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_micah_ 's review for:
American War
by Omar El Akkad
Listened to this in almost one sitting on the train from Portland to Spokane and emerged from the train unsure of who I was, how I got there, or if America was actually at war over fossil use.
The book is as hard and dark as an American Civil war could be, and, as in war, the violence feels unhinged and unconnected to any belief system outside of gaining power, maintaining power or simple revenge. Violence drives the plot, pushing the characters through displacement, loss, rage, and grief, doing so in a way that feels conceivable for this country in the near future.
An aside, but the main character is a black latina woman, though her race is barely brought up. This lack of acknowledgment seems to leave a hole in what it means to an American of colors, and I'm curious what WoC in the south thought of that approach or what would/could be done differently.
I'm not the first to say that between the rich descriptions and well-realized characters the dialogue was one of the weaker points, but listening to Dion Graham's rendition fixed almost everything about that. Plenty of places that could have felt awkward or strange to read in letter were smoothed over and made into an enriching part of the novel.
Lastly, in flipping around through other reviews I'm surprised at the lack of mention of El Akkad's previous work as a war correspondent and Guantanamo journalist, as it is so incredibly evident in the rendering of events. Even going into it knowing that background I was not mentally fucking prepared for the physical torture scenes pulled directly from the techniques used at Gitmo. Shit was real and felt real because he'd seen it himself or heard of it directly from those who had.
Full disclosure: I know El Akkad as an acquaintance and enjoy name dropping him at parties, which I've started to realize doesn't really do much but makes me feel cool. So thanks to Omar for this terrifying and great book and giving me something to babble about at strangers.
The book is as hard and dark as an American Civil war could be, and, as in war, the violence feels unhinged and unconnected to any belief system outside of gaining power, maintaining power or simple revenge. Violence drives the plot, pushing the characters through displacement, loss, rage, and grief, doing so in a way that feels conceivable for this country in the near future.
An aside, but the main character is a black latina woman, though her race is barely brought up. This lack of acknowledgment seems to leave a hole in what it means to an American of colors, and I'm curious what WoC in the south thought of that approach or what would/could be done differently.
I'm not the first to say that between the rich descriptions and well-realized characters the dialogue was one of the weaker points, but listening to Dion Graham's rendition fixed almost everything about that. Plenty of places that could have felt awkward or strange to read in letter were smoothed over and made into an enriching part of the novel.
Lastly, in flipping around through other reviews I'm surprised at the lack of mention of El Akkad's previous work as a war correspondent and Guantanamo journalist, as it is so incredibly evident in the rendering of events. Even going into it knowing that background I was not mentally fucking prepared for the physical torture scenes pulled directly from the techniques used at Gitmo. Shit was real and felt real because he'd seen it himself or heard of it directly from those who had.
Full disclosure: I know El Akkad as an acquaintance and enjoy name dropping him at parties, which I've started to realize doesn't really do much but makes me feel cool. So thanks to Omar for this terrifying and great book and giving me something to babble about at strangers.