From Baghdad with Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava

By Melinda Roth and Jay Kopelman

Book Overview

When Marines enter an abandoned house in Fallujah, Iraq, and hear a suspicious noise, they clench their weapons, edge around the corner, and prepare to open fire. What they find during the U.S.-led... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156106809
• ISBN13: 9781599211824
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 0.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A wonderful book!

When Marine Jay Koppelman and his unit raid a house in Iraq,all they find in it is a lively,adorable puppy.Unsure of what to do with him,Jay takes him back to their headquarters.Although Marine rules forbid keeping pets, Jay promptly falls in love with the irresistible pup he names Lava,and is determined to get him to America.What follows is a riveting,suspenseful story of survival.Koppelman tells it brilliantly.Watching this big,strong, tough Marine melt over a little dog is wonderful.Their love and affection for each other is obvious right from the start,and it really comes across to the reader.Jay's langauge and prose are rough at times,but remember,he IS a Marine.Read this moving,powerful book.You'll be glad you did!

Buy the book!

Have you ever read a book and gotten so sucked into the story that you had to remind yourself it's not actually happening right now? What an incredible book and a very fast read! By the time you've finished it you are very clued in on what it's like to be a Marine in Iraq. Lava helped the people who cared for him to re-connect to their humanity. Just as the SAR dogs helped the workers at Ground Zero re-connect after a hard day searching the rubble, Lava helped Jay Kopelman get through his tour of duty in Iraq. What an incredible dog! And what an intense affirmation of the human-canine bond.

Heart Rending

I was looking for a technical book and just happened to see the cover of this book. I'm a veteran, so I took a chance and bought it. I sat down at 8 p.m. with the book thinking I'd read myself to sleep. At 2 a.m. I finished the book. I laughed, cried, cringed and cried some more. What a great story. I was with the Marines for four years and totally know how "gungy" they are. I also know they are big "boys" with big hearts. I've recommended it to everyone I know.

It's not the dog in the fight...

This is a superb, and surprising, combat memoir that impressively mixes genres. I'm not a pet owner/dog lover so I admit I approached the book with curiosity more than urgency; would the focus be the emotional connection with an animal or the emotional response to hardcore combat? Well, it's both. If the overarching goal of a book is to prod the reader to turn the page...wondering "what's going to happen next"...Kopelman drills it. This book is not for those who relish the confines of convention. It's a visceral, heart-felt, even strange journey to find light in the dark.