Buy new:
-34% $16.39
FREE delivery Monday, May 20 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: Not Just Blowin Smoke
$16.39 with 34 percent savings
List Price: $24.95

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Monday, May 20 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
$$16.39 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.39
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$7.66
Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less See less
FREE delivery May 21 - 28. Details
Or fastest delivery May 15 - 20. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$16.39 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.39
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Ships from and sold by ThriftBooks-Chicago.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

Chris Coppola
+ Follow
Christopher P. Coppola
+ Follow
See all
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq Hardcover – February 1, 2010

by Chris Coppola (Author), Guy Raz (Foreword)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 17 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$16.39","priceAmount":16.39,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"16","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"39","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"6OyW3zacAO2UudCsZSgqA5t%2FRPtEXnkEDK4kntxnmb5dcTlEFPBgZAEdU0OuuD6kwvuWhA3UO05TW5w8AsKSyMWZvo7Gc2TQsSFn2Uc5UC%2FLtXsn2Gcwby1ygnM9BDDGM7kill5Ev4pupXisgqCRn06aWArSy5EnYFi6JYuHYS3r6sITyem3vdNXnUS9NVZy","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.66","priceAmount":7.66,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"66","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"6OyW3zacAO2UudCsZSgqA5t%2FRPtEXnkEg%2FZo2rrtanewR5Z9mYJFjlhOb%2BrP0Wi7Jivcr7RK52amWGXicpPL%2F5owaXo6AqfisogGGpyJbpvojFU4ot%2FIWCe60U%2BIqz87bI4lbBKn7oRijPDRcLi34KXLKm4PbBW%2FIsBmVbcNXS5ODPo8LCEi7w%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Eric Hoffer Award Finalist and Montaigne Medal Finalist

 

The fierce, true-life account of United States Air Force pediatric surgeon Lt. Col. Dr. Chris Coppola, this book describes his experiences through two deployments in Operation Iraqi Freedom inside a military trauma hospital at Balad Air Base, just 49 miles north of Baghdad. Novelistic in scope and vision, this memoir extends beyond objective reportage to give genuine voice to U.S. surgeons and soldiers, Iraqi translators, and everyday civilians whose core beliefs have been tested in the turmoil of war. Raw and powerfully moving, it reveals how one man’s extraordinary courage and commitment to children survived and flourished even as he witnessed some of the most unspeakable horrors of war.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    265 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    NTI Upstream
  4. Publication date
    February 1, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0984053115
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0984053117
  8. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Coppola speaks as a witness to human tragedy—a testimony of two deployments in hell . . . This is a heartbreaking memoir by a hero who would never call himself that . . . essential reading for our time.”  —Terry Sanders, two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker, producer/director, Fighting For Life



“War often puts doctors in impossible situations. Dr. Chris Coppola's remarkable account of his experience as a combat surgeon in Iraq throws a whole new light on medicine under fire . . . This is a great read and tribute to the American spirit of generosity."  —Dr. Khassan Baiev, president, the International Committee for the Children of Chechnya and author, The Oath: A Surgeon under Fire



"Compelling, heartwrenching . . . Coppola reveals the true victims of war; the children of Iraq."  —Gunnar Swanson, War Kids Relief

“With a quick wit, and a fine tongue, Coppola brings a fresh voice to the war.”  —Michael Anthony, Iraq veteran and author, Mass Casualties: A Young Medic’s True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq

"Powerful, thought-provoking and unforgettable, A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq stands alone among accounts of the Iraq war. Unlike other authors, Chris Coppola has chosen to focus on the two issues that transcend all conflict: our mortality and our sense of morality. Writing with poignant honesty, he illuminates the well-worn generalizations of war with trenchant details, recounting stories about American and Iraqi individuals who must bear, as well as care for, the often tragic consequences of combat. You will never again look at the Iraq war—or any war for that matter—in quite the same way."  —Dr. Pauline Chen, author, Final Exam: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality, NY Times Columnist

