Army of None: Strategies to Counter Military Recruitment, End War, and Build a Better World

by Aimee Allison, David Solnit

Uniformed U.S. Army Officers lunch with students in elementary school cafeterias. Army training programs including rifle and pistol instruction replace physical education in middle schools. Like never before, military recruiters are entering the halls of U.S. schools with unchecked access in an attempt to bolster a military in crisis.
However, even as these destructive efforts to militarize youth accelerate, so do the creative and powerful efforts of students, community members, and veterans to challenge them. Today, the counter recruitment movement—from counseling to poetry slams to citywide lobbying efforts—has become one of the most practical ways to tangibly resist U.S. policy that cuts funding for education and social programs while promoting war and occupation. Without enough soldiers, the U.S. cannot sustain its empire.
Army of None exposes the real story behind the military-recruitment complex, and offers guides, tools, and resources for education and action, and people power strategies to win.

Genres: Military Fiction, War, Politics, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 2007

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review of this book is less about the book, and more about a very important change that occurred as a result of it:

I had a chance to spend the day with Aimee Allison when she came to La Crosse in 2007 to promote her book. She and I had lunch with one of my students, who had been seriously contemplating enlistment, much to my dismay.

Aimee is passionate & articulate, and this book provided her with the reason to share her concerns with my student, who ultimately decided not to enlist. (!)

It's a great primer for anyone who has a feeling, somewhere deep down inside, that maybe 16 year olds shouldn't be allowed to enlist (or pre-enlist, or whatever you want to call it), and that the decision whether or not to goto war ought to be left to well-educated adults.

This book also prompted me to write a letter to the editor that was never published, due to its 'controversial content'. Oy!

[Kelly B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to balance the information I was getting about how men choose to join the military, so I got this one on counterrecruitment strategies, which gives some not-so-flattering information on what the military does to get people to sign up.

[Jenika · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a review of information I was already familiar with from being a member of Veterans for Peace Chapter 72 here in Portland, Oregon. I bought it to better prepare myself with information when I would need to speak with high schoolers regarding choices they may be making when they graduate.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

A guide for adults to fight recruitment efforts in schools and the community. It offers a level headed assessment and theoretical basis for these efforts. Easy to read and practical. A good introduction to the world of recruitment and its opponents.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title intrigued me, but the execution could have been much better. Too many grammatical errors...

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a board member of a peace and justice center, involved in counter~ recruitment via peace education, I found this book to be stirring and pragmatic.

[D.K. Kade · Rating 1 out of 5]

Redundant.