Fifteen Days

[Roy Harding]

I am a Christie Blatchford fan, and frequent correspondent with her (hell - she has a standing offer of marriage from me, should I ever become a widower - an offer she's accepted, by the way - she's betting on my wife's longevity), so naturally I immediately bought this book when it came out.

I've read it.  And I'm disappointed.  I found three of the stories hard to follow - which is unusual for Christie - her writing is usually exceptionally well laid out and easy to follow - especially when the subject is complicated - that's what makes her such a good columnist.  The others failed to evoke the emotional response I have come to expect from Christie's writing - I didn't laugh, I didn't cry, I didn't become elated, I didn't become depressed, I didn't get pissed off - all reactions I'm accustomed to when reading her columns.

I think she rushed this one - perhaps under pressure from her publisher to get it out in time for the Christmas season, perhaps because of a desire to get it out while the events depicted were "fresh",  perhaps because of a cathartic need to get these things out from inside and down on paper - I don't know.  I think if she'd written the SAME book a year or two down the road, and without the rush she would have done a better job - then again what the hell do I know?

Parts of it were good reading - especially her description of, and obvious attachment to "Mooney".  Prior to her first trip I had advised her to "find a big Newf and attach yourself to him", advice she obviously took to heart, or at least learned the wisdom of in situ.

I wouldn't pay full price again for this book, a statement it pains me to make as Christie is a favourite of mine, and one I count as "friend".  Perhaps IFF it comes out in paperback I could recommend it - but as a hardcover, I can't.

For what it's worth, I've expressed the same sentiments to her.


Roy

 

[3VP Highlander]

I just attended a luncheon where Christie Blatchford was the speaker.  Her comments about soldiers and what they do were from the heart and I am certain that they brought tears at some point to everyone in the room.  They did for me.  I will receive  the signed copy of her book under the Christmas tree and plan to start reading as soon as the house is empty on the 26th.

 

[observor 69]

I am over half way through "The Unexpected War, Canada in Kandahar" by Janice Gross Stein and Eugene Lang.
For my military taste it is the best book I have read in a long time. It lays out the chronological order of the decisions that led up to Canada being in Kandahar. Point being the decisions along the way were all affected by a number of factors not the medias screaming headline "Harper did it" or "Hillier got us into Kandahar."  For me it is the first time I have learned of the various pressures and players at work in NDHQ and government decisions.
Also great info on Hillier's thinking on the Canadian militarys future shape and role.
Highly recommended. Great book to start dropping Xmas hints about !  ;D

Edit: spelling

 

[George Wallace]

Interesting.  I would think that much of what is being said or talked about, is still protected under the Official Secrets Act as classified material, and that we will not have access to much of those historical documents for a minimum of fifty or so years.

 

[HItorMiss]

Her description of September 3rd and the events surrounding Will Cushley's and Frank Mellish's deaths are completely inaccurate .... Other then that I have heard nothing but good things about the book. I plan on writing to Christie and setting the record straight as to the events that transpired at the ZL.

 

[Judy]

I am over half way through "The Unexpected War, Canada in Kandahar" by Janice Gross Stein and Eugene Lang.

I got both of these books from amazon the other day.  Can't wait to start reading.

 

[ladybugmabj]

Her description of September 3rd and the events surrounding Will Cushley's and Frank Mellish's deaths are completely inaccurate .... Other then that I have heard nothing but good things about the book. I plan on writing to Christie and setting the record straight as to the events that transpired at the ZL.

HOM...hubby said the same thing...alot of inaccuracies in the story. As well, the picture in the chapter of Nov. 27...for CWO Girouard, you don't see Bobby...only his nose (that's from his wife!!) Interesting read, nonetheless.

 

[HItorMiss]

LBMJ

I contacted Christie and told her the most accurate rendition I could of the events. She passed on to me why she wrote what she did, I cam PM you her reply if you like.

 

[RangerRay]

I finished reading this book last night.  It was classic Christie Blatchford.  I really enjoyed it.  She is really good at conveying emotion in her writing.  But like some others have said, I wish there were more stories that focused on some of our victories.

 

[Mike Bobbitt]

Fifteen Days
By Christie Blatchford

<A HREF="http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385664660"><img src="http://www.randomhouse.ca/images/dyn/cover/?source=9780385664660&width=95" border="0" align="right"></a>

I've been reading this book over the past month or so, and have finally had a chance to put down a few thoughts about it. I've read the comments made here from others, but have tried my best not to let those colour my view - though admittedly they seemed to be bang on for the most part.

Many will recognize the author, Christie Blatchford, as a journalist for The Globe and Mail, often reporting on the Canadian Military and Afghanistan in recent years. In doing so, Christie made several visits to the country, often working as an embedded reporter alongside our soldiers outside the wire. Fifteen Days is, quite simply, her personal account from fifteen select days which defined her experience there. They are not (necessarily) days of great strategic importance or even of note to others; this is her personal view of events and most definitely not meant to compete with a regimental history for example. Christie has focused on the places, the events and, mostly, the people which made these days significant to her.

