Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Generation Kill
Generation Kill
Generation Kill
Audiobook13 hours

Generation Kill

Written by Evan Wright

Narrated by Patrick Lawlor

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

They were called a generation without heroes. Then they were called upon to be heroes. Within hours of 9/11, America's war on terrorism fell to those like the twenty-three Marines of the First Recon Battalion, the first generation dispatched into open-ended combat since Vietnam. They were a new breed of American warrior unrecognizable to their forebears-soldiers raised on hip-hop, Internet porn, Marilyn Manson, video games, and The Real World, a band of born-again Christians, dopers, Buddhists, and New Agers who gleaned their precepts from kung fu movies and Oprah Winfrey. Cocky, brave, headstrong, wary, and mostly unprepared for the physical, emotional, and moral horrors ahead, the "First Suicide Battalion" would spearhead the blitzkrieg on Iraq and fight against the hardest resistance Saddam had to offer.

Generation Kill is the funny, frightening, and profane firsthand account of these remarkable men, of the personal toll of victory, and of the randomness, brutality, and camaraderie of a new American war.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 27, 2008
ISBN9781400179749
Generation Kill

Related to Generation Kill

Related audiobooks

Wars & Military For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Generation Kill

Rating: 4.220132844690266 out of 5 stars
4/5

452 ratings23 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An outstanding work of journalism, and a must-read for anyone interested in the modern U.S. military and its experience in the current wars. Wish it had footnotes to explain the author's sources and how he weighed conflicting accounts. That would have elevated this book from a work of journalism to a work of history. An index would have been nice, too.*
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A solid, well written story plus a terrific narrator. Gritty and gonzo. At turns funny, terrifying and upsetting.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A real solid effort, written with a very straight forward approach, this book covers the very beginning of the second Iraq war. When one compares it to a book like The Good Soldiers, which details the "insurgent" war much later, the combat covered in this earlier time is almost child's play, which is not to say the book isn't full of critically dangerous situations. This book shows how mismanaged the war was from the very beginning, despite having the war fought by well-trained and dedicated military (in this case Marines). In fact it's a little amazing how quickly the Marines highlighted in this book recognized how unprepared the Bush Administration was for the occupation of Iraq. It should be added that one of the strengths of this book is the care the author puts into detailing the various personalities of the Marine unit in which he was imbedded. By doing so, he lets the situations speak for themselves without having to editorialize.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I think I did this backwards :) I saw the HBO miniseries Generation Kill based (often verbatim) on this book. Both the HBO series and this book are very well done. Thought provoking and not glossed up to make it either unrealistically pretty or unnecessarily gritty. You really get to know the men, their foibles and see some of the many frustrations the soldiers faced in the invasion.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A depressing book about men who mainly joined the Marines because they think it’ll make them men, or don’t have anything more promising to do, and end up going to war in Iraq. The war they go to is dumb, though they don’t care about the whys; they’re both wastefully oversupplied and tragically short on a few crucial things (including batteries for the night vision goggles that can be the difference between life and death). They’re glancingly led and mostly lost in the fog of war, once the war starts. They kill, and sometimes they know they killed civilians and sometimes they just hope it was hostiles, and they tell themselves it’s us or them. It’s just layer on layer of pointless, bloody waste.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A well written and interesting account from an embedded reporter with a Marine Force Recon unit. It shows both the personal and organisational screw ups as well as the camaraderie of the troops. Well worth a read and the TV show is a good watch as well.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book was really good, it was funny and graphic. It gives you a prespective on what the soldiers on the ground in war are going through. Very interesing and eye opening.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very reminiscent of Band of Brothers in some ways, while in others ... not so much. The book does a great job of showing the diversity of the modern American military It's also a showcase for the fact that the most powerful fighting force in human history is also hopelessly hamstrung by leadership that often seems incompetent at best.

