Fobbit by David Abrams

This was on the New York Time Notable Books list for 2012, and since it deals directly with the war in Iraq and I deal with that as part of my job, I read it.  It is written by a career Army journalist who did a tour in Iraq in 2005, and it is a darkly satirical look at the 21st century war and the soldiers who fight it. 

I am sure that it is very hard, if not impossible, to avoid becoming cripplingly cynical when you watch war up close. That comes through loud and clear in this book, which focuses on military personnel who are not in battle.  We know that in Iraq, especially early in the war, being in a support unit was absolutely no guarantee of safety and the risks these men and women faced every day were very real.  the book incorporates inner monologues, diary entries, correspondence, press releases and conversations of several active duty soldiers, each with their own particular voice and their own version of events, each with their different responsibilities and views on the war.  They all share one quality,though.  They are characters who try to shield their malaise and opinion from public discourse--their real feelings come out in many ways, but not in the straight forward sense.  The problem I have with this dark book is that while it does tell a real story, it does so in a way that came off as disrespectful to me.  I recommend
'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' for capturing the same sentiments in a way that makes soldiers look weary rather than frightened.