richardwells 's review for:

American War by Omar El Akkad

3.0

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The doing and undoing of a "terrorist" from childhood trauma to ultimate martyrdom as the martyr ne plus ultra. The America of the future engaged in a civil war that has its roots, of course, in our first civil war, but over a subject - the use of fossil fuels as a state's rights issue - that seems a little slim. Thinking about it, all the politics are slim, but that didn't undo the book for me because the trajectory and development of the main character seemed true.

The nature of war, terrorism, hagiography, hasn't changed much since the Iliad, but that's not to say that insights don't become deeper or more interesting with individual authors. The insights here are worth the time.

I must say, I enjoyed it more in the reading than in the considering for this review.