From Baghdad to America: Life Lessons from a Dog Named Lava
Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman won the hearts of readers with his moving story of adopting an abandoned puppy named Lava in a hellish corner of Iraq. For this Marine and his comrades, the puppy served as an important emotional touchstone in a grim and seemingly endless war.Kopelman now writes about what it's like to be home. He credits his canine best friend with finding his wife-in the park, Lava began playing with her dog and the two owners met-and for keeping him sane as he readjusted....
Search in google:
“Damn funny, very entertaining, and a powerful reminder of everything that these troops are sacrificing for us both here and abroad.”—Andrew Carroll, editor of the bestsellers War Letters and Behind the Lines Publishers Weekly Former marine officer Kopelman's sequel to From Baghdad, with Love—his bestselling account of a war mongrel named Lava—is a bittersweet and hopeful account of the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder. Kopelman's First Battalion, Third Marines, found Lava among the debris of war-torn Fallujah in November 2004 and adopted the mongrel despite a Department of Defense prohibition against pets. Recognizing Lava's therapeutic value—"the pure joy and escape he provided"—Kopelman not only ignored the regulations but also promised his marines that he would bring Lava home, which, against all odds, he did. Both man and dog had considerable difficulty in adjusting to life after war; Kopelman experienced "frequent anger and frustration"—especially toward civilians who seemed "so self-absorbed"—and Lava was so aggressively overprotective, he required antidepressant medication. Inspired by Lava's example—and worried about the effect of his behavior on his new family—the author finally sought therapy and encourages other troubled vets to get the treatment they need. Kopelman's nonjudgmental approach and his self-deprecating, tongue-in-cheek humor make this survivor's account as engaging as it is powerful. (July)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Foreword viiPrologue: Spring 2005, La Jolla, California 1If You Can Save Your Dog, You Can Save Yourself 7You Have to Almost Lose Something (Twice) to Find It 21Desert-Colored Glasses 33Love Walks In, Thanks to Lava 53Fear Makes You Stronger 63What You Are in the Dark 73How the Routine of Staying Alive Can Keep You Sane 87You Are the Sum of Your Experiences 107Opening the Snivel Book 121Never Quit 137Afterword 149Acknowledgments 155Appendices 157Resources for Veterans and Their Families 187Endnotes 191Bibliography 193Photo Credits 196
\ Publishers WeeklyFormer marine officer Kopelman's sequel to From Baghdad, with Love—his bestselling account of a war mongrel named Lava—is a bittersweet and hopeful account of the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder. Kopelman's First Battalion, Third Marines, found Lava among the debris of war-torn Fallujah in November 2004 and adopted the mongrel despite a Department of Defense prohibition against pets. Recognizing Lava's therapeutic value—"the pure joy and escape he provided"—Kopelman not only ignored the regulations but also promised his marines that he would bring Lava home, which, against all odds, he did. Both man and dog had considerable difficulty in adjusting to life after war; Kopelman experienced "frequent anger and frustration"—especially toward civilians who seemed "so self-absorbed"—and Lava was so aggressively overprotective, he required antidepressant medication. Inspired by Lava's example—and worried about the effect of his behavior on his new family—the author finally sought therapy and encourages other troubled vets to get the treatment they need. Kopelman's nonjudgmental approach and his self-deprecating, tongue-in-cheek humor make this survivor's account as engaging as it is powerful. (July)\ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.\ \ \ \ \ From the Publisher"[Narrator Christopher Lane] portray[s] to perfection an ex-Marine whose writing admits to anger, hostility, and personality damage resulting from his combat experiences." —-AudioFile\ \
