Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

Fountain may have had good intentions when thinking up “Billy Lynn” (critiquing capitalism, sexism, war, etc. is a worthwhile pursuit) but the execution was, at best, extremely poor. At worst, it is a harmful piece of literature disguised as satire.

Let’s start with his treatment of women, shall we? Every mention of a woman, no matter the context, is sexualized to the extreme. Yes, you could read it as satire; Fountain is simply pointing out the objectification that women face. But making such a point out of women’s bodies and talking about them with such graphic, uncomfortable language is unnecessary. It’s no secret that women and their bodies are mistreated, especially women who perform in hyper-masculine spaces like the Super Bowl. Instead of critiquing the commodification of women’s bodies, Fountain is perpetuating it. It is painful to read and written entirely without nuance; it adds nothing to the conversation on sexism.

Next, Fountian’s “commentary” on class, consumerism, and capitalism. Again, this attempt at critique is unnecessary. Watching an event like the Super Bowl, in and of itself, is a lesson on class and money in America. The absurd money spent on professional football, advertisements, and broadcasting is obvious from watching the event itself. Again, the commentary (if there even was any) was surface level and done without any hint of interest. Fountain’s depiction of wealthy business owners and entertainment industry professionals was unoriginal and unmoving.

Lastly, the treatment of race. When race is touched upon (which is rare in comparison to the overdone vulgarity regarding women) its flippant. Instead of presenting an interesting argument or spin on racial bias in the military, Fountain just throws in racial slurs exchanged between members of the team. Including racial stereotypes doesn’t constitute satire or criticism. It simply perpetuates stereotypes and adds nothing to the extremely complicated, intersectional conversation on race.

I found it to be very insightful into possible mind set of soldiers involved in actual warfare in a combat zone. It showed a bias toward corporate America............that I felt was not fair or perhaps even realistic. All in all, it held my interest, which is no doubt the most important thing in reading a novel.

I like the overall message of this book, which is, as the USMC general noted recently, "...America is not at war. America is at the mall. The USMC (and all other services) is at war. ..." He did a fine job capturing the banter/thoughts of the average young GI. Portions of the story became a bit ridiculous, and there was a bit more focus on the carnal thoughts of the character than were necessary. Most appreciated was his dismantling of the average "support the troops bumper-sticker patriot crowd", the folks often crowing about sending a message to this or that nation that have never offered up their own bodies/years to do so. If nothing else, it was worth the read for that.

This is a good book. It’s written from Billy’s experience as an American soldier heading back to the war. The author shows the honor of men who have one-another’s back, during their last mission. The soldiers are on a goodwill tour to represent what they had just gone through in the war. Suddenly they’re paraded around, as heroes receiving all the Nationalistic, “Thank you for your Service,” comments. I enjoyed reading this book.

(Note, this review is posting under my wife's account, which we both use, but be assured I am a male with the experience I claim.)

Having two tours in Viet Nam as a young combat soldier and finishing my caareer in Desert Storm as a senior officer I have considerable insight into the main themes that this book addresses and find them to be treated very well. The two main themes: 1) How do young people, men in this particular case, deal with the mental and emotional aspects of war and then, when dropped unexpectedly back in the lap of luxury and 'civilization"; reconcile the vast discontinuities and 2) The disconnect between those that fight, or at least serve, in the military in general and those that don't but vigorously support the war which they can't even comprehend.

The issues are not dealt with in a simple cold and clinical manner, but through the lens of modern American life, particularly as understood, with the continuing development of insights, by the young protagonist and his brothers in arms. Some of the supporting characters slightly bear the marks of stereotyping, but nowhere near the degree that can be found much of thee writing about war and its consequences. As for the main characters of SPC Lynn and SSG Dime, they are a nice clean representation of true individuals, each possessing the human and heroic (with a small h) qualities of complex human beings.

