Ben Fountain's fiction delves into the complexities of American culture and the often-unseen realities of war. His writing is characterized by a vibrant energy and a sharp, insightful gaze into contemporary society. Through his narratives, Fountain masterfully captures the intricate human experience, blending keen observation with moments of both humor and profound empathy. His distinctive voice and unique perspective offer readers a compelling and often startlingly original exploration of the modern world.
Focusing on a surreal year of American politics, this work of reportage captures the tumultuous events and cultural shifts that defined the period. Ben Fountain, a New York Times Bestselling Author, provides a compelling narrative that combines personal insights with broader political commentary, offering readers an engaging exploration of the complexities and absurdities of the political landscape. The book delves into the impact of key events and figures, making it a thought-provoking read for those interested in contemporary issues.
The well-meaning protagonists of Brief Encounters with Che Guevara are caught—to both disastrous and hilarious effect—in the maelstrom of political and social upheaval surrounding them. Ben Fountain's prize-winning debut speaks to the intimate connection between the foreign, the familiar, and the inescapably human.
Three minutes and forty-three seconds of intensive warfare with Iraqi insurgents - caught on tape by an embedded Fox news crew-has transformed the eight surviving men of Bravo Squad into America's most sought-after heroes. Now they are on a media-intensive nationwide tour to reinvigorate public support for the war. On this rainy Thanksgiving Day, the Bravos are guests of a Dallas football team, slated to be part of the halftime show. Among the Bravos is nineteen-year-old Specialist Billy Lynn. Surrounded by patriots sporting flag pins on their lapels and support our troops bumper stickers, he is thrust into the company of the team's owner and his coterie of wealthy colleagues; a born-again cheerleader; a veteran Hollywood producer; and supersized players eager for a vicarious taste of war. Over the course of this day, Billy will drink and brawl, yearn for home and mourn those missing, face a heart-wrenching decision and discover pure love and a bitter wisdom far beyond his years
A satire set in Texas during America's war in Iraq that explores the gaping national disconnect between the war at home and the war abroad. Follows the surviving members of the heroic Bravo Squad through one exhausting stop in their media-intensive "Victory Tour" at Texas Stadium, football mecca of the Dallas Cowboys, their fans, promoters, and cheerleaders
"Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide has been toppled in a violent coup d'état, bringing to power a brutal military dictatorship. With turmoil in the streets and an international embargo threatening to destroy even the country's most powerful players, some are looking to gain an advantage in chaos--and others are just looking to make it through another day. American expat Matt Amaker, forced out of his beachfront scuba shop by a drug-smuggling operation, turns to hunting colonial Spanish treasure off a remote section of Haiti's southern coast. Misha Variel, a Haitian-American scholar, returns to Haiti to care for her aging parents, and soon stumbles onto an arms-trafficking ring masquerading as a U.S.-government humanitarian aid office. Rookie CIA case officer Audrey O'Donnell finds herself managing a grabbag of intelligence assets in an assignment more difficult and more dubious than she could have imagined. All are embroiled in a game of deceit that culminates in a vicious, zero-sum scramble for survival. Devil Makes Three's depiction of blood politics, the machinations of power, and, most of all, a country in the midst of upheaval is urgently and insistently resonant."--
His whole nation is celebrating what is the worst day of his lifeNineteen-year-old Billy Lynn is home from Iraq. And he's a hero. Billy and the rest of Bravo Company were filmed defeating Iraqi insurgents in a ferocious firefight. Now Bravo's three minutes of extreme bravery is a YouTube sensation and the Bush Administration has sent them on a nationwide Victory Tour. During the final hours of the tour Billy will mix with the rich and powerful, endure the politics and praise of his fellow Americans - and fall in love. He'll face hard truths about life and death, family and friendship, honour and duty. Tomorrow he must go back to war.
In the safe, comfortable small town where Two lives, where everyone has food, water and a home, no one looks to the ominous black wall on the horizon. But Two cannot ignore the wall and she has questions that fill her and will not be contained. When she is separated from her mother, she is rescued by a strange man and her life begins to unravel as secrets are revealed and the truth about her world is exposed.
