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I am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author lends his remarkable narrative skills to the story of the most famous POW this country has known.
In I Am a Soldier, Too , Bragg lets Jessica Lynch tell the story of her capture in the Iraq War in her own words--not the sensationalized ones of the media's initial reports. Here we see how a humble rural upbringing leads to a stint in the military, one of the most exciting job options for a young person in Palestine, West Virginia. We see the real story behind the ambush in the Iraqi Desert that led to Lynch's capture. And we gain new perspective on her rescue from an Iraqi hospital where she had been receiving care. Here Lynch’s true heroism and above all, modesty, is allowed to emerge, as we're shown how she managed her physical recovery from her debilitating wounds and contended with the misinformation--both deliberate and unintended--surrounding her highly publicized rescue. In the end, what we see is a uniquely American story of courage and true heroism.
In I Am a Soldier, Too , Bragg lets Jessica Lynch tell the story of her capture in the Iraq War in her own words--not the sensationalized ones of the media's initial reports. Here we see how a humble rural upbringing leads to a stint in the military, one of the most exciting job options for a young person in Palestine, West Virginia. We see the real story behind the ambush in the Iraqi Desert that led to Lynch's capture. And we gain new perspective on her rescue from an Iraqi hospital where she had been receiving care. Here Lynch’s true heroism and above all, modesty, is allowed to emerge, as we're shown how she managed her physical recovery from her debilitating wounds and contended with the misinformation--both deliberate and unintended--surrounding her highly publicized rescue. In the end, what we see is a uniquely American story of courage and true heroism.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
42 people are currently reading
666 people want to read
About the author
Rick Bragg
46 books1,272 followersRick Bragg is the Pulitzer Prize winning writer of best-selling and critically acclaimed books on the people of the foothills of the Appalachians, All Over but the Shoutin, Ava's Man, and The Prince of Frogtown.
Bragg, a native of Calhoun County, Alabama, calls these books the proudest examples of his writing life, what historians and critics have described as heart-breaking anthems of people usually written about only in fiction or cliches. They chronicle the lives of his family cotton pickers, mill workers, whiskey makers, long sufferers, and fist fighters. Bragg, who has written for the numerous magazines, ranging from Sports Illustrated to Food & Wine, was a newspaper writer for two decades, covering high school football for the Jacksonville News, and militant Islamic fundamentalism for The New York Times.
He has won more than 50 significant writing awards, in books and journalism, including, twice, the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1993, and is, truthfully, still a freshman at Jacksonville State University. Bragg is currently Professor of Writing in the Journalism Department at the University of Alabama, and lives in Tuscaloosa with his wife, Dianne, a doctoral student there, and his stepson, Jake. His only real hobby is fishing, but he is the worst fisherman in his family line.
Bragg, a native of Calhoun County, Alabama, calls these books the proudest examples of his writing life, what historians and critics have described as heart-breaking anthems of people usually written about only in fiction or cliches. They chronicle the lives of his family cotton pickers, mill workers, whiskey makers, long sufferers, and fist fighters. Bragg, who has written for the numerous magazines, ranging from Sports Illustrated to Food & Wine, was a newspaper writer for two decades, covering high school football for the Jacksonville News, and militant Islamic fundamentalism for The New York Times.
He has won more than 50 significant writing awards, in books and journalism, including, twice, the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1993, and is, truthfully, still a freshman at Jacksonville State University. Bragg is currently Professor of Writing in the Journalism Department at the University of Alabama, and lives in Tuscaloosa with his wife, Dianne, a doctoral student there, and his stepson, Jake. His only real hobby is fishing, but he is the worst fisherman in his family line.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
August 24, 2017
I expected more from the book.
Jessica's story would have been interesting in itself, but much of what that could have been seemed to be missing — more of her own thoughts, more about her experiences in the army, more about her comrades who did fight to their deaths, and more about her best friend and protector. But much of that was glossed over.
There seemed to be no end of pages about her small town coming out to support her family while she was missing — prayers and candlelight vigils and all that stuff. That's all fine, but it seemed to drone on and on.
I also hoped for some journalistic delving into the controversy that surrounded her story, as I could not remember how that resolved back in 2003-4. How did she end up being used as a PR pawn? Who really invented that and why? Was it a spin needed by Bush or a diversion by the army to take the heat off of a mistake on the battle field? The book gives a pretty cursory pass over those questions.
This is a book I could speed read — not too much there to study out.
August 20, 2022
This was very well written. I would have given it 5 stars, but since the book was written there has been some controversy about some of the untruths in the story of her capture, that were manufactured by the author.
