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Table of Contents
About The Book
The Millions “Most Anticipated” Book of 2016
“An urgent and deeply moving novel.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
The US military is preparing to withdraw from Iraq, and newly-minted lieutenant Jack Porter struggles to accept how it’s happening—through alliances with warlords who have Arab and American blood on their hands. Day after day, Jack tries to assert his leadership in the sweltering, dreary atmosphere of Ashuriyah. But his world is disrupted by the arrival of veteran Sergeant Daniel Chambers, whose aggressive style threatens to undermine the fragile peace that the troops have worked hard to establish.
As Iraq plunges back into chaos and bloodshed and Chambers’s influence over the men grows stronger, Jack becomes obsessed with a strange, tragic tale of reckless love between a lost American soldier and Rana, a local sheikh’s daughter. In search of the truth and buoyed by the knowledge that what he finds may implicate Sergeant Chambers, Jack seeks answers from the enigmatic Rana, and soon their fates become intertwined. Determined to secure a better future for Rana and a legitimate and lasting peace for her country, Jack will defy American command, putting his own future in grave peril.
Pulling readers into the captivating immediacy of a conflict that can shift from drudgery to devastation at any moment, Youngblood provides startling new dimension to both the moral complexity of war and its psychological toll.
“An urgent and deeply moving novel.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
The US military is preparing to withdraw from Iraq, and newly-minted lieutenant Jack Porter struggles to accept how it’s happening—through alliances with warlords who have Arab and American blood on their hands. Day after day, Jack tries to assert his leadership in the sweltering, dreary atmosphere of Ashuriyah. But his world is disrupted by the arrival of veteran Sergeant Daniel Chambers, whose aggressive style threatens to undermine the fragile peace that the troops have worked hard to establish.
As Iraq plunges back into chaos and bloodshed and Chambers’s influence over the men grows stronger, Jack becomes obsessed with a strange, tragic tale of reckless love between a lost American soldier and Rana, a local sheikh’s daughter. In search of the truth and buoyed by the knowledge that what he finds may implicate Sergeant Chambers, Jack seeks answers from the enigmatic Rana, and soon their fates become intertwined. Determined to secure a better future for Rana and a legitimate and lasting peace for her country, Jack will defy American command, putting his own future in grave peril.
Pulling readers into the captivating immediacy of a conflict that can shift from drudgery to devastation at any moment, Youngblood provides startling new dimension to both the moral complexity of war and its psychological toll.
Reading Group Guide
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This reading group guide for Youngblood includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Introduction
The US military is preparing to withdraw from Iraq, and newly minted lieutenant Jack Porter struggles to work within the confines of shaky alliances with warlords who have Arab and American blood on their hands. Day after day, Porter tries to assert his leadership in the sweltering, dreary atmosphere of Ashuriyah. But his world is disrupted by the arrival of veteran Sergeant Daniel Chambers, whose aggressive style threatens to undermine the fragile peace that the troops have worked hard to establish.
As Iraq plunges back into chaos and bloodshed and Chambers’ influence over the men grows stronger, Jack becomes obsessed with a strange, tragic tale of reckless love between a lost American soldier and Rana, a local sheikh’s daughter. In search of the truth and buoyed by the knowledge that what he finds may implicate Sergeant Chambers, Jack seeks answers from the enigmatic Rana, and soon their fates become intertwined.
Topics & Questions for Discussion
1. Take a look at the epigraph, Stephen Crane’s “In the Desert.” Why do you think the author chose to open the book with this poem? How does it set the tone? Discuss how the poem affected you before you began the story, and how your understanding and appreciation of it have changed since finishing the novel.
2. On pages 78 and 79, the American soldiers gather in the compound to witness a fight between a camel spider and a scorpion. Watching his soldiers, Lieutenant Porter thinks “I looked around and didn’t see jaded boredom anymore but something else” (p. 77). What is it that Porter sees? Why do you think he chooses not to stop the fight?
3. Consider the fight between the scorpion and the spider. What can you say about this moment in the novel, both as a storytelling device and for its significance within the plot? What is the author trying to say with this scene?
4. After the fight, when Porter, having lost the bet, stands with Alphabet and the other soldiers drift away telling one another to “be the scorpion,” Porter thinks to himself: “I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d just lost something important, something that mattered, even if it was just a pretense of that something” (p. 80). What is the narrator referring to, and how does this shape his character both as an individual and with respect to the other characters?
5. The narrator recounts the story of his experience in training alongside his friend Randy Chiu, whom we later learn lost his legs in Afghanistan. Why does the narrator tell us this story? What is its significance in the greater context of the novel?
