An on-the-ground commander describes his brigade's first year in Iraq after the U.S. forces seized Baghdad in the spring of 2003, and explains what went right and wrong as the U.S. military confronted an insurgency, in a firsthand analysis of success and failure in Iraq.

"From a distance, Michael and Joleen Zarkades seem to have it all: a solid marriage, two exciting careers, and children they adore. But after twelve years together, the couple has lost their way; they are unhappy and edging toward divorce. Then the Iraq war starts. An unexpected deployment will tear their already fragile family apart, sending one of them deep into harm's way and leaving the other at home, waiting for news. When the worst happens,...

The former Iraqi Defense Minister examines what the United States did and didn't know at the time of the invasion, the reasons for the confused and contradictory polices, and the emergence of the Iraqi political class during the transition process.

For a favorite son returned from war and an outsider looking for a home, Virgin River offers both a chance to make peace with the men they once were and to find the dreams they thought they had lost.