April 2, 2014
A painful read, and I'm not talking about the wounds and torture.
A poorly written love story between the author and the title person.
I've read books and biographies where the author was clearly infatuated with the person portrayed, but this perpetual adoration of Lynch was far out of hand. Noted several points that were lied about or twisted to make her look better. Anyone else on the convoy, including other female soldiers, were either bare footnotes or described in a way as to prop up the main focus on Lynch.
While writing of Lynch... sorry "Jessie", the author almost exclusively uses the nickname- the author portrays her more as a popular, pretty blond girl with the spunk to ignore her many suitors and travel the world. Less attention is paid to her being a soldier -as the title states- than as her being little girl hurt and lost, then rescued by many strong princes. I don't see how Lynch herself could appreciate being written that way.
A poorly written love story between the author and the title person.
I've read books and biographies where the author was clearly infatuated with the person portrayed, but this perpetual adoration of Lynch was far out of hand. Noted several points that were lied about or twisted to make her look better. Anyone else on the convoy, including other female soldiers, were either bare footnotes or described in a way as to prop up the main focus on Lynch.
While writing of Lynch... sorry "Jessie", the author almost exclusively uses the nickname- the author portrays her more as a popular, pretty blond girl with the spunk to ignore her many suitors and travel the world. Less attention is paid to her being a soldier -as the title states- than as her being little girl hurt and lost, then rescued by many strong princes. I don't see how Lynch herself could appreciate being written that way.
March 3, 2009
The true story of the woman who was injured in Iraq and rescued from a hospital there.
January 16, 2016
I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story by Rick Bragg (Alfred A. Knopf 2003)(Biography) is the story of a petite blond female captured as a POW in Iraq who was injured while riding in an armored vehicle, taken prisoner, and then sexually assaulted. The army bent over backwards to locate a female troop to designate as the politically correct hero of the day. In Jessica Lynch the army found a hero whose best friend was a Hopi Indian single mother and whose love interest was Hispanic. This is her story. My rating: 5.5/10, finished 12/29/10.
May 23, 2012
So this book has special appeal to me. I am from a small town in West Virginia AND I was a solder in the 1980s when the idea of women in uniform was a huge deal. I'm not sure why I took so long to read it but finally got around to it. It's not a literary page turner, just the story of a small town girl, her terrifying ordeal as a prisoner of war and how her family and her community rallied around her when she came home. It made me especially proud to be a female vet and a native of small town America.
June 3, 2012
I started to read this book at 2 PM. I finish it at 7 PM.. Could not put it down accept for bathroom breaks. A Remarkable Story of courage and bravery and pain that Jessica Lynch went through. The Family and friends of where she lives. They never gave up hope. I cried when they rescued her from that hospital. I would recommend this book
October 30, 2015
Good writing. The most interesting part of this story, in my opinion, was how Jessica's home town rallied around to support her family and pray for her. There were other parts of the book that dragged.
December 18, 2012
I'd have never read this sensationalized story about a POW from West Virginia who becomes a propaganda pawn in the Iraqi War, but Rick Bragg is a GREAT storyteller and his down-to-earth style makes for a simple, moving, honest portrayal of this young woman's ordeal Very well done.
February 11, 2025
This is the true story of a young woman from a small town in West Virgina who joined the military to earn money so she could be a teacher. She was a girly girl and hoped to stay in the background as much as possible. The supply convoy she was part of in Operation Freedom (2001) was ambushed, and she was the only survivor of the attack. The terrorists tortured her before she ended up in a hospital for the next 9 days. Eventually she was rescued and came home to a hero's welcome that was blown out of proportion by the media.
The author did a great job writing her story and honoring the cost of her sacrifice. I appreciated the way he also showed the integrity of the Iraqi medical team who did everything they could to save her, in spite of American prejudice against Iraqis at that time. The book was written a couple years after the capture and seems to be an attempt to set the story straight.
⚠️Jessica is smashed up and raped by the terrorists, though this isn't described in detail.
The author did a great job writing her story and honoring the cost of her sacrifice. I appreciated the way he also showed the integrity of the Iraqi medical team who did everything they could to save her, in spite of American prejudice against Iraqis at that time. The book was written a couple years after the capture and seems to be an attempt to set the story straight.
⚠️Jessica is smashed up and raped by the terrorists, though this isn't described in detail.
November 16, 2020
Was she a hero or not? I don’t think it really matters, she survived a harrowing experience.