6. On page 135, when the Barbie Kid is detained for assaulting Chambers, Porter thinks: “Our grandfathers had pushed back the onslaught of fascism. Just what the fuck were we doing?” The narrator’s words are an interesting commentary on the evolution of American military identity, or at least the narrator’s perception of military purpose. Do you think it’s valid to assume that purpose in war is ever clearly defined, or is it more of a psychological mechanism?
7. Driving through the desert countryside outside of Ashuriyah on page 204, Porter thinks to himself: “This is the desert . . . free and true. I took a gulp of Rip It from the back hatch and breathed in baked air and laughed because it didn’t feel so strange anymore. None of it did.” What is this change that comes over Lieutenant Porter, and what causes it? Is it simply the passage of time, or do you think it’s triggered by a specific event?
8. At the beginning of Ramadan, the narrator says: “I fasted through the holy month, alone among the occupiers” (p. 215). Why do you think Porter chooses to fast? Do you believe there is irony in his use of “holy month” or “occupiers” here? How?
9. As the story progresses and Porter becomes more in touch with the local community, his thoughts on the war and his role in it start to shift. Discuss this transformation: Do you think his affection for Rana leads him to make excuses for people who would otherwise be considered dangerous? Or does his attitude stem from a more fundamental change in himself?
10. Elijah Rios, or Shaba, is a phantom presence throughout the novel, and as Porter digs deeper into the mystery surrounding his death, the true nature of his character is frequently called into question. What do you think of Shaba’s relationship with Rana? How would you define his relationship with Iraq? How do you distinguish the man that Rana knew from the one who fought alongside Chambers?
11. Do you think Porter’s dishonesty is justified in his attempt to help Rana and her sons, or does the crime involved negate the good intention behind the act? Is moral relativism symptomatic of war?
12. Do you believe that Rana and her sons made it to Beirut? Why or why not?
Enhance Your Book Club
1. War has inspired the lyrics of many poems and songs. The author of Youngblood chose to open his novel with verses, and the narrator’s brother quotes a poem by Yeats on the Irish Revolution. Find other poems that deal with war and discuss them in the context of their inspiration and the themes of the book. Then, try writing your own poem based on your experience reading this novel, either from the perspective of Jack Porter or as a third-party observer.
2. In the United States, we often read narratives from the American perspective. For your next meeting, read other works on the war in the Middle East written by Americans, such as Redeployment by Phil Klay, and talk about how the tone of those works compares and contrasts with that of Youngblood. Then, select works that are written from the Middle Eastern perspective, such as The Corpse Exhibition by Hassan Blasim or The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and discuss how the alternative perspective compares and contrasts with that of the books written by American authors. How does reading these books side by side shape your perception and understanding of the war?
3. Author Matt Gallagher’s storytelling style is frequently cinematic. How would you adapt this novel into a film? How would you represent the letters and official documents that appear throughout the book or invoke events from the past? Who would you cast in the main roles and why?
Introduction
The US military is preparing to withdraw from Iraq, and newly minted lieutenant Jack Porter struggles to work within the confines of shaky alliances with warlords who have Arab and American blood on their hands. Day after day, Porter tries to assert his leadership in the sweltering, dreary atmosphere of Ashuriyah. But his world is disrupted by the arrival of veteran Sergeant Daniel Chambers, whose aggressive style threatens to undermine the fragile peace that the troops have worked hard to establish.
As Iraq plunges back into chaos and bloodshed and Chambers’ influence over the men grows stronger, Jack becomes obsessed with a strange, tragic tale of reckless love between a lost American soldier and Rana, a local sheikh’s daughter. In search of the truth and buoyed by the knowledge that what he finds may implicate Sergeant Chambers, Jack seeks answers from the enigmatic Rana, and soon their fates become intertwined.
Topics & Questions for Discussion
1. Take a look at the epigraph, Stephen Crane’s “In the Desert.” Why do you think the author chose to open the book with this poem? How does it set the tone? Discuss how the poem affected you before you began the story, and how your understanding and appreciation of it have changed since finishing the novel.
2. On pages 78 and 79, the American soldiers gather in the compound to witness a fight between a camel spider and a scorpion. Watching his soldiers, Lieutenant Porter thinks “I looked around and didn’t see jaded boredom anymore but something else” (p. 77). What is it that Porter sees? Why do you think he chooses not to stop the fight?
3. Consider the fight between the scorpion and the spider. What can you say about this moment in the novel, both as a storytelling device and for its significance within the plot? What is the author trying to say with this scene?
4. After the fight, when Porter, having lost the bet, stands with Alphabet and the other soldiers drift away telling one another to “be the scorpion,” Porter thinks to himself: “I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d just lost something important, something that mattered, even if it was just a pretense of that something” (p. 80). What is the narrator referring to, and how does this shape his character both as an individual and with respect to the other characters?
5. The narrator recounts the story of his experience in training alongside his friend Randy Chiu, whom we later learn lost his legs in Afghanistan. Why does the narrator tell us this story? What is its significance in the greater context of the novel?
