DAVID M. ABRAMS

Fobbit fa-b t, noun. Definition: A U.S. soldier stationed at a Forward Operating Base who avoids combat by remaining at the base, esp. during Operation Iraqi Freedom (20032011). Pejorative.Staff Sergeant Chance Gooding works for the army public affairs office and spends his days tapping out press releases to try to turn the latest roadside bomb into something the public can read about while eating their breakfast cereal. He is most definitely a Fobbit.Fobbit takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdads Forward Operating Base Triumph. The FOB is the back-office of the battlefield where the soldiers eat and sleep between missions, and where a lot of Army employees have what looks suspiciously like an office job.What goes on at the FOB doesnt exactly fit the image of war that the army and the government want to portray: male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta-Potty in which to get acquainted, grunts are playing Xbox between missions, and most of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy. But, as Staff Sergeant Gooding finds out, things can very quickly spiral out of control even in this seemingly protected environment.Based on the authors own experiences serving in Iraq, Fobbit is like Catch-22 and M*A*S*H, in fusing dark humour with pathos to create a brilliantly witty and profound work about life in the modern-day war zone.