|summary=Funny, touching and thoughtful character driven story about troops on a PR 'Victory Tour' during the Iraq war and the society that sends them there.
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In Ben Fountain's ''Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk'', Billy and what is left of his Bravo troop colleagues are back from the war in Iraq following a brave firefight caught on camera by embedded journalists. The US army, keen to gain PR from the event has brought them back on an optimistically titled 'Victory Tour' despite the fact that they are all to be re-deployed the next week. The majority of the book takes place on the last day of this tour when Billy is in his home-state of Texas, where the Bush link makes it even more pro-war, as the boys are invited to attend that most American of PR events, the Thanksgiving football game at the Dallas Cowboys stadium. Accompanying the troop is a veteran Hollywood producer who has promised the soldiers that he can sell their story to a movie studio for mega-bucks. If only it were that simple.
Our thanks to the kind people at Canongate for sending us this book.
You might also enjoy [[The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach]], although rather more awareness of US sport is required to get the best out of this book compared with Ben Fountain's book. Also very recommended for fans of character -driven books is [[In One Person by John Irving]], although quite what the boys of Bravo company would make of Irving's book is another matter. You might also appreciate [[The Kilburn Social Club by Robert Hudson]].