Military novel/writer recommendations?
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Anonymous
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Happy New Year!
One of my goals for 2017 is to finish the first draft of a novel I've been working on. One of my main characters ended up being an army veteran, which is certainly not what I'd planned for him but it happened organically, so I guess that is the direction this story wants to go in. My problem now is that I don't know a lot about army culture, army men and the behaviors, attitudes, mindsets and habits that come with a life in the military. Everything I know would probably sound stereotypical. I'm looking for some suggestions on what to read to get into the head of a soldier, preferably an officer. Even historical fiction would be great as long as it accurately depicts soldiers and officers of that era. Thank you! I hope you all have a great new year. |
Anonymous
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I have NO military experience. I remember reading All Quiet on the Western Front in school. My understanding is that it was viewed as a fairly realistic depiction of WW I.
Also, I've never accessed material at the Library of Congress, but I suspect they might have diaries from American soldiers you could read for historic first-person accounts. We owe our military and veterans such a great debt. I'm glad you're trying to portray them accurately and wish you well in your endeavor. |
Anonymous
| Hmm. Jeff Shaara, Ken Burns, Eugene Sledge (With the Old Breed). Try Vietnam novels as well- Matterhorn and The Things They Carried are both good. |
Anonymous
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Story Corps has a military section - those stories might be helpful to you.
https://storycorps.org/theme/military/ |
Anonymous
| He doesn't have any books, but read as much as yiu can about Grneral Barry McCaffrey. He was a soldier's soldier and is a wonderful man who understood and hated war. One of the people who made a lasting impression on me |
Anonymous
| I would visit the library and look for non fiction first hand accounts |
Anonymous
| Thank you all for these great recommendations! |
Anonymous
| Mitchell Yockelson, he's local and might be able to help you out. |
Anonymous
| The Things They Carried and other works by that author (O'Brien?); Tom Ricks is good non-fiction. If you like newer-era stuff Ghost Fleet (cyber war). |
Anonymous
| Sean Naylor's "Not a Good Day To Die" and "Relentless Strike" |