The Fighters: Americans in Combat in Afghanistan and Iraq

How do you tell the story of America's decade and half at war (during a time when much of America hardly felt like it was at war at all)? Chivers, the Pulitzer-winning New York Times correspondent and former Marine, chooses a grunts'-eye view, focusing on the lives of six soldiers, from enlisted corpsman to fighter pilot, who have fought through surges and drawdowns in wars whose purposes and strategies have only become more elusive over time. He gives full weight to the idealism, professionalism, and heroism of his subjects, and to their frustrations, mistakes, and tragedies. It's both a soldier's book and one of the most damning indictments of the Iraqi and Afghan wars you can imagine.