All the Ruined Men

Starred review from June 20, 2022
Combat veteran Glose debuts with an emotionally charged linked collection about a squad of American soldiers trying to survive combat and its aftermath after tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. “In the Early Cocksure Days” sees a sergeant trying to resolve a quarrel between two squadmates in Iraq using improvised lances and camels. A soldier who was wounded by an IED finds that his facial disfigurement in civilian life is actually an advantage while playing high stakes poker in “Dead Man’s Hand.” In “The Dead Aren’t Allowed to Walk,” set in Virginia Beach, Va., Curtis Bradshaw sees the officer responsible for a friendly fire incident that killed his friend, and now Curtis contemplates revenge. In the best story, “Penultimate Dad,” a man tries to use his military training to make contact with his estranged teenage daughter. The closer, “Words Outlive the Tongue,” in which all the squad members’ voices are heard, offers a devastating summation of everything. Glose writes knowingly about the emotions that assault soldiers coming home from a combat zone and confronting a world that no longer makes sense to them, making for a powerful statement on the war that is waged once soldiers return home. This sterling collection stands with Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried.

Starred review from June 10, 2024

With firsthand knowledge and expertise, former Army Ranger and paratrooper Glose (Half a Man) artfully draws audiences into his novel-like collection of 18 linked stories. Focusing on an army squad stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the early 2000s, the stories introduce listeners to a handful of squad members through a mashup of combat experiences and civilian struggles, as they attempt to acclimate to life back on U.S. soil. In "What Won't Stay Buried," Corporal Daniel Faust saves a coworker's life, and the event triggers combat flashbacks. Attempting to connect with his teenage daughter, Private Brendan Mueller teaches her how to fight in "Penultimate Dad." "Falling Backwards" walks with Private Royce "Professor" Tefertiller as he struggles at home with a traumatic brain injury received in an RPG explosion. This collection is narrated by Shawn Compton, a U.S. Air Force member with over a decade of service. With an authoritative tone, Compton powerfully conveys the comprehensive damage to self that the soldiers carry home to loved ones. VERDICT Glose's superbly and empathetically written book is highly recommended. While the subject matter is inherently heavy, it is compassionately managed by one who understands the journey.--Kym Goering

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