Blood Makes the Grass Grow Green: A Year in the Desert with Team America

by Johnny Rico

Outrageous, hilarious, and absolutely candid, Blood Makes the Grass Grow Green is Johnny Rico’s firsthand account of fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, a memoir that also reveals the universal truths about the madness of war.No one would have picked Johnny Rico for a soldier. The son of an aging hippie father, Johnny was overeducated and hostile to all authority. But when 9/11 happened, the twenty-six-year-old probation officer dropped everything to become an “infantry combat killer.”But if he’d thought that serving his country would be the kind of authentic experience a reader of The Catcher in the Rye would love, he quickly realized he had another thing coming. In Afghanistan he found himself living a Lord of the Flies existence among soldiers who feared civilian life more than they feared the Taliban–guys like Private Cox, a musical prodigy busy “planning his future poverty,” and Private Mulbeck, who didn’t know precisely which country he was in. Life in a combat zone meant carnage and courage–but it also meant tedious hours standing guard, punctuated with thoughtful arguments about whether Bea Arthur was still alive. Utterly uncensored and full of dark wit, Blood Makes the Grass Grow Green is a poignant, frightening, and heartfelt view of life in this and every man’s army.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Memoir, Military History, War, Middle East, History

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2007

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that my feelings on this one are a bit mixed. Not so much for the book itself. Johnny Rico does a good job of portraying his experiences during his year deployment to Afghanistan. His style of writing is self-critical, brutally honest, and self-deprecating. There's not a whole lot of sugarcoating going on here. And Rico does do a good job of pointing out the contradictions and errors with which the America War on Terror has been conducted.

It's just that the book I read immediately before this was Elizabeth Samet's Soldier's Heart, about her experiences teaching literature at the United State Military Academy at West Point. Her encounters with soldiers are far different from Rico's. Samet paints a picture of upright, intelligent, thoughtful, questioning, and ultimately moral young men and women seeking themselves and their place in the world. Her world is that of the officer and the gentleman, commissioned to that status by act of Congress. Rico's experiences are on the other end as an enlisted soldier. Reading about his platoon mates, I was reminded of the Duke of Wellington's quote. "Before the battle Wellington is reputed to have said of his own troops 'This army is composed of the scum of the earth, I don't know what effect these men will have on the enemy, but by God they terrify me!'" Maybe the contrast was just too much.

So the review for me of this book is: Good book, interesting point of view. Thoughtfully and provacatively written. Recommended.

But I'm not sure this one will get reread. Maybe there's too much honesty.

[Phoebe223 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very candid nice style of writing. And I liked this paragraph enough to retype it here:

"Donkeys...I've decided that donkeys are universally cute. Really cute. So cute that donkeys defy any arguments of preferences being relative. When you pet their noses, they blink their eyes and bashfully look away as if embarrassed. And when donkeys hee-haw, they have their mouths and lips curled up as if they are smiling. Boyfriend and girlfriend donkeys rest their heads on each other's rumps and fan each other's faces with their tails. And kid donkeys the size of an average dog, trot around with big smiles on their faces and floppy, dangly, long donkey ears. Too cute."

[Kelly B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was hilarious and sometimes, disturbingly hilarious, but hilarious all the same. From the cover, you would think this guy believes himself a total aggressive badass, but it is not so. He has two masters degrees and still decided to join the Army, leading him to spend a year in Afghanistan, experiencing the absurdity of the ways of the military. He was clearly heavily influenced by Catch-22 and Fight Club, which is just fine by me. I read this in a day and a half, and only felt a little silly giggling my way through it. Loved it.

