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destiny_rodriguez's review against another edition
1.0
I personally cant read stuff like this. DNF at 35%
bayareabruin11's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible and heartwrenching short story collection about the impact on individuals by the Iraq War. Will be on the look out for all new work by Klay.
civilsparky's review against another edition
5.0
Powerful
This was a moving read. The writing is gripping and I have a better understanding of how life can be so fragile. I recommend this book to anyone
This was a moving read. The writing is gripping and I have a better understanding of how life can be so fragile. I recommend this book to anyone
johndiconsiglio's review against another edition
4.0
There’s no shortage of fine lit on the Iraq war, from the poetic Yellow Birds to the satirical Billy Lynn to brilliant nonfiction like The Good Soldiers. Redeployment, boots-on-the-ground stories by a Marine vet, is a worthy if uneven addition. It’s as gritty & unsparing as you’d expect. At its best, it leaves you dazed & disturbed. Still, I was struck by its familiarity. Not Klay’s fault. He writes what he’s seen. But where are the other viewpoints? Where is the war through a woman’s eyes? A gay soldier? Heck, an Iraqi? There’s room in this cannon for more voices.
annevoi's review against another edition
5.0
A killer book of twelve short stories, each one spot on. All are told in the first person, but the narrator is different in each, ranging from Marines newly home after a seven-month deployment to men on the ground in the war zone—but not always in the thick of the action. There's a chaplain, an adjutant (desk jockey), a Foreign Service Officer who ends up getting tasked with teaching Iraqi kids baseball thanks to political machinations back home. There's a Coptic Arab vet trying to explain what it was like to be a Marine in Iraq to a newly converted African-American Muslim at Swarthmore College. There is plenty of anger, confusion, and helplessness, as well as striving to connect, to understand.
I flagged so many passages for their vividness or wisdom or grit or vulnerability, for their ability to explain situations or states of mind or the sheer insanity of war so very well, and I could have flagged many more. Much of what makes the book so compelling is the dialogue. The writing is exceptional.
I flagged so many passages for their vividness or wisdom or grit or vulnerability, for their ability to explain situations or states of mind or the sheer insanity of war so very well, and I could have flagged many more. Much of what makes the book so compelling is the dialogue. The writing is exceptional.
ja3m3's review against another edition
I am going to place this book on my "to be continued" shelf. The subject matter and the graphic descriptions are to personally close to me to continue reading.
meghan111's review against another edition
4.0
There are nine stories and I can remember seven of them distinctly, which is quite a feat. A couple are completely vivid still. I really liked the audiobook narration since my attention never wandered while listening. A couple times I felt the setup of a story relied too heavily on a woman asking the male narrator questions about his war experience in a way that reminded me a little too much that this book is very focused on the male experience. It would have been interesting to switch to a different point of view for a story.
yo_olivia's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0