On the tail end of a 'Victory' tour of America defined by press appearances and junkets, Billy Lynn and the men of Bravo, are honored guests of the Dallas Cowboys at the Superbowl. A gunfight with Iraqi insurgents has made them poster boys for Bush's War on Terror and Youtube sensations.
With hours before he is redeployed to Iraq, Billy struggles to reconcile his wartime experiences with those of the average American. The majority of people he encounters, from the Oscar-winning movie mogul to the average bleeding-heart patriot, echo a voyeuristic fascination with their heroics as captured by Fox News. Billy questions whether a nation that strives to reduce everything, including war, into entertainment is worth defending with his life.
While Billy's internal dilemma does tend to overstay its welcome, the truth behind his contemplations can not be denied. In this thoughtful novel, Ben Fountain manages to present a fresh perspective on the nature of war and those who must actually fight them.
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