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Comments (15)

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Dec 29, 2023d2richar rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Even though the war in Iraq now feels far away, these stories pack a lot of brutal honesty and authenticity about the complexities of participating (or not) in combat. Recommended.
Jan 10, 2021EljayJohnson rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Excellently written, intense, and powerful book of short stories about veterans of and soldiers during the Iraqi war. Each story is told in first person POV of a combatant, giving each story a different voice and giving the reader a…
Nov 26, 2019
Started on Veterans Day 2019
Feb 26, 2018HujeBohoc rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The best stories in this collection are the longer ones, where the author addresses the Iraq War from political or social perspectives. Phil Klay served in that war, and I felt that his opinions, through the stories’ characters, could be…
Feb 07, 2016Rogerhockett rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
After several interesting chapters the book becomes a drill on military acronymns. It seems to be written for other vets rather than the public. Became less interesting, so back to the library.
Jul 18, 2015rchepolis rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
National Book Award winner--yes! Author is mature, introspective, a close observer of humanity under stress, and writes in a conversational style that attests to a highly developed understanding of human nature. Good portrayal of the…
May 11, 2015Bill2smith rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
One thing I noticed pretty quickly as I began reading the stories in Redeployment was the number of abbreviations. One sentence in the second story, Frago: “Once the CASEVAC leaves, it’s mostly waiting. I give the LT my SITREP. He passes…
Apr 20, 2015stephaniedchase rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Brutal and honest. I felt Klay was at his best in the first story, "Redeployment," for which the book is named.
Apr 18, 2015gendeg rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
"It’s not that there’s one thing I want people to understand about this war so much as I want people engaged with it. If you’re an American citizen, it’s your war. It’s not the soldier’s war, or the Marine’s war. The soldier and the Marine…
mvkramer
Mar 30, 2015mvkramer rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
These stories are thoughtful, beautiful and well-crafted, but they and I were a stylistic mismatch. Klay uses a very spare, understated prose style that made it hard for me to immerse myself in the story. Also, as other reviewers have…
Mar 16, 2015BloomFree rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I followed the beginning very well but the more I read, the more I felt that I was wandering into territory that I had no interest in. A personal response to one line in the book that divides those who have gone to war from those who…
Dec 19, 2014looper46 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Good depiction of men/women of all ranks, and the complete F--- ups that go on, especially with the gross corruption that is tolerated in that culture. Seems to be Iraq's version "The Things They Carried" one of the Viet-nam's era best…
vox69nn
Jul 15, 2014vox69nn rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Klay is a brilliant young writer. His stories are upsetting - full of irony and pathos with occasional exceedingly wry humor. I marvel at how well Klay was able to assume the persona of someone much different than he, an English major Ivy…
pumpkinbutter
Jun 15, 2014pumpkinbutter rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I was moved and disturbed by these stories. Each one was devastating in its own way. Should be required reading for everyone, especially in light of the most recent upheaval in Iraq.
Mar 27, 2014greengarden1 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Interesting book. There was a lot of soul searching for us veterans after our return from the unpopular war in Vietnam. This shows that the issues of reentering the general population have not gone away. I actually think the recent…