My War: Killing Time in Iraq Paperback - 2006
by Colby Buzzell
Trapped amid "guerrilla warfare, urban-style" in Mosul, Iraq, Buzzell was struck by the bizarre, absurd, often frightening world surrounding him. He began writing an online web log describing the war--not as it was being reported by CNN or in briefings on Capitol Hill, but as he experienced it.
Summary
The result is an extraordinary narrative, rich with unforgettable scenes: the Iraqi woman crying uncontrollably during a raid on her home; the soldier too afraid to fight; the troops chain-smoking in a guard tower and counting tracer rounds; the first, fierce firefight against the “men in black.” Drawing comparisons to everything from Charles Bukowski to Catch-22, My War depicts a generation caught in a complicated and dangerous world—and marks the debut of a raw, remarkable new voice.
First line
Kids from the suburbs don't really join the military.
Details
- Title My War: Killing Time in Iraq
- Author Colby Buzzell
- Binding Paperback
- Edition Reprint
- Pages 368
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Penguin Adult Hc/Tr, US
- Date 2006-09-05
- ISBN 9780425211366 / 0425211363
- Weight 0.85 lbs (0.39 kg)
- Dimensions 9.06 x 6.1 x 0.99 in (23.01 x 15.49 x 2.51 cm)
- Ages 18 to UP years
- Grade levels 13 - UP
-
Themes
- Chronological Period: 21st Century
- Cultural Region: Middle Eastern
- Library of Congress subjects Iraq War, 2003-, Buzzell, Colby
- Dewey Decimal Code B
Media reviews
“Soul-jarring observations and darkly comedic insights into what it really means to be fighting and idling in this war.” —Los Angeles Times Magazine
“Reminiscent of Michael Herr’s Dispatches.” —The Wall Street Journal
“Remarkably blunt, honest, and often hilarious.” —Chicago Sun-Times
“Profound, profane...told with irresistible gallows humor and anger devoid of self-consciousness. Give[s] us a much deeper understanding of war.” —Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“A style reminiscent of Hunter S. Thompson...fueled by an anti-authority, punk-rock attitude.” —Poets and Writers
“Striking...with a steeliness that’s both sincere and chilling.” —People
“If military recruitment is down now, wait till the kids read this book.” —Kirkus Reviews
“In gutsy, sometimes profane prose, he takes you on a soldier’s-eye view of the front lines of the war.” —Newsweek
“Captivating memoir about the year [Buzzell] spent serving as an army ‘trigger puller’ in Iraq....though the combat scenes are exciting, this book is actually more engrossing as a portrait of the day-to-day life of a young American soldier.” —Publishers Weekly
“My War is the story of a young grunt trying to survive...What you soon realize about this stranger at the bar, Colby Buzzell, is that he can knock you off your barstool at a moment’s notice with soul-jarring observations and darkly comedic insights into what it really means to be fighting and idling in this war.” —Los Angeles Times Magazine
“Provid[es] more truth than CNN or the army could or would.” —Library Journal
“Incredible accounts of combat from a grunt’s-eye view.” —Rolling Stone
“Funny, often surreal ‘What the @!%# am I doing here?’ account of military life.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Breathtaking...Buzzell’s self-awareness is total and unromantic, his instinct for what matters unrelenting, his writing lyrical, heartbreaking, hilarious, and essential.” —Robert Kurson, author of Shadow Divers
“Raw, sardonic, and thrashingly honest, My War is a stellar grunt’s-eye view of the Iraq war.” —Men’s Journal
Citations
- Library Journal, 01/01/2016, Page 47
- New York Review of Books, 04/03/2008, Page 34
More Copies for Sale
My War: Killing Time in Iraq
by Colby Buzzell
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good Condition
- Edition
- [ Edition: Reprint ]
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780425211366 / 0425211363
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Blacksburg, Virginia, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$4.81NZ$7.04 shipping to USA
Show Details
My War: Killing Time in Iraq
by Buzzell, Colby
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780425211366 / 0425211363
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Frederick, Maryland, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$6.73NZ$6.61 shipping to USA
Show Details
My War: Killing Time in Iraq
by Buzzell, Colby
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780425211366 / 0425211363
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Frederick, Maryland, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$6.73NZ$6.61 shipping to USA
Show Details
My War: Killing Time in Iraq
by Buzzell, Colby
- Used
- Condition
- UsedGood
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780425211366 / 0425211363
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Imperial, Missouri, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$7.86FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
My War : Kiling Time in Iraq
by Buzzell, Colby
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780425211366 / 0425211363
- Quantity Available
- 11
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$8.29FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
My War : Kiling Time in Iraq
by Buzzell, Colby
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780425211366 / 0425211363
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Reno, Nevada, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$9.50FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
My War : Kiling Time in Iraq
by Buzzell, Colby
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780425211366 / 0425211363
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$9.50FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
My War : Kiling Time in Iraq
by Buzzell, Colby
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780425211366 / 0425211363
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Reno, Nevada, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$11.04FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
My War : Kiling Time in Iraq
by Colby Buzzell
- Used
- very good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780425211366 / 0425211363
- Quantity Available
- 3
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$11.40FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
My War : Kiling Time in Iraq
by Colby Buzzell
- Used
- very good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780425211366 / 0425211363
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$11.40FREE shipping to USA