Part reportage and part meditation, this book gives us a clear-eyed look at life in the trenches. The author shadows a platoon of foot soldiers over 15 months in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan. The resulting nuggets of observer wisdom are razor sharp (“The closer you are to combat the less inclined you are to question it”), and the ultimate summations are inarguable. War isn’t always Hell, but it’s pretty close. It’s our best invention for sucking the humanity out of humans in the faux name of righteousness. There are no winners, and the true cost of the adventures is paid not only by its victims, but also by the practitioners. Reviewed on March 31, 2022