A very insightful and entertaining book that is easy to read but possesses a good deal of depth. While I would not tout this as great "literature" it is an important story, well told and at a timely point. While the central theme seems to concern war and its impact on individuals it is overall a clear look at, and strong indictment of, America as we exist today. As any story that deals with war and fighting in a realistic sense the book contains quite a bit of profanity, but it is used in appropriate context and is far from gratuitous.

This book took the brain-dead, greed driven, all-American inanity of football and used it to create one of the best anti-war, pro-human spirit books I have read. Human hormones control most of the species most of the time. Our brains are now capable of acting contrary to the millions of years of evolutionary selection, but few people have taken on the responsibility of using their brains instead of their reproductive organs to make choices. Ben Fountain has created a person who is struggling to figure it all out. Billy Lynn isn't thinking deep things but his grasp of his world is quite profound given his upbringing and his recent experiences with war overseas and rampant entrepreneurial drive here at home. I would love to know how his group gets through their redeployment!

Dallas author Ben Fountain presents a group of "on leave" veterans being wined and dined on tour. Sadly, Bravo Company will be returned to Iraq for more combat the following week.They are young heroes with ribbons galore having fought and survived heavy fire. Their dilemma, can they survive more combat in Iraq? They are praised by the public for what they have done in a vague "over there". There's also talk of a movie deal. Even the half time show at Cowboy Stadium, will be Bravo Co. Be aware of language and drinking as these 20 years old get a taste of their 20 minutes of fame. This book has been favorably compared to Joseph Heller's "Catch '22."

An interesting tale about war and jingoism. It is well-written but some of the passages feel a little on-the-nose and repetitive, particularly when it comes to the attitudes about the blind patriotism of people at home, points that all been made before in better stories.

I cant remember ever reading a story told from the perspective of a nineteen year old soldier in a recent war. I have read stories told by WW1 and WW2 soldiers, and Vietnam vets but nothing yet from those participating in involvements in the Middle East. This story is about selling: conflicts, movies, sports and heroes. It is about how easily an experience is changed to suit agendas and how little those agendas ultimately have to do with the people that were most affected by it. Very enjoyable and thought-provoking.

This provides not only wonderful insights into the thoughts of those returning from war but also of those returning to war. These are combined with acidic satire on America's growing cultural divide, class divisions and obsession with celebrity and entertainment. An added bonus for those of us who are tired of Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys is a wickedly delicious take on the man and his empire.

Nothing i can say will justify how much i enjoyed this book. This book is nothing i would usually read, but so glad i did. I've never gotten into a characters as i did with these. I know it's a cliche, but i couldn't put this book down. Many a times i found myself knowing i needed to put it down and get something done, but just couldn't. Amazing how a story that takes place in basically one day and in one place can hold you're attention like this did, but it really does. I can't say enough about how great this book is...

Ben Fountain has masterfully captured the irony, wisdom and pain of the divide that separates modern Americans from the men (and women) who fight their wars. He has also built upon the best traditions of the coming-of-age story. The prose is tight and crisp and ultimately devastating. This is not a war novel, but it may be the best novel I've ever read about a war.

When someone says: "This is an important book." It usually means you're in for a boring sermon. So, let me just say this is a wonderful read that condenses slices of contemporary American culture down to an essence. The bonus: it's engrossing and entertaining in the process.
Ben Fountain has things to say about who we Americans are and, I can't wait to learn more.

This is masterful and timely story telling. The author takes us into the minds of young warriors confronting their nation's often misdirected and cynical hero worship. Some extremely serious issues are examined with considerable wit and compassion. A thoroughly enjoyable, believable, thought-provoking read.

I understand how a soldier could consider going AWOL after what all they have been through. In that aspect, I find the book very well written however, I think there was a lot of disrespect towards the military as well. No Sgt or Major is going to allow, and especially not promote, the way these heroes behaved in public. They were supposed to be on a victory tour which would mean they were still representing the Army. In the book, they cussed out civilians, got in fights, and behaved generally inappropriate.