    I'll confess that the only reason I read this the first time was because I got it for free, and the only reasons I read it the second time were for my book club (although almost no one else bothered) and to prepare for the HBO miniseries. But it was a better read than I remembered. Maybe it's just that the progression of years has made the book's message even more powerful.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is an amazing read. Wright presents the situation, and the Marines, in as unbiased and unvarnished a manner as possible; their hopes and nightmares, their successes and fuckups, everything they do that's good and aboveboard and everything that walks the line. The epilogues, especially the second one in this particular edition, are as important as the body of the narrative, in that they not only give a glimpse of what the men are doing after Iraq, and how they are or aren't coping, but because Wright makes a point of saying that these are fighting men and deserve respect rather than derision. Read the book, watch the series (and the exit interview on the DVDs), and then sit and think for a while. Excellent material.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I so wanted to give this book four stars, but one slight typo (which I'm hoping has been fixed in later editions versus the library copy I read) marred it for me...Camp Lejeune (the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast) is located in North Carolina not South Carolina. While it may be a minor point, this error made me question the credibility of the writer and editor(s) because it made me wonder what other points may not have been checked. Of course, it happened early in the books so it nagged me for awhile...and for that, it lost a star. That being said, I realized halfway through why I was so engaged in this book that told the story from the perspective of those who often don't have the voice in writing their version of history...the enlisted personnel.... It's an anthropological work. At it's heart, cultural anthropology is the study of human beings in groups -- and the conflict resolution, social structure, behaviors, etc captured by Wright (the observer who had to gain the trust of the First Recon Marines to gain this invaluable perspective) does a tremendous job in capturing the unique culture of Recon Marines and the cross cut of individuals who compromise today's "volunteer" armed forces. In the era of CNN and "real time" images of air strikes it's easy to forget that the "job of war" still falls on those on the ground...and while the equipment has evolved, it's easy to forget how much the grunts on the ground handling the mortar rounds, rules of engagement, and mine fields operate in a unique sphere that is quite alien to the average civilian's perception of modern warfare. Wright earns my kudos for capturing the voices and the reality of these Marines. This is not an anti-war or a pro-war book. It is a snapshot. One person's account of the beginning of the war...when weapons of mass destruction were still thought to be a real possibility...when Iraq was thought to be a quick campaign.... And, for this reader, my eyes were opened a little wider than they already were to: the incompetencies at the top of the chain that hindered those carrying out orders at the bottom; the realities of what rules of engagement mean and what those who must carry out those rules must grapple with; the civilian toll that is often glossed over; and how much of modern warfare is still fought with mortar rounds versus air strikes. A final general observation -- I don't know what waivers and liabilities were involved with the publication of this book. I'm not sure who received pseudonyms under what agreements, but I find it a sad reflection that all of the enlisted men had their names used, in essence, standing by their actions while those junior officers whose actions were disconcerting at best, despicable at worse were given the virtue of anonymity. This gut-wrenching account of war and all its realities is a required read for those of us who observe war in the comfort of our living rooms -- it puts a face on modern warfare and a voice to the grunts who deserve their stories to be told, too.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Summary: Generation Kill is the book that came out of Rolling Stone writer Evan Wright being part one of the journalists embedded with U.S. troops during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He was embedded with the First Recon Marines, a unit of soldiers that are among the best of the best - highly trained special ops forces. But what they're not trained to do is to drive unarmored Humvees in a slow, evenly spaced line through hostile territory, where it's frequently impossible to tell civilians from enemy soldiers. On top of this, the soldiers that Wright rode with also had to deal with a lack of proper supplies (most notably insufficient batteries for their night vision goggles and a lack of lubricant to keep their guns firing despite Iraqi dust and sandstorms), unreliable communications, and a command structure that seemed to be more intent on maintaining the grooming standard or scoring machismo points than on keeping their troops both safe and effective. Review: This is going to be one of those book reviews that shades into a movie review, despite my best efforts to keep them separate. In part, that's because the book and the film version are very, very similar, primarily due to the fact that the miniseries stays remarkably true to the book not only in story but also in terms of characterization, message, and general tone. In a lot of ways, they compliment each other, since the book can provide background details that can't be readily explained on film, and the film can provide visuals for those of us who don't have the military knowledge to be able to picture various types of weapons from their written description. But they're also both complete and perfectly understandable on their own.Together or apart, they paint a really compelling picture of the current state of warfare, and of the people and personalities involved. I'm not a current-events junkie by any stretch of the imagination, but I know well enough that Generation Kill gives a (literal) on-the-ground look at some of the reality of the Iraq war that gets lost in the translation to a 30-second news clip. It's easy to sit