From Baghdad to America: Life Lessons from a Dog Named Lava | 
 enlarge | Author: Jay Kopelman
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $11.97
You Save: $11.98 (50%)
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Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 35525
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.2 x 1
ISBN: 1602392641
Dewey Decimal Number: 956.70443092
EAN: 9781602392649
ASIN: 1602392641
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
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Product Description
An inspired, timely follow-up to the New York Times bestseller From Baghdad, With Love.
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. With the same intelligence and insight he showed in From Baghdad, With Love, Kopelman sets forth more than a dozen lessons, including: Life can change in an instant, but you'll be able to handle it; passion for something can help you tap into your most powerful reserve of energy; have a standard operating procedure for everything; never forget who you are or how you got here. Active and retired troops, soldiers' friends and families, and everyone who has ever loved a dog will embrace this book. 10 b/w photographs.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Another Journey For Jay August 5, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
All the questions Jay has in his book can be answered when he listens to San Diego AM radio station 1170 midnight to 2 a.m. Listening will give him further explanation and a way to listen at more appealing hours.
A book about THIS journey, if taken, would be smart.
 From Baghdad to America: Life Lessons from a Dog Named Lava August 2, 2008
Jay Kopelman's 2nd book about his relationship with Lava is a wonderful story of the strong bond that can exist between man and dog. It should be a "must read" for anyone who does not agree that the United States is providing a necessary service in Iraq and also for someone who understands why we are there. As a dog owner I know that these animals do not judge, but love you just the way you are. If dogs like Lava can help our soldiers with stress or rehabilitation while stationed in Iraq or after their return, I agree with the author that the benefits would be enormous. If you like dogs...read this book. If you have a connection with any military branch...read this book. It is a real eye-opener about the personal effects serving in a military war zone can have on our favorite sons and daughters.
 Gritty and Forthcoming, LOVED "From Baghdad to America" July 10, 2008
Just finished 'FROM BAGHDAD TO AMERICA: Life Lessons from a Dog Named Lava' and found Kopelman's second book to be just as inspiring as his first. This book is GRITTY and HONEST and FORTHCOMING about issues many Americans don't want to face up to - what happens to our soldiers, men and women alike, when they come home from a war. As a daughter of a WWII veteran, I gained insight into my father's "story" and how what he experienced in Europe colored every single thing that came afterwards. What I find frightening is that our YOUNG military personnel go into such a situation without the life experience that Kopelman had under his belt -- with age comes wisdom and hope; the youth that are going overseas might not have enough HOPE built up in reserve - they can't know what Kopelman knows: life IS worth living, even after living through such horrors as war and terrorism. What can America, particularly all branches of the military, do for these soldiers? READ this book. It's not just about Lava, though "life after war" from a dog's perspective - PTSD included - is an engaging twist. Thank you, Jay, for all that you do for your community - and THANK YOU, Jay, for writing another solid account of what it's been like for you - as a Marine, as a man, as "pack leader" to Lava, and now, as a husband and father.
Important Book July 9, 2008
With so much written and said about this war by reporters, pundits and politicians, it is important to hear from the soldiers themselves about the experience and its aftermath, and even better in a way that is accessible and enjoyable. Kopelman is quickly becoming an engaging voice for Iraqi vets.
A Profound Memoir from the Post-War Front July 7, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Jay Kopelman's latest is, on the surface, a book about how a man and a dog re-adjusted to life in America after escaping the trauma of war in Iraq. It's also among the best personal memoirs I've read from the war, as well as a moving story of the deep bonds between humans and canines. Like his owner, Lava the dog is excited to be home and thrilled by the simple joys of being alive, but also scarred by experiencing things no creature should ever have to witness. Kopelman digs into the ramifications of post-traumatic stress disorder for thousands of veterans, and uses his own experiences - as well as Lava's - to illustrate how subtle yet pervasive it can be. Yet despite the heaviness of the subject and the sharpness of his often-brutal honesty, the book is engaging and uplifting.
Lava's presence throughout, as well as personal accounts of other veterans aided by dogs in their combat experiences, serves to help weave the story together. I felt like I was having a conversation at a bar, and I wanted to keep buying the writer drinks so I could hear more. Kopelman pulls this off smoothly and humorously, with his unpretentious yet in-your-face Marine personality intact. This is terrific writing, and I look forward to more of it in the future.
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