This was written okay, but was very repetetive and I got tired of the preachy feel. Obviously the author is against the Texas way of life and the wars and portrays everyone who is a "patriot" as a tool. Sad. I did finish it, but I would have been okay not, too.

Wickedly funny, profane, & insightful. Deals with our shallow, coarse contemporary culture and it's disconnect from the experiences of our men in combat. If not a contemporary classic, it's pretty darn close to it.

I picked this book because it had a very interesting primis. Taking place at a Dallas football game on Thanksingiving day, the Afghanistan war heros are treated and abused much as they are in serving in the military. I felt like I was in slow motion trying to read the book. It moved very slowly.

First, let me reveal my background. Unfortunately I won't be able to leave a review that is as eloquently written as a number of very well versed, well read literature professionals. But I do read a massive amount, so at least I've got that going for me.

I'll say this about this book. I found it to be painfully boring. I ground my way through, but I dreaded it. The experiences and interactions the main character has are extremely repetitive. 2 stars because clearly the author is talented. I just couldn't get past reading the same thing over and over and over again. Billy gets drunk, thinks about something, maybe a flashback or two, sits with his friends, has a conversation with someone from TX who applauds his heroics, and repeat. I also got the vague feeling the author was somehow trying to paint all these well-wishers as a bunch of dumb conservatives . . . I could be overly sensitive, but something about it just didn't sit right.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
i regret having spent time on going thru even half the book! so absolutely boring book one could hardly find. the characters are mundane. the background of iraq is so important, but the author meanders in unnecessary details. the wood is lost in the trees.

‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’ is an interesting novel. On one hand it’s thought provoking and a bit of a cautionary tale, but on the other it felt too preachy and I felt as if it didn’t really tell the whole story. The book revolves around, surprise, Bill Lynn a war hero home from Iraq on a good will tour of the US. The story covers the last few days of his tour at his hometown and participation at the Thanksgiving day halftime show at the Cowboys game. We get a brief view of his actions in Iraq and how he ended up in the Army but the really the story is about a 19 year old kid so you get a range of emotions from the character of, surprise, a 19 year old kid. As a result, I felt much of the story was a pretty boring (I mean come on he’s at a fake NFL game how interesting can it be).
On the preachy/though provoking side it the author raises some valid questions and really shows what “Patriotic” people can be like when it comes to our men and women in uniform but he seems to paint every person who’s not in Bravo with the same broad stroke. I felt as if every other character pretty much could be interchanged and it wouldn’t have changed the story at all.
I guess what the author is trying to say is war is bad and people should give our troops more than lip service both of this are true but the way in which he said it just fell flat for me.

A fairly slow read for me, personally. The interesting thing is the narrative of the American public's perception of the Men of Bravo team and how they are turned into a sideshow of sorts. They are ferried around the United States after their return from Iraq and some of the attention they receive is really a bit overwhelming to them. They obviously are a PR project and they have no choice but to go along on the journey, even if they would rather stay out of the spotlight.

Ben Fountain's observations of people and situations are so enjoyably insightful. Funny in a meaningful way. Hypocrisy on stage to be enjoyed in all its theatrical humor. True to life - getting at what really matters in the scripted, staged, and manipulated situations in which Billy and his squad find themselves. Fountain's laudable effort of capturing the "every moment of the day" attachment Billy has to his dead cohort (killed in the battle that has made Billy's troop famous) begins to reveal the visceral, and haunting, nature of his loss. Sounds serious, but very, very funny. The best read I've had in a long while.

Just an excellent read.......a remarkable look into the heart and soul of Billy Lynn as an individual soldier and Billy Lynn as part of tight knit BRAVO unit, home from IRAQ as heroes for a short tour honoring them.....he is young and self searching but also a man with conflicting loyalties with real choices to make........a remarkable journey in the short span of one afternoon at a football game.

