Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain, published by Ecco on November 27, 2012, is a reprint edition comprising 320 pages. This novel follows nineteen-year-old Specialist Billy Lynn and his Bravo Squad, who have become national heroes after a harrowing encounter in Iraq, captured on film by a Fox News crew. As they embark on a media tour to bolster public support for the war, the story unfolds during a Thanksgiving Day halftime show at Texas Stadium, where the complexities of heroism, patriotism, and personal sacrifice come to the forefront.
Readers will find a narrative that blends satire with poignant reflections on the Iraq War and the experiences of veterans. The novel captures the atmosphere of a media-saturated America, where Billy navigates interactions with a diverse cast, including wealthy patrons and enthusiastic supporters. Through humor and heartbreak, the story explores themes of longing, loss, and the search for meaning amid the chaos of war. This edition presents a significant work that delves into the lives of soldiers and the societal perceptions surrounding them.
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Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and a finalist for the National Book Award
“Brilliantly done . . . grand, intimate, and joyous.” —New York Times Book Review
From the PEN/Hemingway Award-winning author of the critically acclaimed short story collection, Brief Encounters with Che Guevara, comes Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (“The Catch-22 of the Iraq War” —Karl Marlantes).
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’re on a media-intensive nationwide tour to reinvigorate public support for the war. On this rainy Thanksgiving Day, the Bravos are in Texas Stadium, 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.
Poignant, riotously funny, and exquisitely heartbreaking, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is a searing and powerful novel that has cemented Ben Fountain’s reputation as one of the finest writers of his generation.
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