Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War

This is a quick read that will pump you full of military-based fun facts (and some rather disturbing ones). I found the chapter on smells/stink bombs most hilarious/fascinating, but there are other cool sections on innovations in fabrics, shark-repellents, submarine duty, preparation for medical care in a war zone, etc. I liked the writer's style more than the subject matter (I've never been too interested in anything relating to war...) so I'll probably check out some of her other books.

I wish Mary Roach and I were best friends. She picks topics like “space” or “war” or “sex” and then writes about the most bizarre subtopics. I just love it. Some topics addressed in this book include genital reconstruction, shark attacks, and diarrhea.

Fascinating and gruesome!

No matter how fascinating the military is as a subject, no matter how intriguing, it still remains that its business is ending lives, even if it means sacrificing a few in order to accomplish that goal. This means that all efforts to keep soldiers safe and healthy is really just an effort to keep them alive as long as possible so they can kill as many enemies as possible, until they, themselves, must yield up their lives for ???God and country???. That is the sobering conclusion Roach comes to at the end of this book.

Full review here: http://wp.me/p21txV-vo

But it's too short! More Mary Roach, please.

I love Mary Roach, I love her style and the way she goes into every situation totally naive but armed with many many questions.

This book was not about fighting or war, but the science behind keeping (American) soldiers alive. There was a lot about dicks, because up until recently there weren't a lot of women involved in the fighting, but I did learn that female soldiers are allowed to wear their own underwear. Which is great, I can't imagine bras provided by the military would be comfortable for anyone let alone everyone. Also, this: “Vaginal myiasis (maggot infestation) is a concern of increased importance because of the larger numbers of women serving in deployed units...Egg laying may be stimulated by discharges from diseased genitals.” So if I were a soldier I'd not only have to deal with the same shit that the men do, but also worry that if my vagina got diseased, flies would lay eggs in it. On the other hand, I could be pretty sure that there'd be no necrotic tissue in my vagina after the maggots were done munching on it.

There was a lot about genital reconstruction/transplants and the interesting question of whether soldiers should be required to donate sperm for safekeeping, just in case you're not able to afterwards (the idea of women donating eggs for the same reason wasn't raised for very long because if your ovaries get blown up you're probably dead).

I learned that it's possible I'm heat-acclimated and would do well in a hot environment because I “sweat early and copiously”, but I'd also very likely succumb often to military (traveler's) diarrhea which would dehydrate me anyway and probably counteract the sweating thing. On the other hand, I have no qualms about taking medication to stop diarrhea, apparently unlike a lot of soldiers who believe that letting diarrhea run its course is healthier than taking imodium.

I'd also probably be really shit in the Navy because sleep deprivation makes me useless. Not that it doesn't affect other people, it does, but they haven't found a way to lessen the amount of drills and tests that prevent Navy officers from getting more than a few hours of sleep a night, so they just have to pretend they're fine. And continue to be in charge of war machines. That's terrifying.

It takes skill to write a wonderful fiction book. But, to me, the most magnificent writers aren't those who write fiction but those who take what is often tedious and boring informational text and find a way to delight and fascinate readers.

One of those amazing nonfiction writers is Mary Roach. It doesn't matter what subject Roach takes on—and she has taken on subjects as diverse as cadavers and the afterlife and the digestive system—this author always manages to bring a bright new look at an old tired subject. Her latest book is Grunt and here Roach takes a look at the science behind everything people use in war.

I have no real interest in war or science, but this book like every other Roach book I've read was completely captivating. Page after page, I ooed and aaed as the author shared all she had discovered during her extensive hands-on research about war.

Another amazing nonfiction book from Mary Roach.