by Tracy Kidder
First published 2006
Returning home from Vietnam, a disillusioned soldier grapples with the trauma of combat and the challenge of reintegrating into civilian life. Kidder's gripping first-person account paints a vivid portrait of the daily realities of war, the moral ambiguities faced by troops, and the lasting psychological toll. Through it all, the narrator's humanity shines as he navigates this painful transition, seeking to reconcile his wartime experiences with his sense of self.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, military-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
208 pages · Paperback · Random House
Content warnings: violence, war