On hearing today the horrible news of Michael Kelly's death, I pulled up my review of his brilliant book, Martyr's Day: Chronicle of a Small War, published in the Middle East Quarterly, June 1994. Here is an excerpt:
Michael Kelly's coverage of the Gulf War for The New Republic and other publications established him as one of the bright lights of American journalism. He seemed to be everywhere at the right moment (Iraq when the war started, Tel Aviv as the Scuds fell, Kuwait at liberation) and he wrote with a golden pen. Three years later, the book version of his vivid dispatches not only brings back the tumultuous days of 1991 but his keen insights, his intrepid search for the story, and his ability to turn a phrase make Martyr's Day the best first-hand account of the entire Kuwait crisis.... (April 4, 2003)
