American War Summary
Omar El Akkad

American War Overview

American War is written by Omar El Akkad, a journalist who has covered the war in Afghanistan, the Arab Spring, and numerous conflicts throughout the world. El Akkad uses his journalistic skills to imbue his first novel not only with a compelling narrative tale but with documentary evidence (albeit fictional) that lends credibility to the story. The setting is a post-apocalyptic America after a Second Civil War and the near destruction of America at the hand of a radicalized survivor. Civil War has erupted over the prohibition of fossil fuels, the assassination of the Union President, the killings of Southern Protestors, and the secession of the South. The ensuing war is brutal, displacing and disrupting the lives of thousands of people, including the Chestnut family. The story is told after the events by the nephew of Sarat, the main character. The major theme of the book is of the victimization of innocent people, the desire for vengeance, and the subsequent indoctrination and radicalization of a survivor into the perpetrator of an unimaginable act of violence against millions.