Date: Tuesday August 6, 2019 at 2:31pm
Review:
A
stunning account of war that gives a detailed look into the psyche of the
twenty-first century British infantryman. Jones writes of his brothers and
their Afghan experience, from its adrenalin-filled highs to the many lows, with
passion and candour. The pace is unrelenting, whilst the epilogue stands as the
sobering full stop for a generation of soldiers who campaigned in Iraq and
Afghanistan. (Major Adam Jowett, bestselling author of No Way Out)
A
gritty, brutal book about men at war. Raw and real. Brilliant. (Tom Marcus,
bestselling author of Soldier Spy and Capture or Kill)
At
times darkly funny, at times tragic, this is a powerful and honest book about
the British soldier, about the reality of conflict and the struggles some face
when they come home. (Brian Wood MC, bestselling author of Double
Crossed)
Powerful,
raw and poignant, but also darkly funny in places. (The Times Magazine)
Book Description:
The
reality of war laid bare in this funny, furious and moving account of one man's
tour of Helmand.
From the Inside Flap:
‘If
you could choose which two limbs got blown off, what would you go for?’ Danny
said. ‘Your arms or your legs?’
In
July 2009, Lance Corporal Geraint (Gez) Jones was sitting in Camp Bastion,
Afghanistan, with the rest of ‘The Firm’ – Danny, Jay, Toby and Jake, close
friends and combat-hardened infantrymen. The mangled remains of a Jackal
vehicle left tactlessly outside their tent mean IEDs are never far from their
minds. Within days they’ll be on the ground with Three Platoon – and Gez will
have seen up close what damage an IED can do.
Brothers
in Arms is
a gritty, darkly funny, shockingly honest account of men at war – every boring,
scary, exciting moment. Gez enjoys the simplicity of life in their very basic
patrol base (or ‘shanty town’, according to an unhappy general passing through)
almost as much as he loves taking on the Taliban. But as The Firm fight
furiously and are pushed to their limits, it’s obvious they are risking their
lives in a war that is unwinnable.
All
of The Firm will face their own struggles as a result of the tour. Back in the
UK, Gez can’t adapt to civilian life, and turns to drugs to cope with his PTSD.
Can he find the strength to battle a new enemy and win? This is a powerful insight
into the reality of conflict and a tribute to the bonds of friendship that can
never be broken.