I know that it has taken you a few years now to research and write this book. There have been other authors who have tried to tell our story, but have fallen short. Thank you for taking your time and not trying to be the first to make a buck off of someone else's misery. This story that you have told shows the world what U.S. Marines are about and how we will always prevail no matter how bad the situation is and what the odds are. Every Marine from Private through General knows that the people of the United States depends on them to do their jobs no matter what the cost. These Marines will sacrifice their lives to make sure their brothers survive to complete the mission so the people of the United States are safe and that the American way of life is preserved. Again, thank you Mr. Lowry for telling our story and the story of the Marine Corps spirit. The spirit is alive and strong. Every Marine that gives his life for our country makes the spirit stronger. That spirit is in every Marine past and present and getting stronger every day. That is why we will never fail.

Always Faithful
SSgt William Schaefer
1/2 Cco

Richard Lowry has penned another important page in the history of the Corps. As one of the many Marines that took part in the Battle of An Nasiriyah I have read every book to date about the battle. Marines in the Garden of Eden is without a doubt the most accurate account of those seven days. Many questions about the battle have been answered for me.
I couldn't put it down. I had to go out and buy my wife her own copy, working on reading it for the third time.

Richard,
Thank you for telling our story.

Semper Fidelis

This is probably the best researched and most detailed account of the Battle of Nasiriyah I have read yet. It is well written and the text flows, never bogging down even when describing complex situations or military tactics and jargon.
I can attest to Richard's desire to present the most complete work as possible on this important battle as I was one of the many Marines interviewed.
Well done Richard. You have done our Marines, Sailors and Soldiers proud.
Semper Fidelis,
Joe

Richard Lowry's book is a very well researched and well written combat narrative about the battle for An Nasiriyah. He follows several company, battalion, and regimental size units from their deployment in theater through the battle, describing in gripping detail not only the courage and dedication of those involved, but also the chaos, confusion, and "fog of war" that is part of any battle in any age. Lowry spends equal time covering the good and the bad that was the battle, from well-executed movements to friendly fire incidents, combat deaths to humanitarian assistance, treating each with the same level of attention to detail. I particularly like the way Lowry catches the human side of the Marines involved by noting particular quotes or actions in the heat of combat that makes the Marines come alive and puts a human face on the struggle.
Through the highs and lows, the average grunt Marine shines through, and learning about the "ordinary" heroism that carried the day makes this book one of the better combat narratives I have read.

It is rare indeed that you will read a book about war that is so absorbing and entertaining; yet, it is as analytical and probing as any great history book can be. Richard S. Lowry has written the definitive accounting of the battles in and around An Nasiriyah. That includes what happened to Private Jessica Lynch and her fellow soldiers of the 507th Maintenance Company - their capture and misfortune and her eventual rescue from the hospital days later. In his book "Marines in the Garden of Eden," the whole story of this operation unfolds for you beginning well before the actual combat starts.

He brings to life the men and women in the various units from the privates to the generals; he lets you know them as people. His writing style is unique in the best of ways. He weaves in all the little details of what was going on by several groups involved in those early days of the war. He simultaneously chronicles the actions taken by each unit so that it gives you an almost god-like view point of the war. You could never experience it like this - even if you were actually there in all the action! His depictions of the battles are crisp and full of energy and give you that eye-witness feeling.

This is good reporting and good story telling. This book will be read by military historians for many long decades. It is well documented, well structured, and easy to read. It is also a great book just to kick back and read on the old sofa. This book receives the MWSA's TOP BOOK RATING of FIVE STARS! It is destined to become a classic book on the war in Iraq.

Mr. Lowry has done an outstanding job of capturing a few days of Marine involvement in the Iraq War. The first 100 pages keep your interest and draw you into the characters; the next 100 pages make the book difficult to put down; the remainder of the book makes it impossible to put down. Lowry tells the whole story of the battle, not pulling any punches, but adequately covering the good and the not so good...mistakes and mishaps made in the confusion of war are presented along with a description of our Marines in action that will make your chest swell with pride. Find a Marine, give him a hug, or maybe just shake his hand for being there for us.

