Review by Booklist Review
Klay, a U.S. Marine war veteran, novelist (Missionaries, 2020), and National Book Award--winner for his short story collection Redeployment (2014), aligns his thoughts and experiences with the soul of a nation in an introspective collection of essays structured in four parts, "Soldiers," "Citizens," "Writing," and "Faith." Compelling themes emerge from the first page, like the importance of "clarity of purpose," bonding, and morale in high-stakes conflicts; the stark differences between friendship and camaraderie; and the history, innovation, and problems surrounding guns and modern weaponry. In each essay, Klay's distinctive ideas expose cracks in the ostensibly glossy but unmistakably fragile veneer of our culture. After decades of war, is there still a firm, shared sense of purpose? Are soldiers motivated to fight for causes they may not fully believe in, especially in seemingly endless engagements in which victory and defeat are unclear? How is courage on the battlefield impacted by a splintered, atomized society? As "anti-government rhetoric, paranoia, fear of crime" and other oppressive uncertainties reach fever pitch, Klay's reassuring voice offers truth, hope, and ways forward during a challenging, polarized period in America.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Klay, a Marine Corps veteran and National Book Award winner (for the story collection Redeployment), makes his nonfiction debut with this incisive collection of previously published essays on the "Global War on Terror": "a conflict that has lasted so long, and at such a low ebb that most Americans can pretend it isn't happening." In "We Have No Idea What We're Doing in Iraq. We Didn't Before We Killed Suleimani," Klay forcefully critiques President Trump's continuation of Obama's "policy of airstrikes and deployments of Special Operations troops in support of local forces." According to Klay, this tactic produced short-term military gains but undermined the stability of the government and contributed to the rise of ISIS and other insurgent groups. In one of the book's most trenchant pieces, Klay reflects on the "moral dimension" of military service and profiles veterans whose horror at "the human cost of our wars overseas" has led them to public service and international aid work. Elsewhere, he eloquently describes his contempt for "performative rage" as a political device and calls for "civility... a style of argument that implicitly welcomes a response." Enriched by the author's military experiences and sharp turns of phrase ("We're America. We're good at violence"), this is an astute and often enraging survey of America's forever wars. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Award-winning author and former U.S. Marine Klay's (Redeployment) nonfiction debut is a thoughtful and intelligent look at America's endless wars and the way we look at war in general. In this essay collection, written from 2019 through 2021, Klay notes that the majority of Americans are complacently insulated from the realities of military service and find it easy to look away. Those who serve are confused about the mission. How have these conflicts been going on so long, and still, the policy has not been made clear? War is chaos--it changes soldiers, and often, not for the better. Civilian losses and casualties in these foreign lands go unnoticed. There must be good reasons to go to war, but do we know what they are? Narrator Josh Casaubon provides a nuanced reading that captures shifts in tone and appropriately applies the intelligence and emotion that Klay deftly employs. Klay freely admits that answers aren't easy and thinks that sending service people to war shouldn't be easy, either. VERDICT This carefully narrated and thought-provoking title brings home Klay's central argument, that the duty of citizenship requires civilians to notice and weigh in. An important listen that is highly recommended for all public libraries.--Christa Van Herreweghe
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Marine Corps veteran and acclaimed writer Klay delivers a closely observed set of essays on an age of endless war. America's military adventures around the world, writes the author, take place "at such a low ebb that most Americans can pretend it isn't happening." When Americans are killed, some ears perk up. If it's America's allies--e.g., the interpreters who negotiated between English and Pashto speakers--not so much. Such people, along with immigrants who arrived in the U.S. and then served in the military only to be deported after their discharge, are the focus of several of the essays, speaking to the subtitle. Klay, the National Book Award winner for Redeployment, ranges widely. He is fascinated, for example, by the support among his comrades for Donald Trump, largely because he promised to keep them at home and far from the front line. It didn't work out that way, but Trump was undeniably more open than Obama about his intentions. In 2015, Obama noted, inaccurately, that "we've ended two wars," which was news to those on active duty. "No wonder our troops were having difficulty articulating why they were fighting," writes Klay. "Their commander in chief couldn't even bring himself to admit that we were still at war." If your central mission is not to defeat a nebulous enemy but simply keep yourself alive, then "it's not the Taliban or al-Qaeda or ISIS that's trying to kill you, it's America." Klay's incisive, grunt's-eye perspective is too little heard or heeded. His topics take on larger issues, but they almost always return to that central point of view--whether it be the monasticism of military life ("Like a novice monk, I was given new clothing, new standards of dress, a new haircut, as well as a distinct role within a broader community"), the militarization of the culture, or citizens' easy access to military-grade weapons. A compelling critique of civilian foibles by a skilled writer well versed in carrying out civilian wishes in the field. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
