November 17, 2003 | Vol. 162 No. 20

At Home: The Private Jessica Lynch (Cover Story / Jessica Lynch)

Spend some time visiting with her, and you'll discover not only what really happened in Iraq but who her heroes are, what haunts her and how she plans to find her way back to normal

Jessica Lynch: Book Excerpt: Wrong Turn In The Desert (Cover Story / Jessica Lynch)

Everyone died in her humvee except Jessica. Then came a second survival test: nine days in Iraqi custody, where she almost lost a leg but never lost courage

Jessica Lynch: Oh, God, Help Me Get Through It (Cover Story / Jessica Lynch)

After months of speculation, Jessica Lynch gets a chance to tell her story. TIME's Nancy Gibbs and Richard Stengel listened to her talk about her fears, hopes and heroes

The Insurgent And The Soldier

They view themselves as men of honor. And they are trying to wipe each other out in Fallujah, Iraq's red-hot core

Letter From London: The George and Tony Show Could Get Wild (Letter From London)

Blair is looking forward to Bush's visit to Britain next week. So are the protesters

Health: Drano For The Heart (Health)

An experimental drug no one expected to work is surprisingly effective at rooting out cholesterol

Health: Desperate Measures (Health)

As a last resort, more and more obese teens are having their stomachs stapled. What are the risks?

Education: A Real School Of Rock (Education)

How one teacher turned kids on to Hendrix and the Stones and then into scrappy rockers

Coolest Inventions: Coolest Inventions 2003 (Coolest Inventions)

PLUS: Best Gear - Top 10 Video Games - Web Shopping Guide

Coolest Inventions: Invention Of The Year: The 99Â Solution (Coolest Inventions)

Steve Jobs' new Music Store showed foot-dragging record labels and freeloading music pirates that there is a third way

Coolest Inventions: Smart Library (Coolest Inventions)

Amazon's new search service takes readers inside their books

100,000 Friends (Coolest Inventions)

On Friendster.com, nobody's a stranger for long

Coolest Inventions: Water Purifier (Coolest Inventions)

Thousands die every day for lack of clean water. Can the man who invented the Segway save them?

Coolest Inventions: Camera Phones (Coolest Inventions)

Take two popular gadgets. Merge them into a single point-and-click device. Then watch the world go nuts over it

Coolest Inventions: Lots O' Bots (Coolest Inventions)

Coolest Inventions: For Your Health (Coolest Inventions)

Coolest Inventions: In The Mode (Coolest Inventions)

Coolest Inventions: Carry A Tune (Coolest Inventions)

Coolest Inventions: Keeping It Safe (Coolest Inventions)

Coolest Inventions: Power Up (Coolest Inventions)

Coolest Inventions: Out of Doors (Coolest Inventions)

Coolest Inventions: On The Go (Coolest Inventions)

Coolest Inventions: Light And Dark (Coolest Inventions)

Web Shopping Guide: Welcome To The Surf Shop (Coolest Inventions)

What type of people are on your holiday list? Fashionistas? Globetrotters? Metrosexuals? We've got the perfect website and gift ideas for all of them--and more. Happy surfing!

Web Shopping Guide: For The Fashionista (Coolest Inventions)

Haute couture is still hit or miss, but hip is everywhere. Try these sites on for size

Web Shopping Guide: For The Metrosexual (Coolest Inventions)

Think of this as TIME's eye for the straight guy who's not afraid of pedicures

Web Shopping Guide: For The Cook (Coolest Inventions)

Got friends or family members who love the culinary arts? These sites will help you feed their fancy

Web Shopping Guide: For The Outdoorsman (Coolest Inventions)

Campers, hikers, cyclists and bird watchers--we've got them in our sights

Web Shopping Guide: For The Globetrotter (Coolest Inventions)

What do you give someone who's always on the move? Follow these links

Web Shopping Guide: For The Snow Bunny (Coolest Inventions)

Go ahead, dream of a white Christmas--just make sure that little girl is prepared

Web Shopping Guide: For The Kindergartner (Coolest Inventions)

Best Gear 2003: Best Gear (Coolest Inventions)

A peek at the most feature-packed gadgets, from cell phones and DVD recorders to cameras and toys

Best Gear 2003: Sound Wave (Coolest Inventions)

Music aficionados, take note: it's never been easier to manage your digital record collections

Best Gear 2003: Imagemakers (Coolest Inventions)

With crisp color photos and easy printing options, digital cameras keep pushing film aside

Best Gear 2003: Fun & Games (Coolest Inventions)

Toys are great. Toys with computer chips are even better. A musical platypus, a video game that watches you. What will they think of next?

Best Gear 2003: Plug & Play (Coolest Inventions)

Decorate your favorite geek with these flashy, ornament-size computer accessories

Best Gear 2003: It's Showtime (Coolest Inventions)

Vivid special effects will blast into your living room with the latest in home-theater systems

Best Gear 2003: Home Style (Coolest Inventions)

Robot vacs, Crock-Pot memories, multicultural massage chairs and more...

Coolest Inventions: Top 10 Video Games: Who's Got Game? (Coolest Inventions)

TIME chooses this year's TOP 10 VIDEO GAMES, from superheroes to superstars to Bart and Homer Simpson

Verbatim: Nov. 17, 2003 (Notebook)

Farewell To The Swing Voter (Notebook)

What Sparked Bush's Democracy Speech? (Notebook)

Performance of the Week (Notebook)

Performance of the Week Nov. 17, 2003

Numbers: Nov. 17, 2003 (Notebook)

Danger: Hot Spots Ahead (Notebook)

Iran's Nuke Admission (Notebook)

Milestones Nov. 17, 2003 (Notebook / Milestones)

Milestones: 12 Years Ago In TIME (Notebook / Milestones)

Table of Contents: Nov. 17, 2003 (Table Of Contents)

To Hell With Sympathy (Essay)

The goodwill America earned on 9/11 was illusory. Get over it

Hectoring Is Not Leadership (Essay)