American War

This book is a harrowing tale of many themes that are currently unfolding across America: the climate crisis, political divide, crumbling international relations, and clinging on to a false sense of patriotism even as it kills you slowly. It was often difficult to pick up because of how much it reminded me of people from the South who are desperate to hold on to the past and the current political administration who is trying to tear apart our democracy.

The protagonist Sarat was a complicated character; in the beginning I felt sympathetic towards her but as the book progressed it became harder and harder to justify her actions. It’s easy to see how her manipulation as a child led to this deep rooted vengeance against the North that, while not entirely unjustified, was ultimately driven without purpose. There are so many things Sarat wanted to seek justice for but by the end she had finally realized it was not for any of those specific things - in fact she wasn’t even doing it in honor of the South - it was purely out of self interest.

I also loved the inverted parallels between the Middle East (Bouazizi Empire) being the reigning empire while the USA destroys itself internally — and the Bouazizi sending spies to recruit insurrectionists and stoke the war more. Mimics the reality of meddling in foreign politics to further the US agenda at the cost of peace for those other countries: “Everything is an American war”. Our country has consistently funded and perpetrated war across the globe in the name of maintaining our privileged American lifestyle, and this book makes you face that reality. Overall, although a bit extremist at times, I enjoyed Omar El Akkad’s take on how these issues we are currently facing could unfold upon future generations.