Thank you to Goodreads and the publisher for a free copy of Youngblood!

I was curious to read this book because while I have read war books, they're all historical. I've never before read something that addressed a more recent conflict -- in this case, the war in Iraq.

I liked the main character, and found the plot compelling with plenty of twists and turns that I didn't expect. But what I loved most was the description -- all of the hot sand and wind, the grittiness of a war zone. These were vivid, uncomfortable, immersive descriptions.

I did have a hard time putting aside my own feelings about the conflict in Iraq, so for that reason, I don't think I enjoyed this book as much as I could have. However, that's my own personal bias, and shouldn't reflect on the book itself. ( )

Matt Gallagher’s Youngblood is not the typical war novel spawned by America’s twentieth century wars. Those typically followed the exploits of a group of American soldiers as they fought their way across enemy territory, all the while taking casualties among the characters dearest to the reader’s heart, until a final victory could be claimed. America doesn’t fight that kind of war anymore, and this is not that kind of novel. Gallagher’s war takes place in Iraq, one of those countries in which the war is easier to win than the peace. Gallagher, himself a veteran of the Iraq war, has much to say about what that war was like – and luckily for the rest of us he is such a fine writer/novelist that we can learn much from what he shares with us.

Lieutenant Jack Porter has been in the country long enough to feel frustrated by his mission and to begin doubting that he has the leadership skills called for by his role. Porter, though, continues to lead daily patrols in search of the hit-and-run Iraqi insurgents who are so good at blending in with Ashuriyah’s civilian population. The U.S. will soon be withdrawing from Iraq, in effect abandoning it to the very people the country has been fighting, and everyone knows it, including the enemy. Now Porter’s personal mission is simply to save as many of the lives of his men as possible. Unfortunately, snipers and those placing explosive devices in the paths of his patrols have the opposite mission: killing as many Americans as they can before the troops leave Iraq.

Porter’s self-doubts reach a crisis stage when Sergeant Daniel Chambers, an aggressive veteran of several previous tours in Iraq, transfers into his unit. Chambers is not the kind of soldier who much worries about what any commanding officer thinks of him or his methods, and without consulting Porter, he begins to train the men to fight the war more aggressively than their lieutenant has allowed them to fight it beforehand. Porter, not wanting to directly challenge his new sergeant, instead starts looking for excuses to transfer Chambers out of his unit.

Porter’s search for dirt on Chambers is the skeleton around which the author frames the rest of the novel. At times, in fact, Youngblood reads more like a detective story than it does a war novel because when Porter hears rumors that Chambers may be guilty of past war crimes against Iraqi civilians, he begins digging into file archives, interviewing potential crime witnesses, and searching for soldiers who served under Chambers during his previous tours. What he learns will have repercussions for Porter, Chambers, the men they command, and the Iraqi woman with whom Porter falls in love.

Matt Gallagher’s talent for recreating the atmosphere of a chaotic war-torn country like Iraq makes Youngblood a memorable novel. He vividly portrays the mad dance for survival that the Iraqi population is involved in because of the multiple, simultaneous wars being fought in their country. At the same time that Americans are fighting Iraqi insurgents, Iraqis are fighting other Iraqis. A crossfire is a crossfire, and bombs don’t discriminate between their victims, meaning that women and children are no safer in their homes than men in the streets using automatic weapons and bombs to kill each other are.

Anyone wanting to learn what fighting an unwinnable war feels like would do well to begin with a novel like Matt Gallagher’s Youngblood. ( )

Have you ever came across a book that when you want to write a review no words are sufficient enough? This was a well written book and for someone who does not like reading any books about war, I was drawn into this story. Can't wait to read more from this author.

I won this book in a giveaway on Goodreads. ( )

My thoughts:
A raw gritty and skillfully written novel that captures the complex harsh realities of the counterinsurgency tactics employed in Iraq. The sharply drawn characters illustrate the fragile and ever-changing reality of allies, partners, and adversaries and just what is the truth at a moment. I was captivated by the life-and-death experiences that needed to be made on a moment’s notice – do you follow the textbook technique, rely on the more experienced soldiers in the unit, and/or just go with your instinct at the moment. While the physical scars show the tragedy of the violence, this book delves more into the psychological scars as history, economics, and humanity plague the participants in this war. Besides dealing with the current military orders, there is an intriguing murder/romance mystery clamoring to be solved. As I am not familiar with the military terms/common slang used in the Iraqi War, I would have liked a glossary included so could easily get the definition/nuances of what was being said. A richly rewarding storyline that is a nail-biting read from the first page to the last. I recommend this book to anyone interested in American foreign policy and wants a better understanding what a modern war is all about.

“There was a ritual to donning armor, deliberate and purposeful, like the warriors of old dressing for battle, but taking it off always seemed an exercise in frenzy….I’d shed sixty pounds of gear in ten or so seconds. Once I bent over and loosened the laces of my boots, I felt human again.”

“Then I thought about how I wasn’t really the person I presented to the soldiers, either. There were parts I hid. Parts I exaggerated.”

“Yesterday was the result of a half-assed strategy set by old men in suits do don’t have a f**** clue. They hear ‘counterinsurgency’ and thinks it’s War Lite – a smarter cleaner way. But it’s not. War is always dirty. War is always about force.”

“…certain I’d just found another place to the puzzle that was Iraq, but bemused as to where to place it.” ( )

While this was not *my* book, Youngblood was an interesting read. I think I was looking for more in-the-field military content, without the novelization (the romance, etc). Some scenes were tense, others a little vague. I did, however, enjoy Gallagher's voice throughout. I will certainly pick up Kaboom, another Gallagher title, that looks more in line with the book I was anticipating. ( )