at home and bemoan the number of civilian casualties or the cost of the war, but this book makes you take a hard look at what it's like in the moment, in situations most of us could never imagine. I do wish Wright had given us a little bit more of his first-person outsider's POV, though. There were certainly touches of it, and I found them particularly fascinating (and often quite funny, for example the story of him running in a zig-zag pattern to avoid sniper fire, to the consternation and amusement of the soldiers he was with).What I appreciated most about Generation Kill was that it gives a very clear picture of the soldiers of the First Recon Marines as real people. They're obnoxious and crude and thoroughly un-PC, but there's a very clear sense that they are pretty much just regular guys, dealing with the situation and the constant danger and the lack of sleep and the surges of adrenaline and the randomness of war however they can. Wright doesn't do a whole lot of political analysis or authorial pontificating, for the most point preferring to let the story speak for itself, but his respect for the men he rode with (if not for their commanders) comes across loud and clear... and I think will be unavoidably contagious to his readers. 4.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Hard to say, since I don't usually care for politics/current events/war books (Emergency Sex excepted), but I quite enjoyed this. Really, I'd recommend it for just about everyone who has an opinion of any kind about the war and/or wants an inside look into what the war was like for the men who actually fought it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    profane and vulgar, but very well written.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book had a strong impact on me in so many varied ways. It reads like a quick-paced thriller, a horror story, comedy, character drama and more, and all this while staying true to the facts of the first few weeks of the American invasion in Iraq in 2003.My first contact with Generation Kill was the TV series I came across while researching war for a piece I was writing. The series and book differ slightly, although the difference is more in the manner of presenting things than in the core story. The two different representations actually complement each other as the book offers more backstory and the benefit of hindsight, while the series more accurately depicts the chaos and how the marines were left in the dark about their missions almost to the very end. While this chaotic storytelling was brilliantly incorporated into the series, it certainly wouldn't work in the book so the narration being supported by maps and additional information was a good choice for it.What this book does so well is that Wright doesn't take sides (as much as that is humanly possible), he merely reports the goings-on around him as he travels with team one of 1st Recon second platoon. He's equally frank about the marines' having doubts when the ROE say that every human being is an enemy, as he is frank relating the darker, more disturbing traits of some of the men.Perhaps the only 'fault' of this book is that it's so well written, has such compelling characters and fast paced plot that sometimes, as readers, we forget that it's not fiction. Reading it as fiction would certainly take away form its value and importance.Worth re-reading.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Having been a Navy corpsman serving with Marines during desert warfare exercises I can vouch for the accuracy of Wright's description of the men in First Recon even without having met them. Almost every Marine I ever met was described to a tee in this book, including Captain America, Encino Man and Casey Kasems. I never would have believed that people could be such `retards' had I not already met officers just like them. For the most part, though, they were men doing an extremely tough job to whom I would entrust my life.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I must admit am among the growing legions that will read this thanks to the HBO series - and probably wouldn't have touched it otherwise, particularly as a lefty anti-war (and non-American) type (although also as a junior academic who has done some research for a colleague on war journalism, so I guess it all balances out). Wright's book is compelling, exciting, entertaining and heartbreaking, presenting the complexity of experiences of war and the particular cultures (social, ethnic, racial, professional, class etc) from which this particular lot of young men emerge. Given that the embedding of journalists is often a strategic action on the behalf of the military (on the one hand, it is about transparency and freedom of information/speech but on the other, they rely on the development of cameraderie and trust between the journo and the troops to compromise journalistic objectivity), Wright attempts to present as balanced a view as he possibly can but the benefit of hindsight probably landed him back pretty much where he started. As a reader, I emerged with a little more admiration for serving troops than I might have started with but certainly a greater sadness for them and for a society and global political/economic situation that requires such conflict and the perpetuation of a certain militaristic culture. To bring it back to the HBO series where I started, I also have to commend David Simon and Ed Burns (who I already loved for The Wire) for the faithfulness of their production to Wright's book. They might be flawed but I think both this book and its series are important for bringing certain experiences to light on a more popular level, and hopefully getting a few people (myself included) to think a little more critically but perhaps also a little bit more fairly about war and the US military.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I am the first to admit that I was biased as I loved the show. This also gave me a basic understanding of what I was going to be reading. However, I found the book was great on its own and provided even more information on the things these men dealt with on emotional and physical levels. I think if you want a look at the early days of the war in Iraq, this isn't such a bad basis - someone who was with the marines, but yet not bound/sharing their traditions.