6. On page 135, when the Barbie Kid is detained for assaulting Chambers, Porter thinks: “Our grandfathers had pushed back the onslaught of fascism. Just what the fuck were we doing?” The narrator’s words are an interesting commentary on the evolution of American military identity, or at least the narrator’s perception of military purpose. Do you think it’s valid to assume that purpose in war is ever clearly defined, or is it more of a psychological mechanism?
7. Driving through the desert countryside outside of Ashuriyah on page 204, Porter thinks to himself: “This is the desert . . . free and true. I took a gulp of Rip It from the back hatch and breathed in baked air and laughed because it didn’t feel so strange anymore. None of it did.” What is this change that comes over Lieutenant Porter, and what causes it? Is it simply the passage of time, or do you think it’s triggered by a specific event?
8. At the beginning of Ramadan, the narrator says: “I fasted through the holy month, alone among the occupiers” (p. 215). Why do you think Porter chooses to fast? Do you believe there is irony in his use of “holy month” or “occupiers” here? How?
9. As the story progresses and Porter becomes more in touch with the local community, his thoughts on the war and his role in it start to shift. Discuss this transformation: Do you think his affection for Rana leads him to make excuses for people who would otherwise be considered dangerous? Or does his attitude stem from a more fundamental change in himself?
10. Elijah Rios, or Shaba, is a phantom presence throughout the novel, and as Porter digs deeper into the mystery surrounding his death, the true nature of his character is frequently called into question. What do you think of Shaba’s relationship with Rana? How would you define his relationship with Iraq? How do you distinguish the man that Rana knew from the one who fought alongside Chambers?
11. Do you think Porter’s dishonesty is justified in his attempt to help Rana and her sons, or does the crime involved negate the good intention behind the act? Is moral relativism symptomatic of war?
12. Do you believe that Rana and her sons made it to Beirut? Why or why not?
Enhance Your Book Club
1. War has inspired the lyrics of many poems and songs. The author of Youngblood chose to open his novel with verses, and the narrator’s brother quotes a poem by Yeats on the Irish Revolution. Find other poems that deal with war and discuss them in the context of their inspiration and the themes of the book. Then, try writing your own poem based on your experience reading this novel, either from the perspective of Jack Porter or as a third-party observer.
2. In the United States, we often read narratives from the American perspective. For your next meeting, read other works on the war in the Middle East written by Americans, such as Redeployment by Phil Klay, and talk about how the tone of those works compares and contrasts with that of Youngblood. Then, select works that are written from the Middle Eastern perspective, such as The Corpse Exhibition by Hassan Blasim or The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and discuss how the alternative perspective compares and contrasts with that of the books written by American authors. How does reading these books side by side shape your perception and understanding of the war?
3. Author Matt Gallagher’s storytelling style is frequently cinematic. How would you adapt this novel into a film? How would you represent the letters and official documents that appear throughout the book or invoke events from the past? Who would you cast in the main roles and why?
About The Author
Photograph by Melissa Lukenbaugh
Matt Gallagher is a US Army veteran and the author of four books, including the novels Youngblood and Daybreak. His work has appeared in Esquire, ESPN, The New York Times, The Paris Review, and Wired, among other places. A graduate of Wake Forest and Columbia, he is the recipient of the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, a Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference Fellowship, a Sewanee Writers’ Conference Fellowship, and was selected as the 2022 Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum Writer-in-Residence. He lives with his family in Colorado.
Product Details
- Publisher: Atria Books (January 31, 2016)
- Length: 352 pages
- ISBN13: 9781501105746
Raves and Reviews
"On one level, the novel is a parable -- with overtones of Graham Greene's The Quiet American...On another, it's a story about how we tell stories to friends and strangers, trying to convey experiences they will never know firsthand, and how we tell ourselves stories to reckon with the past...Mr. Gallagher has a keen reportorial eye, a distinctive voice and an instinctive sympathy for the people he is writing about, and he uses those gifts here to immerse us in his characters's lives...With Youngblood, he has written an urgent and deeply moving novel."
– The New York Times
"While [Gallagher's] nonfiction was visceral, immediate and reportorial, his fiction transforms direct experience into something more layered and complex. Gallagher’s voice is vital, literary and sometimes lyrical...smart, fierce and important."
– The Washington Post
"Showcases the manifold strengths of the author's writing, most prominently a gift for evoking the feel of contemporary soldiering in faraway places ... Evocative and [written with] stirring sympathy for and surprising friendship with local civilians and soldiers."
– The Wall Street Journal
“A timely and moving story of the realities and psychological consequences of war.”
– Harper's Bazaar
“Smart and riveting.”
