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leitnerkev 's review for:

American War by Omar El Akkad
5.0
challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This may be the best book I've ever read and I didn't enjoy any of it. Every page is a kick in the teeth, every plot turn a smack in the head. Do not read this if you're in a bad place mentally. Reading it in the first month of a second Trump term didn't help my headspace either but honestly that fact validated the vision el Akkad articulates so masterfully. 

It is a spectacular examination of the relentless and ruthless wheel of war and its cataclysmic destruction of everyone it touches. It articulates the mad, sad, and frustrating turn of radicalization. If I were teaching a college class, this would be mandatory reading for my class. 

Read it. Because it's necessary.