Bob Woodruff

ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff returned to Iraq on Monday for the first time since he was nearly killed there by a roadside bomb more than three years ago. Woodruff is on a reporting trip that left Washington with Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The ABC newsman is staying on U.S. military bases while he is in Iraq. Woodruff suffered a serious brain injury from the Jan. 29, 2006, bomb that exploded while he was riding in an Iraqi army tank, his upper body exposed as he stood in the hatch.

ABC's Bob Woodruff is returning to the air next month for the first time since he was seriously wounded in Iraq by a roadside bomb. He will tell the story of his recovery. In "To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports," the former "World News" anchor goes back to the soldiers and doctors who helped save his life to share how he overcame the injuries he sustained last January. The special will air at 10 p.m. on Feb. 27. Matea Gold

He occasionally searches for a word and has limited vision in the right corners of his eyes. But aside from some red scars that pocket his face, there are few outward signs that 13 months ago part of Bob Woodruff's skull was blown off by a roadside bomb in Iraq. "I feel so lucky in so many ways," the ABC correspondent said Monday, seated in an airy conference room in the network's Manhattan headquarters. "I see what my family has gone through and I realize how difficult it has been."

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores. *--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Watchman by Robert 10 2 Crais (Simon & Schuster: $25.95) A party-girl heiress in need of protection after seeing something she shouldn't have comes under the watchful private eye of Joe Pike. 2 Ten Days in the Hills by 1 3 Jane Smiley (Knopf: $26) Hollywood denizens spend 10 days together talking about movies, making love and arguing about the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores. *--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Watchman by Robert 1 3 Crais (Simon & Schuster: $25.95) A party-girl heiress in need of protection after seeing something she shouldn't have comes under the watchful private eye of Joe Pike. 2 Nineteen Minutes by Jodi -- 1 Picoult (Atria: $26.95) A small New England town copes with the aftermath of a rampage in which a troubled teen kills 10 at the local high school.

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores. *--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Watchman by Robert 1 4 Crais (Simon & Schuster: $25.95) A party-girl heiress in need of protection after seeing something she shouldn't have comes under the watchful private eye of Joe Pike. 2 Nineteen Minutes by Jodi 2 2 Picoult (Atria: $26.95) A small New England town copes with the aftermath of a rampage in which a troubled teen killed 10 at the local high school.

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores. *--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Watchman by Robert 1 5 Crais (Simon & Schuster: $25.95) A party-girl heiress comes under the watchful eye of former cop Joe Pike after she witnesses something she shouldn't have. 2 What Is the What by Dave 3 13 Eggers (McSweeney's: $26) A Sudanese refugee fights to survive and create a new life in America but finds safety and a sense of belonging elusive.

Bob Woodruff of ABC News is headed to Havana this weekend for his first overseas reporting trip since being severely injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq last year. He'll be accompanied by cameraman Doug Vogt and sound technician Magnus Macedo, who were with him on the Iraq trip. Woodruff, 45, suffered traumatic brain injuries in the Jan. 29, 2006, bombing. Vogt was also wounded. The Cuba coverage begins on "World News" on Sunday.

NEW YORK -- While it's hard to think of positives to come out of a severe brain injury, here's one: It helped ABC News' Bob Woodruff score a scoop. South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson turned to Woodruff for a "Nightline" report on his recovery and return to public life this week after a brain hemorrhage. The Democrat probably figured no other reporter would better understand what he went through.