Fools Rush in: A True Story of Love, War, and Redemption

by Bill Carter

Book Overview

Some trips are chosen, others choose you. When tragedy strikes Bill Carter's life he finds himself drawn to a war zone. In the modern heart of darkness, the besieged city of Sarajevo, we meet a man... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932958509
• ISBN13: 9781932958508
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Wenner Books
• Length: 380 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

War and Love - a really powerful story

I loved this book. It was raw and powerful and really moved me. This book touches on a couple of key themes - war and love. I found it a really powerful commentary on the politics of war, without being a political polemic. Equally,anyone who has experienced the death of someone young and close to them will find a kindred spirit which may make the experience less lonely. The only time Carter lost me was when he describes his experiences with U2. He comes across as bit of a victim, a bit too self pitying. This is a problem only because it is at odds with the rest of the book which has such a tone of endurance and spirit.

Truely a story of love and war

This emotionaly moving story encompasses all facets of human emotion and should truely be read by everyone.

Not what I expected

Someone at a youth hostel in Ireland gave me this book back last summer when they heard that I was into traveling in the areas that Bill wrote about. I read it on a lark because at that point I had ran out of everything else to read and was down to my guidebooks-always a last resort! I was very engrossed once I began it, and didn't put it down until I finished it. Not exactly a travelogue, or a war diary, or even a memoir in the traiditional sense, yet it manages to combine elements of all three effectively. Don't let this little gem slip away. Once you read it, the characters will become so real to you and their situations so familiar that you'll feel as if you went through the Sarajevan seige yourself.

Once In A Lifetime

I admit I was partially drawn to this book because of it's connection with U2, and I am a huge U2 fan. The storyline hooked me though, I heard about it through different websites and I decided I had to read it. I am so thankful that I did. This book was amazing, there is no other way to describe it. This is one of the best books I have ever read in my life and I have read many books. No other book resonated with me so deeply (expect Hemingway, Plath and a few others). I can not pinpoint what I felt connected to most, the people or the beauty in darkness. It was probably the latter, I read this book and it made me want to live more so than I had before. Ever since I was eleven or twelve, when I first heard U2, I felt I had found a purpose, a goal in life to do something worthy. Many say that it's a dream, unattainable and a waste of time. This book made me believe in the dreams I've had and those I will have. I can not say it enough, this book was AMAZING. Bill Carter has a gift, the gift of relaying emotion on the one-dimensional page of a book. There is so much wisdom in Fools Rush In, questions were asked that I've thought about and the context of the novel and concept of the novel helped answer these questions. There are some books that will stay with you for the rest of your life, The Alchemist was one of them for me and this book was another. Talking Heads said "once in a lifetime", that line just seems so appropriate here.

Do yourself a favor and read this . . .

If this book were fiction, I think I would have found myself wanting the author to calm down, to stop forcing it . . . It is Hollywood, a murderous war zone, child abuse, rock stars, politics, and a love story so pure and tragic it rings of Shakespeare. It spans the globe and the spectrum of human emotion and behavior. It is an insane and very long dream. And it is all true. It's nearly impossible to comprehend how this has all happened within one person's (young) life. It serves the reader a grand lesson of suffering, endurance, and relentless motivation.The writing is intelligent, clear, calm. Which is very helpful, given the nature of this story. The book is from the author's point of view but the characters and stories are unoppressed. They are given enough freedom to divulge themselves to the reader through the dialogues and actions relayed by the writer. There is almost a faint journalistic quality to this tale in that we are being told a story and given room to take it in and interpret it in our own way. And despite the difficult subject matter, the author does not drown us in his emotion. It is excellent writing.This novel is a journey, physical and psycological. It is fantastic in its scope. The reader is invited along for a very personal ride. It is the story of a young man coping with what he's been dealt. Truly courageously, without the help of denial or delusions. I have encountered very few books that are so deeply enriching, that linger. I feel fortunate to have read it.