War memoirs

Those of you who enjoy reading military literature will be interested in an article in a recent issue of The New Yorker (the April 7, 2014 issue). Titled, "Home Fires," it's a look at some of the recent memoirs that have been written by American soldiers who've returned from the Iraq war.

Its author, George Packer, looks briefly at the motivation that drives young men to enlist during wartime and how a select few write about their experiences. It offers several suggested reads for those of you seeking a better understanding of what it's like to fight in Iraq.

Here are the books mentioned in the article if you don't care to read it in its entirety.

Redeployment, by Phil Klay
Thank You For Your Service, by David Finkel
Letter Composed During a Lull in the Fighting, by Kevin Powers
Dust to Dust, by Benjamin Busch
My Life as a Foreign Country, by Brian Turner

Packer also recommends a 1968 collection of stories by Tim O'Brien titled The Things They Carried, as well as his novel Going After Cacciato.