First published 2018
Pulitzer Prize winner C.J. Chivers follows six American service members through the longest wars in U.S. history. The author, an infantry veteran himself, reported from Afghanistan and Iraq from the opening campaigns. He traces the experiences of a fighter pilot, corpsman, scout helicopter pilot, grunt, infantry officer, and Special Forces sergeant across more than two decades of conflict. These warriors face shifting missions as initial invasions transform into prolonged counterinsurgency operations. Chivers documents their physical ordeals and emotional struggles, capturing both their dedication and growing disillusionment. The book reveals how American forces adapted to enemies and tactics they had not anticipated. Through intimate portraits of these six fighters, Chivers shows the human cost of America's post-9/11 military commitments. The work examines courage and confusion in equal measure, presenting the reality of modern warfare without political rhetoric.
Genres: american, military-fiction, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, first-hand-account
Setting: Afghanistan, Iraq
Period: 21st Century
374 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Content warnings: violence, war