Complete Idiot's Guide to the Gulf War

by Charles Jaco

Book Overview

The Gulf War was brief but the fighting was intense and involved over 25 countries. Written by a journalist, this book explores the history of the Iraqi region, the politics of oil, and hundreds of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0028643240
• ISBN13: 9780028643243
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Alpha Books
• Length: 338 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Great book, Easy and Fast Read

The Gulf War took place right after I graduated from high school so frankly I just wasn't paying attention when it happened. When we sent troops back in 2003, I was frustrated by how little I really knew. Listening to the news was confusing. This book provides a chronological look at the Gulf War and why "we're back". Even if you've been paying attention, there quite a bit of history to be learned in this book.

Good Basic Introduction, But Desperately Needs Maps

Charles Jaco, who covered the Gulf War in person while working for CNN, has crafted a simple but solid introduction to the war. This is the book to start with if you want to quickly review the main points of that conflict. However, I have a big caveat-no maps. Anywhere. No where in the entire book is there a map of Iraq, Kuwait, or even a regional one of the Middle East. I understand that the Idiot's and Dummies series are designed to bring the casual reader up to speed on a topic quickly, but in this instance, the topic is heavily dependent on geography. To not have at least one basic map of the Iraq/Kuwait area is unthinkable. Basic treatment of the topic really requires several maps, one of the larger region, and then at least a few more detailed ones. It is extremely hard to make connections between the military movements described in the text without a map for orientation. This seriously detracts from the quality of the book. Unless one is a geography guru already, the book must be read with access to a good map that you've managed to obtain from somewhere else. I give the item 4 stars due to the text, but functionally, this work is really lacking without some maps. Any upcoming editions, if published, really need to think about addressing this problem.

The best single book on the Gulf War I've read

If you can only own one book on Operation Desert Storm, make it this one. Jaco (remember him from CNN?) does a great job giving us the inside scoop on the real story behind the Gulf War. He also does a superb job of connecting the dots between Desert Storm and September 11th. The style is breezy but not condescending. Great up-close battle sequences, as well as historical perspective, and the links between 1991 and the War on Terrorism. Lousy title, great book

Great Guide to Gulf War and Terrorism

If you only have one book on your shelf about Operation Desert Storm, make this the one! Jaco (remember him from CNN?) does a wonderful job with the inside scoop on the war. But in the last 1/4 of the book, he really shines by "connecting the dots" between the remnants of the Gulf War and September 11th. Ever wonder why "they hate us?" Then get this book and read it. I picked it up quite by accident, even with the lousy title, and just kept on reading. It's an antidote to over-simplified explanations about the Gulf and the War on terrorism.