Fire and Forget: Short Stories from the Long War

An anthology of “searing stories from the war zones of Afghanistan, Iraq, and the USA by warrior writers” (E. L. Doctorow).

“I laughed, shouted, and cried while reading this kaleidoscopic collection. So many facets of war and the people who do our fighting are covered here. Fire and Forget is a literary history of this latest period of American wars. It's a profound a telling work of art.” —Anthony Swofford, New York Times–bestselling author of Jarhead

These stories aren't pretty and they aren't for the faint of heart. They are realistic, haunting and shocking. And they are all unforgettable. Television reports, movies, newspapers and blogs about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have offered images of the fighting there. But this collection offers voices—powerful voices—telling the kind of truth that only fiction can offer.

What makes the collection so remarkable is that all of these stories are written by those who were there, or waited for them at home. The anthology, which features a Foreword by National Book Award winner Colum McCann, includes the best voices of the wars' generation: Phil Klay's title story from his National Book Award Winner “Redeployment;” Brian Turner, whose poem “Hurt Locker” was the Academy Award-winning movie's inspiration; Colby Buzzell, whose book My War resonates with countless veterans; Siobhan Fallon, whose book You Know When the Men Are Gone echoes the joy and pain of the spouses left behind; Matt Gallagher, whose book Kaboom captures the hilarity and horror of the modern military experience; and ten others.

“A resonant, moving collection of stories from writers who know firsthand about the incongruous beauty and constant tragedy of war.” —Nathaniel Fick, New York Times–bestselling author of One Bullet Away