A Woman at War [Hardcover]

Molly Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 21, 1993

A journalist who accompanied a senior commanding general as he led his troops into battle during Desert Storm gives an insider's view of the heroism and tragedy that she witnessed on the front line. 10,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

By circumventing the Pentagon's restrictive media-pool system, Moore became the only American reporter to get a sustained close-up view of ground operations throughout the Gulf War. Senior military correspondent for the Washington Post at the time, she had the good fortune to observe the campaign with the cooperation of Lt. Gen. Walter Boomer, commander of the Marine expeditionary force, who made her privy to inner-council deliberations and provided access to his troops in the field. The resulting report is by far the most vivid and informative account to date of the 100-hour ground war. Her respect for Boomer and his Marines is evident. She portrays theater commander Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, however, as a tyrannical blowhard who misled the U.S. public with his press-conference assurances that the Gulf War was perfectly planned, perfectly executed and virtually bloodless. Moore's book contains some of the finest war reporting of the past half-century. She is currently New Delhi bureau chief of the Washington Post.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

For woman or man, soldier or journalist, war is hell; war is hilarious; war is ironic. Washington Post reporter Moore's story is timeless, and her tales of "storming Kuwait" with Lt. Gen. Walter Boomer, commander of the U.S. Marine forces, and with some of the colonels and privates who served under him are dramatic and all-too-human. If there is a flaw here, it is that the episodes seem almost disconnected and chaotic, like any war viewed from up close. Moore's outrage over the "spin doctors" and "Neanderthals" in Washington who objected to her and other journalists' high-level access and potential compromise of military planning deserves more deliberate study than the angry afterthought at the end of this book. For popular collections.
- John Yurechko, Georgetown Univ., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 1ST edition (June 21, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068419418X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684194189
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,564,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Provides exciting real life dimension to the "TV war", March 7, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Woman at War (Hardcover)

Ms. Moore has provided a gripping account of her experiences as a reporter covering America's permier fighting force, the U.S. Marine Corps, during Desert Shield/Storm. She is the first woman reporter to have operated in such a capacity. Her accounts of wartime preparations and operations is insightful. Of particular significance is her chronological reporting of the command and staff planning actions by General Boomer and his staff. The personal narratives provided by the combat troops is fast-paced and gives great insight into the human side of the modern battlefield.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Accurate description of the ground war., August 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Woman at War (Hardcover)

Not a bad account of the ground war - main reason I comment here is because I am the "young captain" and "young intelligence officer" and participated in the events as described on pages 233-235, 239-241, and 245-248. Stumbled across this book and was pleasantly surprised that a "ground level" view of the ground campaign was presented. Dave Dilegge

5.0 out of 5 stars He was there!, April 29, 2010

By 

MsMarti (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Woman at War (Paperback)

This book was recommended reading by someone who was there, and is mentioned indirectly (not by name) in the book.

I was told, if you really want to find out what it was like, go read this book! Quit asking me questions until you have read the book, then come talk to me! So I did.

My favorite part? When they talk about the troubles Molly Moore was having getting her dispatches sent out to her editor. It really brings home why "loose lips sink ships".