The book is laid out with each day as a standalone chapter. While many of the names, places and even events from one flow into another, there is no need (with the exception of the last chapter - November 11th, 2006) to read them in order. In fact, they're not even laid out in chronological order, a fact which I found oddly confusing. Granted, each chapter covers a long trail of events leading up to (and falling out from) the "day" in question so it would be hard to order them logically, but I found the current layout unintuitive and at times, fractured. Frankly, I found the book downright bewildering on several occasions, due in part to the frequent jumping around. It almost seemed at times that the editing phase was rushed or skipped all together.

Thankfully, this impression didn't cloud things too often or deeply. Fifteen Days is compelling reading right from the start precisely because it isn't an over-analysed colourless lecture on Afghanistan. It's about the soldiers first; about their lives at home, their families, their likes and dislikes, but never about tactics or lessons learned. This personal approach is why I recommend this book to anyone who wants to put a human face on the mission. No, you won't come away with a high-level understanding of any of the Panjwai battles, but you'll feel like you've been introduced to a few of the people who fought in them.

As others have pointed out, I found that Christie focused a bit too much on the cost of the mission, and too little on the value. On the flipside, she never flinched from telling the story as she saw it, putting names to successes and failures where she felt they were earned. I found it refreshingly honest.

A map, index and glossary are included but honestly, since Fifteen Days is more of a personal memoir than a reference book, they're unlikely to be used much. The photos and quotes however add some depth to an already "personal" feel, and are a nice touch.

I read Fifteen Days from the perspective of an "informed civilian". That is, what I know about Afghanistan and the mission is all second hand - from the media, friends/family and of course, from posts here. Among other things, this means that I am completely unqualified to comment on the controversy surrounding the accuracy of events, I'll leave that to the BTDT crowd. I will only say that Christie provides the most complete description that I've read for most events to date. Is it better to provide the Canadian public with a thorough but at times wrong account of our soldiers' actions in Afghanistan, or none at all? That's a call everyone has to make for themselves I guess.

In summary, I think Fifteen Days is a must read for all Canadians. For folks like me it is a rare peek into the very human side of the mission, and for those more intimately involved, hopefully it will stand as a permanent record of their work. Soldiers aren't wont to brag even when they do remarkable things, but Christie Blatchford does a damn good job on their behalf.

Additional Notes

• Official book web site
• ISBN 978-0-385-66466-0 (0-385-66466-4)
• Price: $34.95
• About Christie Blatchford

 

[PJOsborne]

I personally thought the book was fantastic, and I do reccommend it to my friends to read. My parents obviously though i should read it too, so they accidentally bought me a second copy for xmas 

 

[Judy]

Finished reading today.  I really, really, enjoyed it, and it moved me in many parts.  Reading it on the plane, with tears streaming down my cheeks. 

A couple things I didn't like - her lack of use of rank in certain places annoyed me, and I found her writing style hard to follow in certain places.

Otherwise, I thought it was an excellent read.  Even as someone in the CF, it opened my eyes to the things that are really going on over there.  I have a lot of friends in KAF, but don't hear any of these type of stories, so I can't imagine the civilian perspective of the mission in Afghanistan. 

 

[Flip]

I finally finished it over the holidays.
I found it profound and moving.
A fine tribute.

As others have pointed out, I found that Christie focused a bit too much on the cost of the mission, and too little on the value.

+1 Mike. But I think it was the nature of the book and what she intended. I think a tribute.

It was fascinating to read who was a"good guy" and who was not. Remarkable candor!
I wouldn't expect to get some of those insights in any written form.

All I can say is Well done Christie!
This one sits on my sacred texts shelf.

 

[kr1kit]

I just finished the book, it's amazing. It really gives a respect to the soldiers that they so badly deserve.

 

[Teflon]

Just finished it yesterday, a read I truely enjoyed and plan to provide copies for my civi love ones so that they might have another voice to try to explain "what it was like over there" since my voice isn't always the best at such things.

 

[Penny]

After reading the first few reviews on this site I asked for a copy for Christmas and got it.
Happy to see the reviews were on the mark. Thanks for the tip.

 

[3VP Highlander]

I just finished reading the book.  It was outstanding, but very emotional reading.  Brought back a lot of memories and well worth reading.

 

[Spartan]

Definitely a very good read. I rather liked the personal feel to it - made it a very quick read.
And the personal feel added to the event details and upfront graphicness of the novel.

 

[jimb]

Sparton .....................A slight  correction, if you don't mind..........

It isn't a NOVEL, that would be a work of fiction, made up by the author.

It is a work of facts and opinions. And some very hard realities.

In my opinion, it should be mandatory reading ,  in every Canadian grade 12 class.

Jim B. Toronto.

 

[Roy Harding]

Sparton .....................A slight  correction, if you don't mind..........

It isn't a NOVEL, that would be a work of fiction, made up by the author.

It is a work of facts and opinions. And some very hard realities.

In my opinion, it should be mandatory reading ,  in every Canadian grade 12 class.

Jim B. Toronto.

Actually, jimb - I thought the same thing, and was going to post a very similar sentiment - but I looked it up, first (http://www.bartleby.com/61/99/N0139900.html):

  The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.  2000.

nonfiction novel

NOUN: A factual or historical narrative written in the form of a novel: Truman Capote's In Cold Blood is a nonfiction novel.

Live and learn, eh?