[Boozy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, I personally am familiar with the areas, FOB's and units mentioned in this book as well as the authors tour. I have to say, GROSS changes in facts, what the author purports to be emails about missions and day to day activity to family back home would not have been allowed to be emailed simply because of the security risks involved. Also the picture the author paints of Infantry as dumb, uncaring and undisciplined is untrue, while some of the events may have happened they certainly would not fly as lasting weeks or months as the author purports, I know of no SOF element that would let it fly, especially on their FOB. Mostly what you will find here is a strong political bias where the author tints, re-interprets and outright fabricates things to further a very anti-military viewpoint. While he does attempt to come to terms with why people have chosen to serve during a time of war and how he feels about being there for the most part its a rant filled with crap. While the author does in fact admit to not caring about what he was supposed to learn prior to deployment nor really having any interest in finding things out for himself, insinuating that nobody knows what they are doing, or are all brainwashed because they don't have the same viewpoint (atheist-anti-military-self proclaimed super-liberal) as him is a disservice to men and women serving in the armed forces. If one is looking for un-biased experience based biography on the war in Afghanistan look elsewhere.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let's just say I was disappointed in this adult war memoir. Looks pretty exciting by the cover and you can't beat the title, but the author is not someone I want to spend time with. Why? He's whiny and believed he needed to write a book about his year in Afghanistan with the C Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry of the 25th Infantry Division. I really can't believe it was published. I guess publishers are desperate for true war memoirs, but Johnny Rico doesn't deliver anything. I can't waiting for there to be a reason for the book, for some kind of message, or for something to keep me entertained. Never happened. Probably the best part of the book was when he wrote about the B1 bombers and how awed he was when they flew over. At the end of his tour, he is pretty rattled because of rockets hitting every night. And I wondered about men who actually fought feel after a tour of duty. Rico's tour didn't seem like much of one. He could have just skipped the time line of his book to about two months before his tour ended. Or he could have just not written it.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This memoir was certainly engrossing and interesting, but also depressing. The author joined the Army because of his personal belief that one should not take citizenship for granted. A nice motivation, but he never expresses why, or even if, he loves his country. His descriptions of fellow soldiers seem like caricatures--they are ignorant rednecks, intelligent liberals who joined for the benefits, or empty-headed testosterone-filled warmongers. In his two years of active duty, were there no real patriots? Even though he describes helping the Afghans and fighting terrorists, he expresses pride in neither the Army nor America. He only whines about the conditions (hello, it's a war zone) or complains about the bureaucracy of the Army (ok, legitimate, but is that really a reason to despise the entire military?).

[Jacqueline J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was raw, funny and realistic. Not every soldier is the best this or most decorated that. A lot of ordinary guys and gals go and do their time and serve their country. Maybe they don't get involved in anything heroic other than that they stepped up and said I'm willing to serve and I accept that I might die for my country. Being ordinary people like most of us, they hope they don't have to. Their stories are just as valid as anyone else's. Johnny Rico's is funnier than most though.

This book is not for the easily offended. Language and subject matter is sure to bother those with tender sensibilities.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Few passages in the book felt anything more than contrived. The emails to his parents included between chapters are probably the best and most candid parts of the book, where he's not trying to impress his audience with his wit (and thus he comes off as far more witty than in the rest of the book) nor does he attempt to shove any grandiose statements down the throat of his reader (and thus comes off as far more poignant). If he had just compiled all of the emails he wrote back to the states I think we would have seen a much more engrossing tale than that of a pretentious loser trying to portray the absurdity of his and the Army's existence.

[Papalodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kennedy's 'Bay of Pigs' messed up my generation's plans for their future.
Bush's whatever messed up everybodys past, present and future; of course he's against reinstating the draft as he would have to face his own dodging - didn't join up until he could play at being commander in cheat, yes cheat.
Enjoyed the book, same old military nonsense. For further laughs check out 'No Time for Sergeants' and 'Biloxi Blues' and of course'MASH'. If your pressed for time, watch the movies.

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's a military book so I expect the language, I was even prepared for the "guy talk" that goes along with a bunch of men spending time together. However, the book is a great injustice to what the military really does, and I think the author should evaluate himself so harshly. If the whole book had been as good as the last chapter then it may not have been A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME.

[Wylothar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I currently finished this book. I believe it has a very honest tone to. Being prior service and knowing how people where I think this is a very honest portrayal of a serviceman in regular service in Afghanistan. this isn't a glory book of Rambo stories its honest.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright. It irked me though that he said from the beginning that he embellished stuff, but also said that things that seemed like they had to be embellished weren't. After reading Generation Kill and Blackhawk Down, it just wasn't up to snuff

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its kinda like Holden Caufield goes to war.

[Shawn Fahy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished "Blood Makes the Grass Grow Green" by Johnny Rico (2007). It's a war memoir about Afghanistan that basically talks about how ridiculous the whole thing was. Nothing about it really stood out, as there was little going on in the area where he was. It was mostly about the silliness of Army bureaucracy. Not poorly written but not very memorable either.

[This is V! · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really sarcastic book about a really sensitive topic like war . Written with absolute grit and sense of humor considering the situation was not the best . If you don’t like people that tell it like it is with a lot of gore then don’t read this book !

