Originally posted here

I have had this book on my TBR pile for a year and I finally decided it was time to pick it up and read it. Blackdeath 23 is the collected journals of the author's experience in the military, serving as an army helicopter pilot primarily in Iraq during the years 2001-2009. Through the journal format, the reader is given an intimate portrait of daily life being deployed in a war zone. I honestly feel like there needs to be more books like this one. I know nothing really about the war in Iraq or what it was like for those soldiers that bravely served, so I really appreciated the inside look.

The book is filled with photographs that help to visualise what it was actually like in the army and it was absolutely riveting from start to finish. I was really touched at the role that faith had in the author's experience and this book gave me a great perspective of the American viewpoint of the war in Iraq at that time. There are even additional photographs and videos on the accompanying website, that added further perspective for the reader.

There were many military acronyms to keep track of and there is an index at the back that helps but I found that not every acronym was included. There were also quite a few typos and mistakes but ultimately none of that hampered my enjoyment of the book overall. I think this book would be great for readers who are involved with the military but it's equally enjoyable for readers that aren't familiar with the military at all.

Disclaimer
I received this book through Goodreads giveaways - I was not required to give a review, all opinions stated are entirely my own. ( )