The Fighters

By: C. J. Chivers

Narrated by: Scott Brick

The harrowing account of US soldiers caught in America’s forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that The New York Times calls “relentless...a classic of war reporting,” by Pulitzer Prize winner and former Marine C.J. Chivers.

More than 2.5 million Americans have served in Afghanistan or Iraq since September 11, 2001. C.J. Chivers has reported from both fronts from the beginning, walking side by side with combatants for more than a dozen years. He describes the experience of war today as it is endured by those most at risk - the camaraderie and profound sense of purpose, alongside courage, frustration, and moral confusion mixed with technical precision. In these remote places where the reason for their presence is sometimes not clear, these young men kill or are killed, facing palpable and often constant threat of ambush or hidden bombs. They repeatedly return, rushing toward danger, often to rescue the wounded in wars that escalate around them as the Pentagon changes doctrines and plans.

Weaving a history of the war through troops’ experiences, the characters in The Fighters climb into an F-14 cockpit for the opening strikes after the attacks of 9/11, hunt for Osama bin Laden along the Pakistani border, chase insurgent rocket teams with helicopters alongside American bases, face snipers in a hostile city in Anbar Province in Iraq, and engage in deadly counterguerilla warfare in the soaring mountains of the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. Some suffer terribly. All are changed. They return home, uncertain of their place in the world and what their wars have achieved.

Chivers accompanied combatants over many years and multiple tours, including many of the characters in this book, developing deep understanding of the experience of combat in our times. The Fighters, his tour de force, tells a history of America’s longest wars as well as the lives of the volunteers who have waged them.

©2018 C. J. Chivers (P)2018 Simon & Schuster

Details

This book is on spot, as a returning Soldier from Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan. The details the bases and just the way of life of a Soldier. The details are so on spot that listening to the audio book just transported me back in country.

Very good book

Highly recommend this book took me a few weeks to get it done but was worth it

OEF 08 09 ATrP 6/4 Cav Cop Lowell

Chris has taken this book bring my experience in Afghanistan back to life. This book nails every aspect of the War. The explanation of surroundings, emotions, C.J. Chivers gets it 1000% correct.
As tough as it was to listen to, it brought me back into time. Drawing a picture only one that has experienced war can see. Thank you Chris, once again you have totally nailed it. Must Read!!!

Excellent

Very well-written and well read. I appreciate these guys so much. I’m a trauma specialist. This book is one that will help me be a resource to our men and women coming home. The more I can learn about how it really was for them, the better I can serve them.

This book should be required reading for every American

It’s up-close and personal first person accounts of war that really give you a sense of what the reality is for fighters and civilians in war zones. I like that Chivers focused on individuals and showed how decisions made by the American public and Congress impacted American soldiers. This is one of the best books about war, and the best book about modern war, I’ve ever read.

A Compelling Insight

This is a well written and often heart-breaking collection of stories about our brave military. It opened my eyes to the severity of our nation’s military engagements in a truly personal way. Nightly news updates do not accomplish this task. I highly recommend it to enrich one’s knowledge and responsibility.

Required Reading

If you only know about the Iraq and Afghanistan war from the news, you haven’t heard the whole story. If you care about the impact of sending our young men and women to war, read (or listen to) this. I found the audible version helped me enter into the stories as reading night not.

A Must Read on Combat in Iraq & Afghanistan

Great book that follows several men in the Army, Navy Medics, Marines, and Air Force in both Itaq and Afghanistan. Some lost their lives, some lost parts of their bodies, all gave their all.

I felt like I was there!

I have read many books about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars but this one is as good as it gets.

Gripping

The book won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize. This book is a bit different in that it discusses the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from the viewpoint of the privates to captains who fought the battles. Chivers said “he set out to chronicle the long arc and human experience of combat for American troops since 2001, and in a way that bridged the very large gap between official statements and what the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq really have been.”

I found the book most interesting in that it was about people not policy. The book is well written and researched. The book points out the failings of the wars. The stories of the men were often inspiring and heart rendering; be prepared for a few tears. This book should be a must-read for everyone. Chivers is a former Marine Corp infantry officer and is now a journalist.

The book is almost fourteen hours. Scott Brick does an excellent job narrating the book. Brick is a well-known narrator. In 2017 he was elected into the Narrators Hall of Fame. He has won many narrating awards.