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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
3.5. I think this book might deserve a different title. I expected more of a World War Z situation, but it was mostly the portrait of one (very important) player in the war. I wanted more big- picture stuff.
In American War, journalist Omar El Akkad paints a dark dystopian future in which the unreconciled shadows of America’s past rise up to tear the country apart once more. His protagonist begins as a child caught in the middle of that fight, and is irrevocably twisted and shaped by the horrors of war. We follow Sarat as she goes from refugee to fighter to war hero to wanted terrorist, perceptions of her swaying and turning depending from which side of the conflict she is being seen. We see her broken and remade, and broken again, and must inevitably follow her to the consequences of that final breaking. She is not a likeable character, and the reader is not necessarily supposed to sympathize with her actions, but it the author’s quest to make us understand her nevertheless. more
The peek into our possible distopian future was morbidly intriguing and well told through the eyes of Sarat and Benjamin. I liked that they chose a Southern, "Red" voice to unfold the drama since we often think of the South as the losing side ever since the first Civil War. There are no winners, really. And no heroes. It's a story of pain, revenge, and ruin. But you at least understand why Sarat and others seek control in a world of chaos.
The water allegory woven throughout the story runs deep (pun intended). Water took away land and disturbed life due to climate change; was used to break people mentally and physically; soothed and healed Sarat; and, finally, was the resting place for many.
The water allegory woven throughout the story runs deep (pun intended). Water took away land and disturbed life due to climate change; was used to break people mentally and physically; soothed and healed Sarat; and, finally, was the resting place for many.
What if North Americans could actually understand what life in a war zone was like? Omar El Akkad does a clever bit of education while writing about a future Civil War in America. Descriptions of conditions are drawn from his own history as a journalist covering wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a particularly harrowing section of the book is clearly about the prison at Guantanamo. That's what makes this more and better than a good story.
Read this book. It's only too possible.
Besides that, it's written with intelligence and empathy.
Did I say... read this book!
Besides that, it's written with intelligence and empathy.
Did I say... read this book!
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one swallowed me up and wouldn’t let go. It echoes so much of our world today, of how right and wrong aren’t nearly as clear as we think and how good people can be pushed to a brink and bad can be brought back.
It’s not a pretty story, but it’s a good one. And definitely worth expanding yourself for. Because I think it’s one that will stick, for a long time. And maybe can keep people from a tragic future.
It’s not a pretty story, but it’s a good one. And definitely worth expanding yourself for. Because I think it’s one that will stick, for a long time. And maybe can keep people from a tragic future.
Uuuuuuuggghhhhh... I’m going to have to read some light-hearted fantasy ish or something. This is SUUUUPER intense. Big feels. Much trauma.
Intense and fascinating, felt like an extremely realistic view of the future we are heading towards.
This book has so much heart and is about so many things other than a fictional civil war in the future. I'm sure I'll be thinking about it for weeks to come. This may be getting added to my favorites list. Too many thoughts right now. Everyone should just read this damn book.