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Sep 13, 2019STPL_JessH rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
American War is absolutely outstanding. I loved the writing, and often gasped audibly at the artistry of a particular description. I was fortunate enough to listen to the audio book and the narration by Dion Graham is outstanding. His reading added such gravitas to Omar El Akkad's debut. I so admire Sarat's complexity. Akkad does not take the easy way out and position her in some kind of tomboyish box. Instead, we see her naiveté, her bravery, her flawed choices, and her raw and brutal pain. I loved the inclusion of historical commentary pieces. I found the play with time – historical documents about a future society – allowed Akkad to offer sociopolitical commentary on the civil war of the past we know while proving the adage that history repeats itself. So many moments in this narrative could have been lifted directly from newspaper articles from the civil war and indeed from our current arena: including the types of torture used by American guards. I recognize the limiting attitudes in this book far too well. I also appreciated Akkad's resistance to make the future some kind of technologically advanced society with flying cars or other clichés. The constant reminders of the eco devastation of climate change were powerful and necessary (eg. vegetables that won't grow, a Category 6 hurricane being dismissed as not really a big deal). I cried throughout the final section as the loose ends were tied and all the pieces fit together. Akkad has achieved an awe-inspiring work of emotion, poetry, brutality, and depth.