I want to know why she didn’t go through with her wedding to Ruben Contreras. Has a baby with a new boyfriend?
December 2, 2016
The story itself is serious, but somehow the writing is fluffy and boring.
July 3, 2010
I had heard about Jessica Lynch some time ago and when I came across the book decided I would give it a try. It's the story of this girl's courage and fortitude when she was made a POW in Iraq.
Back Cover Blurb:
On March 23, 2003, Private First Class Jessica Lynch was crossing the Iraqi desert with the 507th Maintenance Company when the convoy she was travelling in was ambushed, caught in enemy cross fire. All four soldiers travelling with her died in the attack. Lynch, one of the most famous POW's America has ever known, was taken prisoner and held captive in an Iraqi hospital for nine days. Her rescue galvanized America; she became a symbol of victory, of innocence and courage, of heroism; and then, just as quickly, of deceit and manipulation. What never changed, as America veered wildly between these extremes of mythmaking, was her story, the events and the experiences of a nineteen-year-old girl caught up in what was and will remain the battle of her life: what she saw, what she felt, what she experienced, what she survived.
Back Cover Blurb:
On March 23, 2003, Private First Class Jessica Lynch was crossing the Iraqi desert with the 507th Maintenance Company when the convoy she was travelling in was ambushed, caught in enemy cross fire. All four soldiers travelling with her died in the attack. Lynch, one of the most famous POW's America has ever known, was taken prisoner and held captive in an Iraqi hospital for nine days. Her rescue galvanized America; she became a symbol of victory, of innocence and courage, of heroism; and then, just as quickly, of deceit and manipulation. What never changed, as America veered wildly between these extremes of mythmaking, was her story, the events and the experiences of a nineteen-year-old girl caught up in what was and will remain the battle of her life: what she saw, what she felt, what she experienced, what she survived.
October 9, 2021
Rick Bragg can be wonderful but this book is a potboiler written for quick cash. Bragg evokes the predictable theme of "down home country girl comes home from war to the hearty embrace of her simple salt of the earth family and friends." It's an appealing cliche but Bragg is more interesting and more believable when he probes the darker aspects of rural America.
By adhering so closely to his made-to-sell theme, Bragg ignores the more interesting questions. Why did the convey's mission go so fatally wrong? Why did the Iraqi doctors treat Jessica? What does the beatification of Jessica tell us about the Pentagon's spin machine?
The book is a quick read and gave me the basics of Jessi's story. Worth knowing. But Bragg seems to think that truck drivers from West Virginia are somehow better Americans than software engineers in California. Not true. And this sort of upside down snobbery is the worst.
By adhering so closely to his made-to-sell theme, Bragg ignores the more interesting questions. Why did the convey's mission go so fatally wrong? Why did the Iraqi doctors treat Jessica? What does the beatification of Jessica tell us about the Pentagon's spin machine?
The book is a quick read and gave me the basics of Jessi's story. Worth knowing. But Bragg seems to think that truck drivers from West Virginia are somehow better Americans than software engineers in California. Not true. And this sort of upside down snobbery is the worst.
February 14, 2020
3.5 stars. I picked my husband up from the airport a few weeks ago, and as we came out of the elevator into the parking garage, a woman asked us if we had jumper cables because her battery was dead. We had some, so we pulled our car around and helped jump her car. While I waited with my daughter in the car, my husband talked to the woman for a moment before we left. She gave him a book and said thank you. He got in the car and showed me the book--it was this one. And he told me that she was Jessica Lynch. She signed it and everything. Not until later did we find that she had also left some money in the book.
Since I met her, I figured I better read her book. I didn't really like the writing style, but her story is engaging, scary, and heartbreaking. But it's also really nice to see how people help one another and how someone can survive and overcome extreme circumstances.
One way or the other, I'm really grateful for people who are willing to serve in the military.
Since I met her, I figured I better read her book. I didn't really like the writing style, but her story is engaging, scary, and heartbreaking. But it's also really nice to see how people help one another and how someone can survive and overcome extreme circumstances.
One way or the other, I'm really grateful for people who are willing to serve in the military.
July 17, 2009
Really enjoyed the book. It makes me sick to find out that she was beaten up so bad that the doctors thought she had been shot, and that she was sexually anally abused. This abuse went on for three hours which fortunately Jessica has no recollection. It was heartwarming the compassion she received from doctors and nurses once she was transferred from Iraq military hospital to a civilian hospital. She was acutally on the operating table about to get her leg amputated for propaganda purposes. She literally thru a fit and took the mask off her face and begged the doctor not to do it. The doctor in charge took compassion and the operation was not completed. She had a nurse caretaker who sang to her. It was Iraq hospital workers who got the news out to our Marines that she was in the hospital, and helped with her escape.
