officers struggled to transform-cold war strategies in to flexible counterinsurgency doctrine. they found many useful insights by returning to strategic thinking of past errors and they stressed the importance of understanding alien cultures. of the group, general david petraeus was the most adept at wielding power, personality and politics to overcome at least for a time, the old guard. modernized military strategies can offer some successes but cannot make political decisions which should have been avoided. at memorial, life and death in storm ravaged hospital, and the publisher of crown publishes, to tell the story of a hospital to

cope under hurricane conditions, sheri fink brings to bear the full range of her talents as an investigative reporter, medical doctor conlan and experienced relief worker. she chronicles the horrific challenges confronting new york's memorial medical center during the five days surrounding hurricane katrina. floodwaters, power failures, extreme heat and exhausted staff created multiple emergencies that prompted innovations and ultimately agonizing choices including who should live and who must die. the mercy killing decision to fatally inject some patients on the brink of death, to a grand jury investigation, but no indictments. sheri fink deals with the

complicated medical, ethical story with great understanding. all told it is a dramatic story. people -- and forgettable characters and compelling lessons for being prepared for a future natural disaster. thank you for your service, author david finkel. david finkel embedded with the men of infantry battalion during the u.s. military surge in iraq. based upon that grueling 15 months experience. david created an into men, harrowing depiction of the life-and-death american soldiers on the battlefields. david has again embedded with veterans of the same infantry battalion but this time the

battlefield is the home front and the challenges, damage done to mind, spirit and body during a lengthy iraq campaign and repeated deployments. we see returning soldiers trying to put their lives back together. many suffered from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. the twinkie inconclusive war produced -- excuse me -- produced an array of suicides to alcohol addiction, to domestic violence, unemployment and long-term disability. equally compelling in this story is the healing efforts of families, medical professionals and friends but try as they might, they were not always successful. extraordinary reporting makes clear the wounds will be with us

long after our departure from iraq and afghanistan. here at home we are just now learning how inadequate is the care veterans hospitals are providing wounded warriors, something that must not be allowed to continue since those wounded warriors will be with us for many years. the big truck that went by, how world came to save haiti and macmillan. in 2010 hawaii was devastated by a deadly earthquake that destroyed the island's capital, displaced 1.5 million people and killed several hundred thousand. today he is still devastated this time by a failure to rebuild. this is so despite billions of dollars in pledgeds, special

attention from the united nations and on going to engagement of notables such as president clinton and sean penn. the monster storm and its aftermath made a dramatic impact on the only full-time american news correspondent living in hawaii at the time. in addition to his eye witness accounts unleashed on a poor community, he records the best and worst of human behavior that was brought forth by an epic calamity. he couples his investigation of what went wrong to what must be put right. she records the incompetence, the wastefulness, the corruption and unfulfilled pleasures that crippled relief and reconstruction fo