
American War
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Dion Graham
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By:
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Omar El Akkad
An audacious and powerful debut novel: a second American Civil War, a devastating plague, and one family caught deep in the middle - a story that asks what might happen if America were to turn its most devastating policies and deadly weapons upon itself.
Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, that unmanned drones fill the sky. And when her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she quickly begins to be shaped by her particular time and place until, finally, through the influence of a mysterious functionary, she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. Telling her story is her nephew, Benjamin Chestnut, born during the war - part of the Miraculous Generation - and now an old man confronting the dark secret of his past, his family's role in the conflict and, in particular, that of his aunt, a woman who saved his life while destroying untold others.
©2017 Omar El Akkad (P)2017 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















Editorial reviews
Editors Select, April 2017 - Omar El Akkad's ambitious debut novel is set in a dystopian future America amid a second Civil War, following the Chestnut family - particularly young Sarat - as they seek refuge from the encroaching violence near their home in Louisiana. The country is torn apart at first by the divide over climate change and fossil fuels and then by assassination, violence, and plague. With cinematic description and imagery, El Akkad paints a bleak vision, made all the more horrifying by how palpable and timely it all seems. I was initially concerned this book would feel too close to home to be enjoyable - and yet I was utterly transfixed from the very start. I can easily see this novel becoming an important entry into the dystopian canon. Dion Graham's performance is masterful as always. His smooth, measured delivery is welcome guide through this chaotic, dark story. -Sam, Audible Editor
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It's no picnic - but nourishing all the same.
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- A tragic story similar to the girl in the movie Sarafina.
- A story of family history similar to that of the novel The Passage
- The story telling (news accounts and excerpts from history) similar to that of the book World War Z
- A revised history / future based upon the Civil War, similar to the book the Underground Airlines
Also, the narration was excellent. Dion Graham "nailed" the southern accents perfectly. Overall, I felt like I really got to know the characters in the novel, especially Sarat. I would love to see this novel turned into a movie. Omar El Akkad, you did good. very good.
A Great American Story!
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Here's one for all you confederates
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But, this is a character(s) story. This is a family story. I enjoyed it and will listen again.
New Twist in Crowded Genre
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Have an inside glimpse of what our lives would be like if war erupted on our soil causing innocent women and children to fend for themselves.
Scary to think this could all happen
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Great concept but honestly poor execution
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Interesting premise, average delivery
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Interesting premise but painfully boring
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Amazing writing
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What would it be like for a civilian child to be caught up in a big nation's war against a small enemy? What would it be like for that child to fear truly random death from drones in the sky? What would it be like to be a refugee from the war and have one's family slaughtered in a refugee camp? What might that child do, and why?
Setting this story in an American future brings home the awfulness of these questions and answers in a way that the news cannot.
I hope this novel wins a Nobel prize. It's that good. And that horrible.
This is an important book.
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