October 11, 2012
I Am a Soilder, Too.
Autobiography
Rick Bragg
Jessica Lynch, a 19-year old girl who joins the 507th (army) is captured by Iraq after her humvee crashes. Her and her best friend, Lori Piestewa, get taken to a Iraq hospital. They get cared for but Lori dies of a bad head injurie and Jessi only had use of one arm. eventually Jessi is rescued and taken back to her home. She is in rehibilitation and is slowly learning how to walk again.
This story makes me feel deeper for the army. Listening to the sad and painful thing Jessi has to go through. I hope I never have to go to war. I probably wouldn't survive. But Jessi was strong enough to. She lost her legs, her arm and her best friend though. I hope me nor any of my friends ever, ever have to go through that.
Autobiography
Rick Bragg
Jessica Lynch, a 19-year old girl who joins the 507th (army) is captured by Iraq after her humvee crashes. Her and her best friend, Lori Piestewa, get taken to a Iraq hospital. They get cared for but Lori dies of a bad head injurie and Jessi only had use of one arm. eventually Jessi is rescued and taken back to her home. She is in rehibilitation and is slowly learning how to walk again.
This story makes me feel deeper for the army. Listening to the sad and painful thing Jessi has to go through. I hope I never have to go to war. I probably wouldn't survive. But Jessi was strong enough to. She lost her legs, her arm and her best friend though. I hope me nor any of my friends ever, ever have to go through that.
July 31, 2009
full of patriotic mish mash but then also has a drescription of the wounds she recieved that her mind doesnt remember the torture she was put through. pretty sad that humans can do things like this to other humans and be proud of it! ahhh religious wars...
the worst part of this story is that the whole country (if not world) focused on the one person who survived and almost totally ignored those other people who died in this attack. her best friend was in the vehicle with her and after all was done and ssid, jessica lynch tries to remind everyone that the other people there (especially her friend lori) were lost way too soon.
the worst part of this story is that the whole country (if not world) focused on the one person who survived and almost totally ignored those other people who died in this attack. her best friend was in the vehicle with her and after all was done and ssid, jessica lynch tries to remind everyone that the other people there (especially her friend lori) were lost way too soon.
February 1, 2010
I added a "war" bookshelf just for this book. I wish Goodreads would give us a choice of half stars & I would have given it 4.5 stars. This was a real eye-opener & Bragg did a great job of reporting it.
It's amazing how the media can twist the truth. Bragg did a wonderful job of correcting those errors & in his reporting made it a "good" read. In a M*A*S*H episode Major Frank Burns said, "We all know it's brutal up there at the front, especially those of us at the rear." The 507th Maintenance Company were definitely in the rear. The Army, in it's infinite wisdom, sent out supply clerks to their death, with a CD & sketchy instructions. Somehow that doesn't surprise me.
It's amazing how the media can twist the truth. Bragg did a wonderful job of correcting those errors & in his reporting made it a "good" read. In a M*A*S*H episode Major Frank Burns said, "We all know it's brutal up there at the front, especially those of us at the rear." The 507th Maintenance Company were definitely in the rear. The Army, in it's infinite wisdom, sent out supply clerks to their death, with a CD & sketchy instructions. Somehow that doesn't surprise me.
February 10, 2017
I love Rick Bragg. I knew that he would write this accounting of the ordeal suffered by this young woman, and that all the mis-information and falsehoods surrounding this tale of horror would be set right. We constantly hear to not trust everything the media throws at us, and much of it is spun to make us react emotionally. I had heard all the news stories associated with this story, and also heard from enlisted military persons that what was reported, and what was true did not jive. But this brave young woman stood up for herself when she finally could, and told the truth as she knew it and remembered it.
January 17, 2008
I had heard about Jessica and her story briefly in the news some years ago, but was glad I finally got to read the whole thing. It is really amazing all that she went through and what got her through it was her determination to live. Unfortunately, the book is not really clear on what Jessica’s faith is comprised of, but I have no doubt after reading this that God had/has a special plan for her life. There is some language in the book.
July 17, 2008
This book gave me incite to today's military and not my father's military. Touches the heart, as I'm also a girl who grew up in a rural community and value the same things she did/does. Her experience is humbling to us who take for granted many things. I only gave 3 stars, bc I didn't really care for the way the book was written by the author--choppy, short, and hard for me to find a flow. But Jessica picked him to write her book, so who am I to criticize??
