Fobbit, by David Abrams

The title refers to a derogatory term for soldiers that serve exclusively from the relative safety of the Forward Operating Base—out of the line of fire. Staff Sergeant Chance Gooding is a bona fide Fobbit in Baghdad. He works in the public affairs office, tapping out press releases that put a positive slant on the latest roadside bombing or strategic blunder. But, as he’ll soon learn, there’s a very real and bloody war outside the FOB.

We are so excited about this novel, a debut written by a 20-year Army veteran and Army journalist. His Baghdad journals became the blueprint for his novel, which features, among other ironic scenes, a sequence in which the FOB takes so long to spin one Army news item that it is obsolete by the time of its eventual release. Reputed by Publishers Weekly to be the Iraq War’s answer to Catch-22.

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