March 21, 2013
Set in seventeenth-century Japan, David Kirk's book tells the story of Bennosuke, son of a premier warrior, in line to become a great samurai, who, after a shocking event occurs, must confront his destiny.
March 13, 2013
Eight American war heroes are on the last stop of a Victory Tour at a Dallas Cowboys game. From here, Ben Fountain gives us a brilliant, satirical, and incisive portrait of contemporary America.
December 14, 2012
This novel written by an Iraq War veteran tells a powerful story about two friends deployed in Iraq, and the damage, guilt, and battles endured, until a secret threatens one of the friend's small sense of peace he thought he had found.
September 25, 2012
This personal account of an astounding, controversial battle in the Afghan War takes no prisoners. Dakota Meyer shows us the intensity of combat and an unusual bravery, resulting in an unforgettable story of American heroism.
September 14, 2012
The transporting nature of literature is one of many reasons to read -- and one of the many reasons to pick up Shani Boianjiu's debut novel.
July 21, 2012
The author of a gripping Afghanistan-set novel shares his thoughts on the draw of Antigone, taking sides, and empathy.
July 10, 2012
Can life ever return to normal after war? Brian Castner explores this idea as he reveals his visceral experiences in Iraq and during his homecoming in The Long Walk.
June 8, 2012
What is it about Hemingway's classic tale of dispirited expats that keeps readers coming back to it time and time again?
May 7, 2012
Stephen Dau's The Book of Jonas is a disturbing gospel for our time. It has simultaneously nothing and everything to do with religion; it can be read quite literally or allegorically, and it asks us to consider what it means to be saved. It's also very much a novel about war, and guilt, and remembrance. It's big.
April 9, 2012
On the anniversary of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's surrender during the U.S. Civil War, consider the best-selling fictional recount of the events.