First published 2010
Lieutenant Waino Mellas arrives in the Vietnamese mountain jungle with his Marines from Bravo Company. These young soldiers face enemies on multiple fronts. The North Vietnamese attack from the dense vegetation. Monsoon rains create rivers of mud. Leeches drain their blood while tigers stalk them through the darkness. Disease and hunger weaken their bodies. Inside their own ranks, racial conflicts divide the men. Officers above them play political games with their lives. Competing personal ambitions fracture their unity. When a massive enemy regiment surrounds Bravo Company, the Marines must fight for survival. The battle strips away everything except their need for each other. Combat transforms these boys into men through terror and brotherhood. The war changes each soldier forever. This novel captures what young men endure when thrust into battle and how they find courage in the worst circumstances.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, military-fiction, adventure, action
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: brotherhood, found-family, transformation
Setting: Vietnam
Period: 20th-century
600 pages · Hardcover · Atlantic Monthly Press
Content warnings: graphic-violence, war