About the Author

Dr. Chris Coppola received his medical degree from the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, trained in surgery at Yale University, and completed pediatric surgery specialty training at the Children’s National Medical Center. He has served as the consultant to the Surgeon General of the Air Force in pediatric surgery and has completed humanitarian missions to Haiti and Brazil. He lives in Danville, Pennsylvania. Guy Raz is the weekend host of NPR’s All Things Considered. He lives in Washington, DC.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ NTI Upstream; First Edition (February 1, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 265 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0984053115
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0984053117
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Christopher P. Coppola

    Christopher P. Coppola

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    See more on the author's page
  2. Chris Coppola

    Chris Coppola

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Dr. Chris Coppola was sworn in as a second lieutenant in 1990 as part of the Air Force’s Health Professions Scholarship Program, agreeing to perform six years of active duty service in exchange for a free education at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. As part of the program, Dr. Coppola would spend one month of each year serving as a clerk in a military facility. Later, while completing his surgery residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital, he conducted research on birth defects and went on medical missions in Haiti and the Amazon.

    As the Judson Randolph fellow in pediatric surgery at Children’s National Medical Center, Dr. Coppola operated on children with birth defects and traumatic injuries. His assignment at Wilford Hall Medical Center found him as the sole military pediatric surgeon for the southwest United States, receiving patients from as far as Japan. He also conducted missions as the surgeon for the only global Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) team in the world, rescuing babies from Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

    Following his assignment at Wilford Hall, Dr. Coppola was deployed twice to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, assigned to the 332nd Air Force Theater Hospital in Balad, Iraq, where many of his patients were seriously wounded children.

    He is currently a pediatric surgeon in Danville, PA, working for Geisinger Health System in Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. His articles have been published in many prestigious medical journals including the Archives of Adolescent and Pediatric Medicine and Journal of Pediatric Surgery.

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
17 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

JCousteau
5.0 out of 5 stars A Story of Service, Change, and Family
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2011
Verified Purchase
I bought this book partly out of interest in becoming a pediatric surgeon, and also because I felt it was unique that there is an actual chronicling of war-time medicine centered around children.

This book was a fast read because of it's un-put-downability: it follows Dr. Coppola through his first deployment, time at home, and second deployment. Dr. Coppola is a descriptive and talented writer, and what sold it for me is his humility, honesty, and expressiveness in his writing. Among those in medicine and especially in a theater of war, there is a lot of machismo and hiding of feelings, but Dr. Coppola talks about everything he hopes for, is afraid of, and what he is grateful for in a theater of war where so many have made great sacrifices.

I particularly enjoyed some chapters which were letters to his wife, and especially enjoyed his description of his camp and those he worked closely with and bonded with. I enjoyed reading such an exciting book that wasn't a gung-ho Hollywood depiction of medicine during war-time, but rather Dr. Coppola keeps it honest, exciting and very insightful. You feel like you're included on his team, and one of the strengths of the book is how you feel a real setting, that is, a psychological atmosphere built up from Dr. Coppola's descriptions and expression of his thoughts on those he worked with, operated on, and interacted with.

In short, it's a must-read, as I've never read a military medicine book as expressive and human as this one.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Christy L
4.0 out of 5 stars Great story.
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2013
Verified Purchase
Chris Coppola gives us an honest view of life as a military surgeon in the battle zone. Well written and heartfelt. A quick read.
Helpful
 Report
Pops Larue
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2010
Verified Purchase
I had the rare privilege of working with Chris during his second deployment to Balad. You can probably find lots of "there I was" books relating to this war, but you would be hard-pressed to find a more accurate book, or one that better reflects the feelings of those medics deployed in support of our fighting forces and the people of Iraq. If you want to know what it was like to serve as a medic in Balad, you need only to open the cover of this book and start reading.
Helpful
 Report
Anthony Dilley
5.0 out of 5 stars babies in a war zone?
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2010
Verified Purchase
Dr Coppola has kindly shared his experiences of caring for children caught in a war zone. The difficulties of being away from his own family, having no offical remit to care for local children, and not having the desirable equipment to care for local children are just some of the strains that he discusses. As a paediatric surgeon who has worked away from "civilization" I can empathize! I would recommend this book to all paediatric surgeons and to all surgeons and doctors who get involved in the humanitarian side of disasters.
Helpful
 Report
Heather
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read about a pediatric surgeon in Iraq
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
Very interesting. A human approach to time spent in a war zone. A side of war that I hadn’t even thought about.
Helpful
 Report
L. H. Adamkiewicz
4.0 out of 5 stars Two inches from greatness
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2010
War is Hell. But for a child it's ten times worse.