[Jacob · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably the worst book I have ever read in my life. Actually that may not be entirely accurate since I didn't finish the book. I quit about 1/2 to 2/3 on the way through. Whatever you are looking for in this book it was probably done poorly.

[Anna Dufford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rico is 100% unfiltered & most of this book would be offensive to most people. But if you’re the type of person who picks this book up, you’ll probably appreciate it- it’s authentically human and hilarious and nauseating.

[Anthony Wilhoite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Not much on a 'historical documentary- type but an honest daily life view of a Soldier in Afghanistan during the early years. Some absolutely hilarious parts that gave it a unique feel. Very easy read, I kept going back to this over and over after a small break. Love it!

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inappropriately hilarious! One of the best examples of the life of many service members sent to war in the last 25 years. They don't all shoot downrange and engage the bad guys.

[Stephen Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, captivating account of war and service that seems to draw some deep inspiration from Vonnegut.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read many first hand war accounts but this one.... wow. What a total farce it all is! Required reading.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fully appreciated this book for what it was meant to be: brutally honest, yet entertaining. Were things exaggerated for comical effect? Probably. Accuracy aside, I felt as if the author went deep into something rarely explored which is the political aspect from the view point of an enlisted soldier; a grunt if you will. Politicians, generals, academics, and journalists have all written scores of volumes on the political side of war, and there have been scores upon scores of a “what war is like” type memoir.
Blood Makes the Green Grass Grow is not one of these, and that is why I fell in love with the book.
It is a refreshing read. Most of the comments I have read criticizing the book misinterpret the intent of Rico’s writing, which is to point out the disconnect between the ideals that make up the Army itself as well as the ideals of those serving in the organization and the reality on the ground. Contrary to what some believe, the recruiting standard for military service was actually fairly low due to the fact that the military needed to grow and grow rapidly. Soldiers are mostly your typical 18-22 year old high school grad who does really stupid things from time to time. In a perfect world our military would be composed of servicemen who do the job out of duty and patriotism. For everyone else here on Earth, pay, benefits, and promises of travel and adventure are what sucker the rest of us. This is one of those pink elephant type deals that are never expressed publicly but we are constantly exposed to it by recruiters.
Rico does a supremely superb job of articulating the idiosyncrasies of not only Army life, but especially Infantry life for someone who is a little too intuitive for life as a “Joe”. His style is raw, insightful, and wickedly funny. Blood Makes the Grass Grow Green is probably not what’d you expect out of a soldier’s memoir. It’s a little more Stripes than Platoon and a little more Terminal Lance than Sebastian Junger.

[Parish · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fellow soldier, myself, this book holds a special place in my heart. It makes me laugh in places and cringe in others, and although many of the behaviors and conversations would not fly in the environment I serve in (the army has become much more sensitive to things like mental illness, sexual misconduct, and racist, ableist and homophobic slurs in recent years), the nature of the people portrayed feels exactly like soldiers I've served with. There are parts that make me think "That's exactly how it was for me, too," and parts that I don't doubt for a second although I haven't personally experienced them.

On top of that, this book is a breath of fresh air among all of the books and movies about war heroes and soldiers fighting on the front lines, risking their lives against all odds to successfully complete a seemingly impossible mission. I'm not saying stories like that shouldn't be praised, shouldn't draw attention. But there are soldiers who live that life, and soldiers who live Johnny Rico's life. And if you're going to deploy in the Army, your life will probably be a bit closer to Rico's, too.

As much as I would love to give this book five stars, I'm a bit finicky when it comes to writing style. I just can't get past the switches between past and present tense, and sometimes the verbiage and syntax made the book a bit clunky. I found myself having to reread sentences a few times trying to figure out if there's a typo, a missing comma, or if I'm just putting emphasis on the wrong word in my head.

I can see why people might dislike this book. It's slow-paced, it's crass, it's disturbing and, yes, just like all of the many reviews constantly say, it's candid. But I think that's entirely the point.

[Krissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

-I hope the Army isn't filled with nearly as much unintelligent chaos as Rico states, though in all probability it is. Institutions that uphold rules over common sense seem to be full of unintelligent chaos.

-The chapter on the kitten just filled me with disgust. Anyone that cruel to animals deserves to be hit by an IED. That's probably unpatriotic of me to say, but whatever. That poor kitten did not deserve to be violently thrown against a wall for the amusement of a couple of bored soldiers.

-"It isn't so much that this is funny as much as that sometimes I love seeing just how far absurd situations can be taken. Sometimes this requires my temporary cooperation. Other times, like now, it does not."

