Book Review: Generation Kill

I had seen several suggestions by other proto-Marines to read Generation Kill by Evan Wright as well as One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick. I wandered into a bargin bookstore and found the former (as you can see on the price tag). I had a week to kill while on vacation, so I read through it.

I found Wright's writing to be enjoyable and entertaining. He is easy to read and keeps the action going. His viewpoint is pretty fair and he avoids getting too far into politics as he focuses on the personal lives of Marines on the front. The only fault I found was he seemed to try too hard to nail down the individual emotions of different guys...leading him to some second-guessing that may or may not be true.

I'd recommend this as a primer for seeing combat with excessive glory. It is well written and enjoyable. I will warn that some subjects may bother more sensitive readers, particularly when discussing the results of modern weapons on individuals. For extended reading, I'd recommend One Bullet Away by Fick. Fick was the platoon commander of the unit Wright was embedded with. See my review of that book elsewhere on my blog.