I have recently read Richard Lowery's new book; Marines in the Garden of Eden. I also read William Endicott's review of it in the Sacramento Bee. Mr. Endicott quite simply has it wrong. Richard Lowery's book shows exhaustive research with numerous interviews with the participants of this battle. The book is an extraordinary account of heroism in the midst of the horror of a brutal battle. The depiction of the Marine's struggle to take the Iraqi city of An Nasiriyah and rescue the ambushed soldiers of the 507th Maintenance Company in spite of intense enemy fire and friendly fire incidents with US A-10 attack aircraft is utterly realistic and factual.

There is no mere flowery patriotism involved in what Richard Lowery has written. What his book shows is the struggle of a group of US Marines to fight fanatic Iraqi soldiers and paramilitaries and to save the lives of their fellow Marines under the most arduous of circumstances. These Americans in uniform were shown by Mr. Lowry to not merely fighting for our country, but also to save the lives of their fellow men and women in uniform, both Army soldiers and US Marines.

Richard also shows that the rescue of PFC Jessica Lynch was not staged for the benefit of the media. It is clear that the planning and execution of the rescue of the young private took no chances and assuming nothing but the worst case scenario.

If there is anything lacking, it is the information on what really happened to PFC Lynch and several American POWs from her unit. Richard assembles material that clearly shows that PFC was brutally abused during her captivity and strongly hints that the abuse continued even while she was held captive at Saddam Hospital. Richard was also unable to elaborate yet upon the murder of several American POWs as well. It is hoped that in a future paperback edition that the author will be able to supply additional information on the mistreatment of PFC Lynch and others....mistreatment not told to the public that prompted such attention and urgency by US Special Forces who came to her rescue."

Absolutely excellent!! As the father of a Charlie Co. 1/2 Marine who was there (and is in the book) I can say that this is the most well-written, extensively researched and comprehensive account of the Battle of Nasiriyah that I have read (and I've read them all). All of the previous writings were replete with factual errors, and were obviously written with the purpose of going to print as soon as possible, rather than accuracy.

I can personally attest to the lengths Mr. Lowry went to verify his information and to his desire to include the view from command on down to the grunt. I know that his overwhelming desire was to see that America NEVER forgets the sacrifices of our brave Marines, soldiers and sailors.

Thank you, Richard, for an excellent job!!

Mr. Lowry has done a superb job with his account of the Battle of Nasiriya and Task Force Tarawa's fight for this previously unknown city on the Euphrates River in Iraq. Starting with the ambush of the Army's 507th Maintenance Company and the capture of eight of its soldiers, including the now-famous PFC Jessica Lynch,this is the story of a battle that had to be won in order for the 1st Marine Division to march up to Baghdad. The dialogue, use of radio transmissions, and photographs provided by many of those who were there, give a "you are there" feeling.
It would have been desirable if more members of the 507th had been able or willing to share their experiences, but since they may be witnesses in any war-crimes prosecutions, that is understandable. About the only problem with the book is the lack of photos of some of the landmarks described: the Tykar Military Hospital (where Jessica was first treated), Saddam General Hospital (where she was held and rescued from), the Baath Party HQ (or what was left of it), and the air bases at Talil and Jaliabah. I would reccommend this book to anyone intereted in Modern Military History in general, and the USMC in particular. Well done, Rich.

When I received this book, I planned to read it over the next three to four weekends. It was so difficult to put down that I ended up spending the better part of the past weekend reading it. Neither I nor any member of my family has a military background, so I have no knowledge of the organization of the military, or of their weapons or vehicles. Still, I found this book enthralling because of the human interest the author was able to bring to it. This book brings new meaning to the words courage and dedication. Our troops are awesome indeed. I can only hope that this book gets the attention it deserves so we might be able to shift the focus from the very small number of our troops who do wrong to the tens of thousands who are sacrificing so much to do it right.