Dr. Christopher Coppola knows that all too well. He's seen how a child's large head and closeness to the ground make it an easy target for explosives. He's seen how burns that cover more than 50% of a child's body - cases that could be easily treated in US hospitals - are often fatal in war-torn Iraq.

Dr. Coppola went through two deployments to Balad air force base in Iraq during his time as a Pediatric Surgeon for the US Air Force. During his first deployment, he saw the damage done to children during the war. But he also saw the overall hope of a nation that was certain after the war things would be better. Then in his second deployment - some two years later - he saw new threats to children as troop numbers surged and al-Qaida turned its focus from targeting US troops to targeting civilians.

Working in extreme conditions while battling bureaucracy and lack of modern equipment, Dr. Coppola did his best in every surgery or procedure to save lives.

And in his memoir `Coppola', the good doctor tells what happened during those years in Iraq.

The book is nicely written, nicely paced, and sprinkled with diverse elements: Coppola's letters home, sketches of Iraqi bases and palaces, and his academic papers.

But it doesn't seem enough. There always seems to be something missing.

It's certainly not that the book is overly censored. Coppola is bringing you the honest truth, no matter how shocking it may be. Like the story of how he consulted the Iraqi family of a hermaphrodite who insisted on raising the child as a boy. Or the story of an unforgettable little girl named Leyla, and how the Doctor unknowingly treated the insurgent who started the house fire that killed her. These are all stories that will stay in your mind and come back to visit you when you least suspect them.

But still... it's never quite enough.

Perhaps its Coppola's kindness and compassion, so evident in the care of his patients, that prevents us from seeing what we're looking for. We can see in his anecdotes of breaking bad news to parents, fellow soldiers, and even his wife, that Coppola understands the necessity of being candid about the true face of difficult situations. But when it comes to discussing the nitty-gritty variables - the things he and he alone has to worry about in order to turn the situation around - things get strategically left out.

It feels as thought the good doctor treats his readers like his patients. We see the circumstances that fuel his worry, his insomnia, and his frustration. But we never seem to be lurking by his side. He wants to show us the exposed, beating heart of the situation of Iraq. But not so close that we might compromise the operation.

"Coppola" is a book two inches from greatness. By the end of this book you will know the man, know the necessity, and instinctively understand why the doctor is so good at what he does. This book will get you thinking things about US involvement that tend to get pushed to the back of your mind.

I'm glad I was given the opportunity to read it. More people need to read it. More people need to understand the lives US soldiers and surgeons are living thousands of miles away from US soil. Brave men and women are dying for a mission most people would rather go to the mall than think about. And the more I read Coppola's story the more outraged I felt about that sense of national disinterest.

But the book, as it stands, is more school assignment than masterpiece. Perhaps a little more openness about the facts, perhaps a ghost writer's polish, perhaps one more heart-wrenching story of a patient in need could have pushed it those last two inches.

"Coppola" cannot be said to be a great book. But it is a good, though-provoking read, and one that I highly recommend.

Luxury Reading . com
Helpful
 Report
riley
5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting account of how to do good in a war zone
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2017
Verified Purchase
An interesting account of how to do good in a war zone. Also illustrates the sacrifices our armed forces member make on deployments far from family and home.
Helpful
 Report