This Man's Army

Though I had to read this for a class—and am also using for the College Students Spring/Summer Challenge this year—I really enjoyed this book. I've been learning more about Iraq and Afghanistan on a policy and military level, but not many memoirs about the actual experience. Exum's memoir is clearly written with a strong yet humbled voice. He explains his background and his collegiate experiences before discussing wartime conflict. His writing is not fettered with overly jargonistic terms or curses ran wild, which is a big departure from Jarhead (which I hated).

Exum today is no longer in the Army, due to a bad knee, but he is still well-known and well-respected in the areas of foreign policy and commentary as an intellectual and critic. Though he's certainly a “military man,” he seems to approach issues with a more holistic eye, which is satisfying and important.

I highly suggest this book to anyone who might be interested in a first-hand account of one officer's experiences as a platoon leader in Afghanistan. This book lacks the overt vulgarity and jargon of many military memoirs, so it might be a good first stop.