A razor-sharp, darkly funny, and deeply human portrait of America, war, and heroism in the modern age.
 
Nineteen-year-old Billy Lynn and the surviving members of his Bravo Squad become national heroes after a ferocious firefight in Iraq is captured on film. Brought home for a brief “victory tour,” they are paraded through a Thanksgiving Day football halftime show in Texas — a spectacle that reveals the surreal disconnect between the soldiers’ reality and the public’s perception of war.
 
In Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Ben Fountain delivers a brilliantly satirical and deeply compassionate novel that skewers America’s obsession with fame, patriotism, and spectacle.
 
Told over the course of one day, the story follows Billy as he navigates adulation, confusion, and his own haunting memories of combat. The novel’s biting humor and emotional depth expose the contradictions of a society that glorifies soldiers while misunderstanding their sacrifices.
A finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, Billy 
 
Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is a modern American classic — at once heartbreaking and absurdly funny, a war story that says as much about home as it does about the battlefield.
 
💖 Why You’ll Love It
A powerful, satirical look at war, media, and modern America.
Blends dark humor with deep emotional insight.
Sharp, unforgettable writing that balances irony and empathy.
Critically acclaimed and adapted into a major motion picture.
A thought-provoking read that challenges conventional heroism.
 
🌟 Perfect For
Fans of Catch-22 and The Things They Carried.
Readers who enjoy literary fiction with political and social edge.
Book clubs exploring war, patriotism, and moral complexity.
Anyone drawn to bold, insightful storytelling about modern life.
 
❤️ Fans Also Liked
If you enjoyed Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, you might also like:
The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers — lyrical and haunting war fiction.
Redeployment by Phil Klay — short stories from the Iraq War.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz — identity, irony, and struggle.