Fobbit: A Novel
Sep 2012 · Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
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5 reviews
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384
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About this ebook
An Iraq war comedy that "is everything that terrible conflict was not: beautifully planned and perfectly executed; funny and smart and lyrical; a triumph" (Darin Strauss, author of Half a Life).
Fobbit 'fä-bit, noun. Definition: A US soldier stationed at a Forward Operating Base who avoids combat by remaining at the base, esp. during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–2011). Pejorative.
In the satirical tradition of Catch-22 and M*A*S*H, Fobbit, a New York Times Notable Book, takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad's Forward Operating Base Triumph. The Forward Operating base, or FOB, is like the back-office of the battlefield—where people eat and sleep, and where a lot of soldiers have what looks suspiciously like a desk job. Male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta Potty in which to get acquainted, grunts are playing Xbox and watching NASCAR between missions, and a lot of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy.
Darkly humorous and based on the author's own experiences in Iraq, Fobbit is a fantastic debut that shows us a behind-the-scenes portrait of the real Iraq war.
"This novel nails the comedy and the pathos, the boredom and the dread, crafting the Iraq War's answer to Catch-22." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
Fobbit 'fä-bit, noun. Definition: A US soldier stationed at a Forward Operating Base who avoids combat by remaining at the base, esp. during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–2011). Pejorative.
In the satirical tradition of Catch-22 and M*A*S*H, Fobbit, a New York Times Notable Book, takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad's Forward Operating Base Triumph. The Forward Operating base, or FOB, is like the back-office of the battlefield—where people eat and sleep, and where a lot of soldiers have what looks suspiciously like a desk job. Male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta Potty in which to get acquainted, grunts are playing Xbox and watching NASCAR between missions, and a lot of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy.
Darkly humorous and based on the author's own experiences in Iraq, Fobbit is a fantastic debut that shows us a behind-the-scenes portrait of the real Iraq war.
"This novel nails the comedy and the pathos, the boredom and the dread, crafting the Iraq War's answer to Catch-22." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
An Iraq war comedy that "is everything that terrible conflict was not: beautifully planned and perfectly executed; funny and smart and lyrical; a triumph" (Darin Strauss, author of Half a Life).
Fobbit 'fä-bit, noun. Definition: A US soldier stationed at a Forward Operating Base who avoids comb...
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5 reviews
Samuel Hawks
- Flag inappropriate
April 12, 2019
It ends like a clogged overflowing toilet.
About the author
David Abrams, author of Fobbit, which was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a finalist for the Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, served in the US Army for twenty years and was deployed to Iraq in 2005 as part of a public affairs team. His stories have appeared in Esquire, Glimmer Train, Narrative, and other publications. He lives in Butte, Montana.
David Abrams, author of Fobbit, which was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a finalist for the Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, served in the US Army for twenty years and was deployed to Iraq in 2005 as part of a public affairs team. His stories have appeared in Esquire, ...
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