Product DescriptionIn the tradition of Black Hawk Down and Jarhead comes a searing portrait of young men fighting a modern-day war.
A powerhouse work of nonfiction, Generation Kill expands on Evan Wright's acclaimed three-part series that appeared in Rolling Stone during the summer of 2003. His narrative follows the twenty-three marines of First Recon who spearheaded the blitzkrieg on Iraq. This elite unit, nicknamed ''First Suicide Battalion,'' searched out enemy fighters by racing ahead of American battle forces and literally driving into suspected ambush points.
Evan Wright lived on the front lines with this platoon from the opening hours of combat, to the fall of Baghdad, through the start of the guerrilla war. He was welcomed into their ranks, and from this bird's-eye perspective he tells the unsettling story of young men trained by their country to be ruthless killers. He chronicles the triumphs and horrors-physical, moral, emotional, and spiritual-that these marines endured while achieving victory in a war many questioned before it began. Wright's book is a timely account of war; even more important, it is a timeless description of the human drama taking place on today's battlefields. Written with brutal honesty, raw intensity, and startling intimacy, Generation Kill is destined to become a classic and take its place in the canon of the most captivating and authentic works of war literature.
What Others Say
Does he know where Camp LeJeune is?
I haven't finished the book yet - and I'm happy to say that instead of buying it, I got it from the library. The copy I have is hardback, published by Penguin, and frankly, I'm debating whether or not to continue, based on the fact that on page 86 in my edition, he describes the Tarawa Marines as having come from Camp LeJeune, SOUTH Carolina. Whether this is the author's mistake or a fact-checker's oversight, Camp LeJeune, as anyone with a brain and the ability to use the internet or a map knows, is in NORTH Carolina. Mistakes such as these make me question every single aspect of this "reporter's" "reporting."
excellent book on OIF
excellent fast reading book by reporter with 1st Recon Bn in Marine Corps push from Nasiriyah to Baghdad. The author gives a fair picture of the young Marines and military in general although it is clear that Evan Wright has limited personal attachment to the Marine Corps.
Semper Fi!!!! Thank you Evan Wright!!!
Generation Kill is amazing!! I am a disabled vet from OIF2. I spent 5 years in the Corps(1 of them in Iraq). My Lieutenant gave me Generation Kill 2 days before I went in to operation phantom fury(i think that was the name of the op, it was in November of 2004 when we took the city of Fallujia). My best friend is currently with that same unit that is in the book. So obviously I would be interested in reading Generation Kill, but for any of you who really want to know what is in the mind of the young Americans fighting over seas and what its like to be over there, this is the book for you. The dialogue in Generation Kill is so REAL it's not even funny. I could not put this one down.
I have read some negative post on here, and it seems that they might ... Read More
excellent read
I purchased Generation Kill after seeing the series ... I often see the movie first because it serves as the appetizer to the main meal. The series touches briefly on a multitude of issues, events and people ... Wright's book thoroughly details most all of these points and answers many of the questions the series left me asking myself.
Having cancelled a 30 year long subscription to Rolling Stone due to it's transformation from a music-oriented magazine to a cheap liberal rag hell-bent on trashing anything associated with Bush, Republicans or the United States ... i was hesitant to read a book authored by a RS reporter. I had a foregone conclusion that "Generation Kill" was nothing more than another one-sided rant against the US war in ... Read More
Not Convinced War Was Nesscessary
I just finished Generation Kill after watching the HBO series. I think David Simon did a great job producing the series. As a woman I have respect for the Marines even though they seem to think we are useful for only one thing! Nevertheless, there was still no reason for this war! There were no nuclear weapons! This story that we have to fight over there so they will not come here is just more lies. These people as you read in Generation Kill were for the most part sheperds, farmers, very poor living in mud huts. What makes people think they all want to come fight over here. Heck, they've never been in an airplane and as you could see in the book the ones that did fight were terrible fighters and not at all professional soldiers. It was like shooting ducks in ... Read More