August 8, 2007
I listened to this book on audio, and it was really good. Rick Bragg does the narration, and his voice perfectly captures the story with his Southern accent. He paints a portrait of the town Jessica grew up in and her childhood, then details her capture and rescue. Rick Bragg takes you there and makes you feel as if you are in the moment.
December 30, 2008
This book was not what I expected in that it focused mainly on Jessica, her background, and her family while still giving enough insight into her capture to paint a clear picture of the horror through which she must have lived. I read this book in one sitting and found it to be particularly moving.
June 29, 2022
I learned a little more about Jessica's family and the community in West VIrginia who came out to redo their house to make it wheel chair accessible and just a great outpouring of love.
I learned different views of what happened to Jessica and the Ordnance convoy.
I learned different views of what happened to Jessica and the Ordnance convoy.
August 1, 2022
I chose to read this book because I had recently read another book by Rick Bragg (The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and His People - which is excellent!).
This book was an honest description of what Jessica Lynch went through during her time with the US Army. It dispelled some reports and rumors surrounding her capture and rescue. It was evident that she did not want anything to be misrepresented. I cannot imagine the fear that she felt. Well written.
This book was an honest description of what Jessica Lynch went through during her time with the US Army. It dispelled some reports and rumors surrounding her capture and rescue. It was evident that she did not want anything to be misrepresented. I cannot imagine the fear that she felt. Well written.
January 20, 2013
This is the story of Jessica Lynch, as told to Rick Bragg. Jessica is a small town West Virginia girl who decided to join the Army just out of high school. Her decision was easy; she wanted to see the world, get a college education, come back home and be a kindergarten teacher. Jessica's story captured the minds and hearts of the world, but the story told was not entirely factual and until this point was not told by Jessi herself. Through media, here say and Governmental sensationalism her story took on a life of its own. Jessi never spoke of her ordeal in Iraq at the hands of Iraqi soldiers, torturers and doctors. Before she could speak about what truly happened rumors swirled, an unauthorized TV movie was written, produced and aired and in the end it was Jessi who was blamed for the falsehoods. She wasn't given the chance until now.
I enjoyed this biography and was glad it was written. We all need to realize how quickly stories get blown out of proportion and that we should hear the truth from the ones it happened to. I do not believe that anyone can say that Jessica is not a hero. Wikipedia defines a hero as "characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice – that is, heroism – for some greater good of all humanity, originally of martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence". Jessica, and so many others like her, stood up for her country, put her life on the line for the rest of us to be free and that is the definition of hero.
I enjoyed this biography and was glad it was written. We all need to realize how quickly stories get blown out of proportion and that we should hear the truth from the ones it happened to. I do not believe that anyone can say that Jessica is not a hero. Wikipedia defines a hero as "characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice – that is, heroism – for some greater good of all humanity, originally of martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence". Jessica, and so many others like her, stood up for her country, put her life on the line for the rest of us to be free and that is the definition of hero.
July 1, 2025
Jessica Lynch was a young soldier in 2003 In Iraq when the convoy whe was in was ambushed and she became a POW. The madness of war, the poor planning, (trucks repeatedly getting stuck in the mud, trucks getting separated from one another, guns jammed with sand and dirt, and general SNAFUs) are featured in this book. Poor Jessica suffered terrible injuries (from abuse after the crash?) and was probably near death in an Iraqi hospital when she was rescued by special forces. The stories told about her were embelished and much of it was untrue, to her chagrin. She survived, the country rallied around her, her family and small town rallied around her. The book stops shortly after she returns home. I had to research to discover a little of the rest of the story, which was good to read.
October 16, 2007
AMAZING!!!! I finished this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. This book gives us a little bit of insight about is what is going on overseas, while we sit at the table, in our heated houses and sip our hot coffee. Jessica's story is truly one of bravery, pain, heartache, and celebration. MUST READ!!!!
November 29, 2008
a good reminder of what our military faces and how grateful i am for them.
while i am in my warm home, brave soldiers, like jessica lynch are putting their lives on the line.
all the reports i had heard and read about this incident were quite different from the actual happenings.
i enjoyed the authors reading on the cd too, he has a great southern voice, perfect for this story.
while i am in my warm home, brave soldiers, like jessica lynch are putting their lives on the line.
all the reports i had heard and read about this incident were quite different from the actual happenings.
i enjoyed the authors reading on the cd too, he has a great southern voice, perfect for this story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews