THE CLASSIC SOLDIER’S MEMOIR FROM MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT STAFF SERGEANT DAVID BELLAVIA
“A rare and gripping account of frontline combat.”—LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty
“They used to say that the real war will never get in the books. Here it does, stunningly.” —Thomas E. Ricks, author of Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq and Making the Corps
“To read this book is to know intimately the daily grind and danger of men at war.”—Anthony Swofford, New York Times bestselling author of Jarhead
One of the great heroes of the Iraq War, Staff Sergeant David Bellavia captures the brutal action and raw intensity of leading his Third Platoon, Alpha Company, into a lethally choreographed kill zone: the booby-trapped, explosive-laden houses of Fallujah's militant insurgents. Bringing to searing life the terrifying intimacy of hand-to-hand infantry combat, this stunning war memoir features an indelibly drawn cast of characters, not all of whom would make it out alive, as well as the chilling account of the singular courage that earned Bellavia the Medal of Honor: Entering one house alone, he used every weapon at his disposal in the fight of his life against America's most implacable enemy. Bellavia has written an unforgettable story of triumph, tragedy, and the resilience of the human spirit.
"Staff Sgt. Bellavia brings it. This is life in the infantry, circa right now. They used to say that the real war will never get in the books. Here it does, stunningly. You may not agree with it, or like what he has to say. Read it anyway -- and then sit silently for an hour or so and contemplate what he has done on behalf of his country."
-- Thomas E. Ricks, author of Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq and Making the Corps
"Like St. Mihiel, Normandy, Inchon, and Khe Sanh before it, Fallujah is one of the most horrific and hard-fought battles in U.S. history. SSG David Bellavia's riveting, poignant, and at times even humorous firsthand account vividly emphasizes why this battle must never be forgotten. And why, because of the breathtaking courage of Bellavia and his fellow troops, it was won."
-- Andrew Carroll, editor of War Letters and Behind the Lines
"David Bellavia shows us the stairways and alleys of Fallujah through the sights of his M-4. Politics and strategy are impossible luxuries for the combat infantryman, but Bellavia writes about even bigger themes: courage, fear, brotherhood, and duty. This is a humbling story, brilliantly told."
-- Nathaniel Fick, author of One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer
"A hair-raising tale of men in battle. House to House is about as raw and real as it gets."
-- Evan Thomas, author of Sea of Thunder