The only particularly good thing about this book is one of my bosses at work saw me carrying it when I was walking to break. He nodded, mentioned he'd read it, and really liked it. I wasn't very far into it at that moment and thought I was really going to like it too. Now I know that he doesn't necessarily have the same taste in books as I do.

[Steve Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best military in the world huh! When serving in Vietnam in the 70's I had some opportunity to observe the American military in action. It didn't impress me much then. Poor field discipline and often very poor performance, (with some notable exceptions, mainly USMC and Special ops people). The military as a whole seemed to be a great blundering murderous machine with little or no understanding of the war they were fighting. Often very poorly led, poorly supported and poorly trained. Looks like nothing much has changed. This is a raw, and if jaundiced view of an infantry units time in Afghanistan. The bluster that seems a common refrain in American society about the quality and the efficiency of their military, an article of faith, a bit like manifest destiny, rings all to hollow for anyone who has any background and experience who comes in contact with them in the field. Mush can be laid at political doors, no doubt. Their power derives from technology and numbers, the days of soldiers of the quality that fought WW2 are long gone!

[C]

What I read so far was a pretty blunt - sometimes a bit forced - account of this guy's experience joining the military at 26. He's the odd man out in so many ways, and he doesn't try to polish this up. Some of the things he's said about human nature and behavior, I'm right on the same page.

I just can't read this right now. I had a feeling when the kitten was introduced earlier on that he wasn't going to be long-lived, but reading the reviews, I ended up inadvertently reading the details and I wish I hadn't. I have a kitten at the moment and it's too easy to substitute him for "Brian." I might feel differently when I get home and be able to skip that chapter and move on, but I think I need more of a picker upper to read vs. forcing myself to work through a chapter about animal cruelty. It feels absolutely ridiculous to abandon a book on war and human suffering over an animal's needless death, it's just the place I'm in for the moment.

[Unwisely · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memoir of the recent, uh, mess, using a nom de plume from a Heinlein novel? Of course I grabbed this one while wandering around the library.

And then I found out that this guy and are were on weirdly parallel tracks. I am pretty sure we're about the same age, he's from Iowa, he drifted around in college for way too long, and he toyed with joining the military. Except he actually changed his name to Johnny Rico. Dang. And then he actually joined up.

He describes pretty much exactly what I was lead to expect about being the Army (with the caveat that neither boyfriends nor relatives have ever described the amount of masturbation he does. Which is *beyond fine* with me. Let us never speak of this again.) It was readable, engaging, and quite possibly aimed exactly at me. So I'm glad I read it, enjoyed it thoroughly, and basically am not sure who I would recommend it to, but, dang, I liked it.

[Kaite Stover · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is on my top ten for 2007. And not because my brother is in the Army and deployed godknowswheretheywon'ttellhisfamily. But because when my brother tells Army stories, these are the stories he tells and everyone in the family is alternately gasping in disbelief and howling with laughter, even the tweenies.

I love Rico's tone, his appreciation for the job he's doing and his fellow soldiers and his honest depictions of what life is like. I think teens with an interest in the service would get a lot of out of this book and teens with an interest in what soldiers do when there's nothing to do would also get enjoyment from it.

I know the language is off-putting, but I didn't find it gratuitous in the least. It's a very realistic part of who these young people are.

[Joel Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read! Rico's perspective on the war is one that is more common with our generation. Educated and intelligent, paired with the ability to enjoy the absurd moments that come along while deployed (in the military in general). Our generation's concept of war is so drastically different than previous generations...this book does a wonderful job of laying that out in a real, and truthful manner, all while making it both thought provoking and hilarious.

Vets and non-vets alike will enjoy this book. It's written in a fashion that someone with little to no knowledge of military life can understand. I recommend this book to anyone who has deployed overseas in our current conflicts. Also to anyone who is curious what life is like for some of the troops over the pond.

[Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first. If you have never served, you will not like this book. If you have served but were not Infantry, but one of the support services, you will not like this book. I served 8 years as a 11B. This book is funny!!! It is also way too realistic. I thank the God's that I never served with such a outfit as the author, but I whole heartedly believe the politic's from the higher up's. It's not called hurry up and wait for nothing.
If you are the wife or girlfriend of a ground pounder, this might help you understand your man. Read it and ask him questions. You will be suprised. As far as you naysayers. You should have gone Infantry. It would have helped you with your pride on what you did in service. Infantry!!! Need I say more??