Fobbit - by David Abrams (Paperback)

About the Book

In the satirical tradition of "Catch-22" and "M*A*S*H, " Abrams takes readers into the chaotic world of Baghdad's Forward Operating Base Triumph. Darkly humorous and based on the author's own experiences in Iraq, this is a fantastic debut that shows a behind-the-scenes portrait of the real Iraq war.

Book Synopsis

Fobbit 'fäauml;-bit, noun. Definition: A U.S. soldier stationed at a Forward Operating Base who avoids combat by remaining at the base, esp. during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-2011). Pejorative.

In the satirical tradition of Catch-22 and M*A*S*H, Fobbit takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad's Forward Operating Base Triumph. The Forward Operating base, or FOB, is like the back-office of the battlefield - where people eat and sleep, and where a lot of soldiers have what looks suspiciously like a desk job. Male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta Potty in which to get acquainted, grunts are playing Xbox and watching NASCAR between missions, and a lot of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy.

Darkly humorous and based on the author's own experiences in Iraq, Fobbit is a fantastic debut that shows us a behind-the-scenes portrait of the real Iraq war.

Review Quotes

--A New York Times Notable Book of 2012
--One of Amazon's Top 100 Books of 2012 (#49)
--One of Barnes and Noble's Best Books of 2012
--St Louis Post-Dispatch 50 Favorite Books of 2012
--Paste Magazine Best Books of 2012
--January Magazine Best Books of 2012
--A B&N Discover Great New Writers Selection
--One of Publishers Weekly's Top 10 Literary Fiction picks for the Fall
--Finalist for Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction
--2012 Montana Book Award Honor Book
--Millions Notables of 2012
--An American Booksellers Association IndieNext Pick
--One of Kirkus Reviews's "10 Great Books That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud"
--Daily Beast's 2012 Best Books on Today's Wars by Veterans
--Library Journal: Fabulous Fall Firsts of 2012

"A retired veteran whose 20-year career in the Army included a 2005 tour in Baghdad, Abrams is comfortable and convincing locating the action in Iraq. . . . Fobbit is a vicious skewering of this surprisingly large military subculture of war avoidance."--TIME

"I applaud David Abrams for sticking to his vision and writing the satire he wanted to write instead of adding to the crowded shelf of war memoirs. In Fobbit, he has written a very funny book, as funny, disturbing, heartbreaking and ridiculous as war itself."--New York Times Book Review

"Fobbit blends fiction and journalism, an apt reflection of literary influences combined with [Abrams's] experience in an Army public affairs team. . . . Though absurd, these Dickensian characters are all so skillfully wrought that we quickly accept their idiosyncrasies. . . . What's most intriguing about this work is that, at its center, it is both a clever study in anxiety and an unsettling expose of how the military tells its truths. Fobbit traces how "the Army story" is crafted, the dead washed of their blood, words scrutinized, and success applied to disasters."--The Washington Post

"Akin to Catch-22 and M*A*S*H, Fobbit uses pathos and dark humor to present the ugly and banal truth of life in the modern-day war zone. . . . David Abrams [has] set fire to the truth in order to tell it."--Huffington Post

"An impressive Iraq war satire. . . .[Abrams has] a genuine sense of humor . . . and a productive sense of irony to go with it. Fobbit is an impressive debut and holds out promise for more good things to come."--Los Angeles Times

"Fobbit seems less interested in what Iraq was like than in where it went wrong. . . . Abrams wants to reveal the comedy and absurdity of these cubicled soldiers - and, through them, of the entire conflict. . . . when it comes to war literature, a comic novel will always do a better job with the big picture. This is the first thing to take from Fobbit."--San Francisco Chronicle

"A harrowing satire of the Iraq War and an instant classic. . . . Abrams's prose is spot-on and often deadpan funny . . . This novel nails the comedy and the pathos, the boredom and the dread, crafting the Iraq War's answer to Catch-22."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Using diaries he kept as a public affairs man in Iraq in 2005, Abrams makes comedy from the clash between positive spin and personal terror."--Men's Journal

"A satire of comfortably numb life during wartime. . . . Abrams spent 20 years in the Army, including a tour of Iraq, and he merely has to lightly fictionalize his observations to point out the absurdities of American occupation."--Newsweek

"[Fobbit

About the Author

David Abrams served in the U.S. Army for twenty years, and was deployed to Iraq in 2005 as part of a public affairs team. He was named the Department of Defense's Military Journalist of the Year in 1994 and received several other military commendations. His stories have appeared in Esquire, Narrative, and other literary magazines. He lives in Butte, Montana.