Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War

When Lieutenant Matt Gallagher began his blog with the aim of keeping his family and friends apprised of his experiences, he didn't anticipate that it would resonate far beyond his intended audience. His subjects ranged from mission details to immortality, grim stories about Bon Jovi cassettes mistaken for IEDs, and the daily experiences of the Gravediggers-the code name for members of Gallagher's platoon. When the blog was shut down in June 2008 by the U.S. Army, there were more than twentyfive congressional inquiries regarding the matter as well as reports through the military grapevine that many high-ranking officials and officers at the Pentagon were disappointed that the blog had been ordered closed.Based on Gallagher's extraordinarily popular blog, Kaboom is at turns hilarious, maddening, and terrifying, providing raw and insightful snapshots of a conflict many Americans have lost interest in (Washington Post). Like Anthony Swofford's Jarhead, Gallagher's Kaboom resonates with stoic detachment and timeless insight into a war that we are still trying to understand.

Author: Matt Gallagher
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Published: 04/12/2011
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.87lbs
Size: 8.99h x 6.07w x 0.88d
ISBN13: 9780306819674
ISBN10: 0306819678
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Military
- History | Military | Iraq War (2003-2011)
- History | Military | United States

About the Author
Matt Gallagher joined the Army in 2005 and left in 2009 following a fifteen-month tour in Iraq. He is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Youngblood. Originally from Reno, Nevada, he now lives in New York City.