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mark_lm's review against another edition
3.0
A collection of well written angry vet stories. My favorite story "Money as a weapons system" reminded me of Catch-22 and was the only story that I saw my own life and civilian job in.
blevins's review against another edition
4.0
Intense group of short stories [no surprise] set in Iraq, Afghanistan or featuring post-tour soldiers in America written by veteran Marine Phil Klay. I'm not a short story reader very often but felt this was one I had to read as it won the National Book Award & I generally like reading about war & soldiers [it's a world I'm completely oblivious of aside from books/movies]. Some of the writing is very powerful as it delves into the exhilaration of combat and more often the mind-numbing downtown between firefights. There's also a lot of soldiers trying to fit in moments in the collection. I'll be very curious to see if Klay can bring a non-combat story to life with the same quality in the future.
msjaquiss's review against another edition
5.0
I thought these short stories were fantastic and I was riveted by each one.
jackisfast's review against another edition
3.0
This was almost four stars from me. Some of the stories were much better than others. It's a heavy book, but it's not a heavy read.
rseelig's review against another edition
4.0
I checked this book out waiting for some other books that are more up my alley to become available at the library. I chose this one because a few friends have read it and ranked it highly. I would agree with their assessments that this is an important book for people in my circle, a circle that does not contain many veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s important because this is for the most part a nonpolitical opportunity to learn some of the stories of some of the people who have been deployed in these two wars. This is for me something that usually lives far away. Although a few people that I knew from high school or college or law school have served in the military, far more of the people that I know, like me, oppose(d) the wars. This book does not try and take a position on whether the wars were right or wrong, justified or not, although some of the men wrestle with these questions . It simply seeks to tell the stories of some of those who were there, whose voices we don’t usually hear, who weren’t high-ranking officials on the news. This is not a perspective I see often in my own life, or my consumption of news or literature. These days I feel particularly obligated to try and understand the perspective of people who don’t see the world the way that I do (but not by watching the reboot of Roseanne). This book is helpful in that ongoing effort.
readerxxx's review against another edition
4.0
Do not read this book with a gun nearby because you may just decide to take your own life it's so depressing. That said it's well written and it shows a side of what our veterans go through. the voices of the writers seem very authentic but sad to the last man. it's not easy to read because of this because there is no redemption in any of the stories. much like the lives of many vets that I know.
shelleygrace's review against another edition
5.0
poignant, impactful and honest - this book will stay with me for a long time. I did not love every short story in this collection, but every single one was written perfectly, and summed up the war experience pretty perfectly.
As a partner of someone who used to be in the military - not anymore, thank goodness! - some stories hit quite close to home and had me wondering what his experiences would have been like if he chose to pursue the Army full time. The brutal honesty of Redeployment was at times depressing, but refreshing and I really appreciated Klay's writing.
5/5
As a partner of someone who used to be in the military - not anymore, thank goodness! - some stories hit quite close to home and had me wondering what his experiences would have been like if he chose to pursue the Army full time. The brutal honesty of Redeployment was at times depressing, but refreshing and I really appreciated Klay's writing.
5/5
trademark's review against another edition
Too sad to go one. Or too graphic and uncomfortable
lottpoet's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5