I LOST MY LOVE IN BAGHDAD A Modern War Story

Yes, there's an exciting story here. But the author is not the narrator to convince you of that. His delivery sounds disconnected from the drama of his memoir. He writes of how at age 25 he was sent by NEWSWEEK to cover the Iraq War. His girlfriend, Andi, joined him there and, later, was killed in a botched kidnapping. The story recounts their efforts to keep their love alive in the midst of violence and death. Their fear is extreme; their passion moving and intense. But Hastings's narration reflects none of these. His powerful dialogue is expressed in monotones so that he sounds almost indifferent as he tells of the raw events that ripped apart his life. S.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2008]