“I have finished reading the novel FOBBIT by first-time Montana novelist David Abrams. A “Fobbit” is defined as a “U.S. Army employee stationed at a Forward Operating Base, especially in Iraq.” The story is loosely built around the author’s experiences in the military, including a tour of duty in Iraq. I guarantee that you won’t be left emotionless as you read this book. Humor. Anger. Frustration.
FOBBIT does for the military in Iraq what Catch-22, Slaughterhouse-Five and MASH did for their corresponding military situations. There is a dark humor buried within pages of this novel, as well as vivid descriptions of the effects of modern warfare on human bodies.
Captain Abe Shrinkle is an incompetent company commander who leads his troops into embarrassing and dangerous situations. Staff Sergeant Chance Gooding works (and runs) the Public Affairs Office for the Shamrock Division, and it’s his job is to provide acceptable press releases, most dealing with “incidents” involving U.S. military personnel. Gooding works with Lt. Colonel Harkleroad, who heads the P.A.O. but doesn’t have a clue as to what he is doing. Harkleroad communicates classified information via e-mail to his mother. These are just some of the characters you won’t soon forget.
Go. Buy. Read. You won’t regret the effort.” —Jim Harris, retired NW independent book sales rep