– Vogue
"[Gallagher] writes about war like you've never read before ... in its emotional nuance, Youngblood codifies the fact that this is a voice to be reckoned with."
– Esquire
"What’s needed in modern war lit is not more politics, but more humanity; less kill, and more consequence. Youngblood has both in spades."
– Foreign Policy
"The Iraq Novel We've Been Waiting For. [A] dark, suspenseful meditation on [the] impact abroad ... America's first great work of reckoning."
– The Daily Beast
"A powerful fiction debut…a gritty, tragic, realistic look inside the failures of America's invasion and occupation of Iraq told by someone who lived it.”
– The Huffington Post
"[Youngblood] represents powerful shift from Gallagher’s visceral, immediate nonfiction towards a thoughtful, moving story that nods towards something larger."
– Brooklyn Magazine
"Something rather beautiful."
– Consequence Magazine
"Gallagher’s riveting combination of gritty military jargon, sharply drawn characters, and suspenseful story line adds up to one of the best modern war novels since Tim O’Brien’s Vietnam classic, The Things They Carried (1990). Highly recommended."
– Booklist, starred review
“A complex tale about the Iraq War, intrigue, love, and survival. Gallagher follows up on his successful first book, the memoir Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War (2010), with a smart Iraq War novel that adds something new to the genre—new genres. Gallagher subtly weaves throughout this excellent, brutal tale intrigue, a mystery, and two compelling love stories… A fresh twist on the Iraq War novel adds depth to this burgeoning genre.”
– Kirkus, starred review
"A flat-out great novel about the Iraq war and about much, much more. It's truthful, urgent, grave and darkly funny. Everyone should read it."
– Richard Ford
"Youngblood is not only a 'war novel,' it is a rich, fully formed, and beautifully executed novel-novel, way beyond the chicken coops of genre, a novel about the human heart in contest with itself, a novel about memory and longing and grief and hope and guilt and late-night ironies that raise a chuckle to the lips of the dead. Yes, the people and events in this fine novel are certainly 'tangled up' with war, as the author puts it on page one,but it is the same sort of entanglement that Lord Jim has with the ocean, or the sort of entanglement that Huck Finn has with the river."
– Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried
“Thrilling, tragic, and darkly funny, Matt Gallagher's Youngblood is a brilliant portrait of command in the modern, morally bruising battlefield.”
– Phil Klay, New York Times bestselling author of Redeployment
"Not only does Youngblood rank among the very best books of our seemingly endless Iraq war, it's one of the best novels I've ever read of war, period. A mystery as taut as that of any thriller lies at the heart of the story, and as the layers peel away and the mystery coils tighter and tighter, grim truths are revealed about love, loyalty, violence, power--about life in a very hard place made so much harder by years of war. Matt Gallagher's fierce, brilliant novel should serve as a slap in the face to a culture that's grown all too comfortable with the notion of endless war."
– Ben Fountain, New York Times bestselling author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
"Youngblood airlifts readers into the Iraq War, and through Matt Gallagher’s eyes we find the place unsettlingly intimate, sublimely corporeal, ribald and gripping. With the promise of withdrawal shimmering on the horizon, Gallagher’s LT Jack is a mesmerizing narrator, the Charles Marlow of Iraq, urging our vessel deeper into a land of secrets and veils, deeper into the anarchic and ambivalent psyches of the men both occupying and being occupied. This muscular novel cements Gallagher’s role as our essential biographer of the forever war."
– Claire Vaye Watkins, award-winning author of Gold Fame Citrus
“‘iCasualties', 'electricity recons', and ‘Mesopotamian Cadillacs';’finding out on Facebook that your fiance’s dead. Gallagher humanizes these—war’s—alien and extraordinary elements. Youngblood is a beautiful book. It will break your heart.”
– Lea Carpenter, critically-acclaimed author of Eleven Days
"In 1926 Ernest Hemingway's first novel, The Sun Also Rises, portrayed the generation of men and women living in the wake of World War I, an unflinching portrait of their weaknesses and strengths. Matt Gallagher writes with much the same artistry and intent, this time illuminating the lives of men and women and children--American and Iraqi--trying to survive the war in Iraq. Youngblood is so good I couldn't help but think of old Hemingway's debut. Let this novel serve as your introduction to a bold, brilliant talent."
– Victor LaValle, author of The Devil in Silver
"A gripping, compelling novel about war and country by an exceedingly talented veteran of Iraq who writes with a soldier's eye and a poet's soul. Youngblood is a captivating story of hope and loss, love and ruin that transports readers to the war as it was felt and lived - by Americans and Iraqis alike. It clearly deserves a place on the top shelf of American war literature."
– General (Ret.) David H. Petraeus, commander of the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq (2003-2004), Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq (2004-2005), Multinational Force-Iraq (2007-2008), and U.S. Central Command (2008-2010)
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