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Excellent book if you are looking for a grunts view on the invasion of Iraq. The stories that are told by Rolling Stone's reporter Evan Wright not only create excellent characters, but also a great overall read. I would highly suggest reading the book before catching the HBO mini-series of the same name. The mini-series was VERY well done, and follows the book very closely. Reading the book and than watching the mini-series puts a face to name and made the whole "Generation Kill" experience very, very interesting.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An outstanding look at the 2003 invasion of Iraq from the perspective of front line grunts. Evan Wright strings together his Rolling Stone articles into a more substantial, well-crafted account of the lengths the First Recon Battalion went to from D-Day to the fall of Baghdad. A thought-provoking look at a war people thought would be over in one hundred hours, the men Wright writes about seem even more real than those in history novels from Vietnam, WWII or WWI. These events happened only years ago. There isn't yet the distance - or end - to this conflict to dull the edges.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was a well-crafted, interesting and rare first-hand account of the war from a non-military perspective. Wright captures the spirit of First Recon's Marines without a political agenda, and he glorifies the men's hard work and brotherhood above all else.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The only book I've read that truly depicts the Military Machine, in all its personalities, screw ups, scenarios, and mentality. Wright did an amazing job reporting, even if he is from a extreme-leftist magazine.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This book was popular in my book club, and I can't argue that it was well written. However, the daily activities of our culture's warriors can be grim. While the MSM told the quick story of victory, the devastation on the human and ecological population was severe. War is an ugly brute experience and should be avoided at all costs.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The "The Wire" crew turned this book into a fantastic HBO mini-series. It is easy to see why they liked this hard-to-put-down account by a Rolling Stone reporter of invading Iraq with a US marine battalion. He describes the young men with a lot of sympathy and brings their idiosyncrasies to life. They live in a strange world, with strange rules. A separate micro-cosmos which is based on US society, its products, its TV shows and media, but is also vastly different. "Generation Kill" is a misnomer. Kill is accurate, but they are not representative of their generation. Only a minority (and predominantly the underclass) of Americans serves in the US military. This book shows the rest of America (and the world) how that tiny slice of humanity lives and how they behaved in Iraq - just as "The Wire" offered a glimpse into Baltimore's projects.Their world (and the US military) is held together by sergeants who train, educate and integrate and micro-manage both their charges, the enlisted men and the officers. As this book drastically shows, the US military has lost the "war for talents". While the military is still an attractive career option for enlisted men from America's underprivileged areas, good officers are in short supply - and the best are pushed out of the system while the worst tend to be promoted. An organization with a lot of brawn but little brain.The book is filled with examples where a little thought could have vastly improved the (often deadly) outcome. Due to different encryption tools, East Coast marines are unable to communicate with West Coast marines (apart from the fact of limited abilities to communicate with the Air force, US army and their allies which often leads to friendly fire among the trigger-happy US forces) - easily solvable by a relay. Their guns jam because they lack lubricants (to be expected in a desert environment), they cannot use their night-vision goggles because they are short of batteries, ...On a grander level, the lack of planning and imagination has devastating consequences for the Iraqi people who are subjected to a wide range of US violence, from negligence to abuse to unnecessary cruelty to outright war crimes. A complicit hierarchy creates a climate for war crimes, neglects to investigate or charge offenders (who in this unit are even promoted despite showing horrible lapses of leadership and even military skill, the Peter principle on steroids). The platoon psycho is christened "Whopper BK" (baby killer for his unnecessary shooting of a child). Having his killer instincts honed in the marine corps, readers will note that this individual has joined the LAPD, another institution with a fine human rights track record. Incidents such as the Haditha killings show similar lack of leadership, integrity and responsibility. The US military in all its branches is in severe need of rebuilding.The book also shows how the marines were good at breaking things, but lacked the tools, understanding and resources to restore order and civilization after the mayhem they inflicted. Time and time again, the reporter notes that the Iraqis welcomed the Americans (despite their violent appearance) but were turned away and left alone with their problems. A number of heroic individuals were unable to prevail against the incompetent Bush administration, the military brass and bureaucratic shortsighted meanness, In a fair world, those responsible would be punished. This book exposes the ugly side of America. The mini-series and the book deserve a wide audience, so that what happened is not pushed down the memory hole.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Though this one was published first, I read it after reading One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick. Wright was embedded with his platoon during the Iraq War, so it was interesting to get a different perspective on the same events (though Wright spent most of his time with a different team). It's definitely the outsider's perspective, and also somewhat sensationalistic. I got the sense that he needed an angle for the story overall and chose to focus on inept leadership and the crazy events the enlisted men were put into as a result. Very readable and interesting, but it wouldn't have inspired me to go read more on the topic.