This book tells a great story, and it uses things that are familiar and foreign to show how typical and how special Billy Lynn and his compadres are. The use of visuals and phonetics were especially appealing to me.

The context and modern setting are very effective. I just really enjoyed this book.

A fascinating insight into the idiosyncrasies of contemporary Americana, and the scarred psyche and scarred bodies of a nation afflicted by two costly forays in two dubious middle eastern wars.
A good ear as well for colloquialisms and American slang (9-11 is transmuted to become 'ninaleven'), and a great ability to put the frenetic sex crazed passions of violent, deprived youth onto the page.
Zingy and clever, balanced between wisecracks from a hard case sergeant and musings on the horrifically wasteful spectacle of the NFL, it is definitely worth a read.

Although I share some of the sentiments expressed in this book, I found it to be too cynical and condescending towards the average American. It certainly raises some interesting thoughts about society's support for the war.

I like good sentences, and just about every sentence here is a good one. Those that aren't good, are great.

But it's not all just style; it's style in support of great characters, most fairly briefly drawn, and all from the viewpoint of Billy's, which I came to identify as my own.

How Asshole's Look at War Heroes could be the title, or Asshole Texans to put a finer point on it.

Or, How Great Was My Sister.

Or, We Fight For Our Buddies and Never Let Them Go.

OK - it's a great book, and it's hard to think that anyone wouldn't like it except Jerry Jones.

I am an inveterate novel reader, English minor, Great Books Member, absolutely love reading fiction. This is
hands down the best novel I've read in many, many years. It deals with so many issues: war, love, money,
community, sports, and more. The characters are well developed and the writing is incredibly graceful. Ben
Fountain must have sold his soul to the devil to write this well. This is truly an A-list work.

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, a novel about a group of war heroes attending a Thanksgiving Day Dallas Cowboys game as part of a victory tour, is a novel as problematic as the culture it attempts to critique. The most bothersome part of this book for me was not the uninspired prose or unmemorable plot, or even the misogyny and blatant male gaze that seeps through every page and, for a novel so single-mindedly focused on addressing Social Issues, goes strikingly unaddressed, even backhandedly. Instead, what I found most disheartening was that none of these elements were of any use. If a book imparts on its reader something insightful, something inspiring or controversial or, for goodness’ sake, at least DIFFERENT, perhaps some of its more lackluster aspects can be forgiven. Instead, though, Ben Fountain makes exactly the kinds of moves you would expect in a novel with soldiers returning home, a stadium full of patriots, American football, and Destiny’s Child. The plot was canned and tired. The juxtapositions were obvious. The conclusion was expected. In the end, I found that I had waded through uninspired writing and spent time with a host of, at best, crude characters, only to be rewarded with nothing -- no genuine humanistic insight, no unique commentary or proffered solution -- for my troubles.

In a review, the Washington Post called Billy Lynn a “gut-punch of a debut novel.” To me, though, this novel was less reminiscent of a gut-punch and more akin to someone shadow boxing in his own mirror and verbally pumping himself up between each punch. Regardless of what criticism it offers, a novel that takes risks in delivering it is one I will give a chance. Billy Lynn, though, was ultimately a pander to people who wanted to hear their own thoughts echoed back to them about critiques of war and American culture, and completely dull to everybody else.

Will be interesting to see how Hollywood spins this book. Overall good, quick read that reinforces much of what is wrong in American society today, while praising the service of young men who volunteer to serve their country.

After finishing "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk", I wanted more of Ben Fountain. It grabbed my attention from the first page and kept it. The story of Bravo Squad, heros of a skirmish caught on tape by a Fox News photographer...takes place mostly on one significant day...Thanksgiving. The heros are guests of the Dallas Cowboy football team and must take part in that halftime show. The contrasts between what these young men experienced in Iraq and what they witness at this All-American event gives you plenty to think about.

Really great descriptive novel that captures the entire contradiction of a nation at was where so few bear the burden and so many demand the credit. One of the most brilliant modern war books written n