THE FIGHTERS by C.J. Chivers is a highly praised analysis of
military history and American
combat in Afghanistan and Iraq which offers the perspective
and experiences of six combatants described by the publisher as a fighter
pilot, a corpsman, a scout helicopter pilot, a grunt, an infantry officer, and
a Special Forces sergeant. Chivers said that his one organizing idea was to
convey “that they are human,” especially to readers who may not have served or
know anyone in the military. It is certainly eye-opening and at times an almost overwhelming emotional experience to read the personal details about the danger and suffering that these soldiers and their families faced, both during and after deployment.
Chivers was an infantry officer in the United States Marine
Corps in the Persian Gulf War and is a Pulitzer Prize winning correspondent for
The New York Times. THE
FIGHTERS was recently featured on PBS NewsHour and here is a short
video interview with Chivers:
THE FIGHTERS received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. You can read or here an excerpt here. Please look for
a copy on our shelves soon.
Set mostly in the early
2000s and post 9/11, SILENT HEARTSby Gwen Florio is a recently published novel that explores parallels and
contrasts through the intertwined lives of two women.Liv is an American expatriate in Afghanistan with
her professor husband and Farida is an educated Pakistani who is newly married
to the son of an Afghan businessman whose trade involves drugs and guns. Yes, despite clear differences, both women are often defined by their
husbands’ roles and impacted by the men’s emotions: “Liv thought of her
life in the sheltered embrace of the college campus, first as a student, then a
researcher and Martin’s wife.Of the
things in that universe that depended upon the whims of men.A door held open for her, or not.A date. A promotion. In this world
[Afghanistan] a woman’s very life could turn on whether a man had had a bad day.”
With Farida acting
as translator, Liv interviews Afghani women about their life experiences,
preparing reports for an NGO named Face the Future.Both Farida and Liv display resilience and
develop a mutual regard for each other, even bonding over Alice and
Wonderland, the story of “a girl whose curiosity led her to ever-stranger
places, who did her best to adjust to incomprehensible circumstances, but who
inevitable called stupidity what it was.” Gwen Florio is a prize-winning
journalist who has reported from Afghanistan and she movingly conveys the
difficulties and dangers there as well as explaining cultural and religious differences.
SILENT HEARTSreceived
a starred review from Library Journal, has a helpful discussion guide here, and is definitely recommended for book group discussions.
Thank
you to the publisher for an advance copy which was provided in exchange for
this honest review.
Set mostly in the early
2000s and post 9/11, SILENT HEARTS
by Gwen Florio is a recently published novel that explores parallels and
contrasts through the intertwined lives of two women. Liv is an American expatriate in Afghanistan with
her professor husband and Farida is an educated Pakistani who is newly married
to the son of an Afghan businessman whose trade involves drugs and guns. Yes, despite clear differences, both women are often defined by their
husbands’ roles and impacted by the men’s emotions: “Liv thought of her
life in the sheltered embrace of the college campus, first as a student, then a
researcher and Martin’s wife. Of the
things in that universe that depended upon the whims of men. A door held open for her, or not. A date. A promotion. In this world
[Afghanistan] a woman’s very life could turn on whether a man had had a bad day.”
