Books for Dudes: Soldiers' Memoirs of Iraq
Douglas C. Lord, Connecticut State Lib., Middletown -- Library Journal, 09/29/2008
We live in a world where you have a better chance of spying a dodo in a library than a dude. A dude isn’t retired, after all. A dude has a job, maybe more than one. A dude is a professional at doing something, and a dude usually has a significant other or a family, i.e., responsibilities and commitments. A dude, for whatever crazy difference in brain wiring, is just less inclined than the average woman to walk through the door and stack surf. But maybe, just maybe, between chores, work, and watching a little football, a dude would enjoy relaxing with a book. It’s just a matter of introducing the idea, of reaching out to this breed of patron before he disappears inside a TV for good.
That’s why I’m writing this new column once a month for BookSmack! I am by no means Every Dude, but I am a pretty dudeish librarian—a divorced father of two, an Ironman, and a punk rock fan. If I do say so myself, I’ve got a good sense of the topics that interest my 25-50-year-old brethren, and because bikini-clad chicks, fix-it manuals, and NASCAR have been done ad nauseam, I’ll go beyond them, but not too much. (Feel free to send me suggestions at dlord@cslib.org.)
This inaugural column covers memoirs by veterans of the Iraq War (with a touch of the Gulf War). The dude factors: enemies denigrated (soldiers must dehumanize), black humor, and swearing, deep behind enemy lines. The higher the author’s rank, the wider the book’s viewpoint. A grunt usually provides basic, gritty experiences, while fighting officers include experiences, tempered with discussions of strategy. These are stories that often get lost in the political debates about WMDs, the war on terror, and whether it’s right or wrong to be in Iraq in the first place. But make no mistake—these memoirs are gripping; they speak to dudes who were there and dudes who weren’t.
While some of the hardcovers are out of print, many are in paperback, and mint copies of both varieties can be picked up on the cheap from nontraditional sources (eBay, Half.com, Amazon, etc). So put up a display, make a bibliography, and show these books off. You’ll hook a dude as hard as a bass after a shiner.
Antenori, Frank & Hans Halberstadt. Roughneck Nine-One: The Extraordinary Story of a Special Forces A-Team at War. St. Martin’s. 2006. 265p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-312-35332-2. $24.95; pap. ISBN 978-0-312-35333-9. $14.95. AUTOBIOGThis dynamic memoir follows the author through his Army Special Forces training, then zeroes in on the 2003 battle at Debecka Pass in which the outmanned and outgunned "good" guys overcome enemy Iraqi forces. At times, the soldiers seem unrealistically gallant in action, but the authors convey their genuine sense of commitment and dedication. Antenori’s lack of personal reflection may bother some but please others who just want a sense of what it’s like to be in battle. Note that Tantor’s Media’s 2006 unabridged audio edition as read by Patrick Lawlor is a worthwhile consideration.
Bellavia, David with John Bruning. House to House. Free Pr: S. & S. 2007. 321p. index. illus. ISBN 978-1-4165-4697-9. $26; pap. ISBN 978-1-4165-4697-9. $15. AUTOBIOGInfantry Sergeant Bellavia’s graphic depictions of the firefights and harrowing face-to-face combat he experienced in Iraq will pump reader adrenaline or halt circulation. Recalling a work of fiction at moments, the book chronicles events in his deployment in the Diyala Province, then at the second battle of Fallujah. Readers will feel they are in the thick of the fighting, with ever present enemy gunfire and anxiety, not to mention the aftermath of battle—debris, confusion, infection, and dysentery. Bellavia credits the Iraqi fighters with maniacal savagery, and this vilification of them is distracting. Still, a vital, striking document by a soldier who earned both Bronze and Silver Stars.
Buzzell, Colby. My War: Killing Time in Iraq. Putnam. 2005. 368p. illus. ISBN 978-0-425-21136-6. pap. $15. AUTOBIOGA real memoir from a real grunt; the best parts are made up of the author’s 2003 blog that chronicled a year in the army in Iraq. Whereas Nathaniel Fick’s meticulously constructed book (see below) reflects a purposeful life, Buzzell’s—with its cranky urgency—characterizes the rudderlessness of his. Twenty-five and living at home, Buzzell traded his skateboard for a machine gun; his blog became popular and came to the attention of army brass unpleased with his criticisms. A fascinating chronicle of a soldier’s day-to-day grind, punctuated by occasional, violent action. (See LJ's original review; see also John Riddick’s "The Meaning of War.")
Fick, Nathaniel. One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer. Houghton Mifflin. 2005. 369p. illus. ISBN 978-0-618-77343-5. $24.95; pap. ISBN 978-0-618-77343-5. $14.95. AUTOBIOGPerhaps the most readable of these memoirs, this follows an upright, Darmouth-educated young man who is compelled by his search for personal excellence to pursue an officer’s commission in the U.S. Marines and earn a spot in the elite First Recon Battalion. After a stint in Afghanistan, he moves on to Iraq, where readers get a bird’s-eye view of his missions as well as a larger picture of the war. The book is a testament to a soldier who pours natural and developed talents into the Corps Way. Pass on Simon & Schuster’s abridged audio version, which is woodenly read by the author. (See LJ's original review; the BIP record for the hardcover reads "Out of Stock Indefinitely.")
Key, Joshua, as told to Lawrence Hill. Deserter’s Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away from the War in Iraq. Grove. 2007. 231p. illus. ISBN 978-0-87113-954-2. $23; pap. ISBN 978-0-8021-4345-7. $14. AUTOBIOGNow living in Canada, Key couldn’t conscience the decimation that he claims he and his fellow soldiers were wreaking in Iraq. Flat broke with a young family to support, Keys joined the Army in 2003 and naively believed a recruiter who assured him he would never pull combat duty; he was promptly deployed. Feeling duped and in the maw of a huge machine, Key often gives the impression of not being the brightest bulb in the pack. During his stint in Iraq, he witnesses needlessly brutal violence: the executions of obvious civilians and children, the abuse of women and the mentally ill. As compelling as a car wreck, this blows the whole soldiers-are-always-honorable idea out of the water. Key deserted while on furlough; readers won’t blame him one bit. (See LJ's original review.)
Rieckhoff, Paul. Chasing Ghosts: A Soldier’s Fight for America from Baghdad to Washington. NAL. 2007. 326p. illus. ISBN 978-0-451-21841-4. $24.95; pap. ISBN 978-0-451-22121-6. $15. AUTOBIOGFormer Army Lieutenant Rieckhoff’s book is a nobly intended memoir with a shot of bitters. Stacking up his experiences in the War in Iraq against those portrayed in the media and by top commanders, the author shares his nearly polemical views that the invasion was specious, the war poorly executed, and the aftermath mismanaged. Outraged by the government’s mistreatment of vets, Rieckhoff founded an advocacy organization (now known as IAVA) that supports vets of Afghanistan and Iraq. (See LJ's original review.)
Swofford, Anthony. Jarhead: A Marine’s Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles. Scribner. 2003. 260p. ISBN 978-0-7432-4491-6. $24. AUTOBIOGSwofford was barely 20 at the time of his deployment to Iraq, and his memoir, the oldest of the bunch here, focuses less on individual battles and more on musings about his past, present, and future life, along with the topics close at hand to soldiers: unfaithful girlfriends, endless waiting, and pent-up aggression. Stylistically, Swofford tends toward the lyrical (sometimes turning the corner into pretension), and he is particularly skillfully at conveying how he and his fellow soldiers use humor (often pitch black) to cope with the campaign’s stresses. The audio version read by the author is a worthwhile consideration. (See LJ's original review.)
