It's Only the Enemy Screaming: a Novel

It's Only the Enemy Screaming tells of one man's struggle with faith in the American experiment as the country's first made-for-media war unfolds. Perhaps I would be called upon to fight, I thought. I did not want to go. I did not want to sacrifice my life. I felt remorse for the boys who had already. What would be my family's reaction if I were to go and die? But these are not things to consider if you are in the desert with sand slipping away under your feet, cleaning your gun, smelling the oil, staring in the face of your enemy. The preparations of a warrior do not include doubt. They do not include consideration of the life left behind. The preparations of a warrior consist of absolute commitment, undaunted determination, and complete sobriety. All other considerations are made before the decision to go to war. If they are not, the warrior is doomed."It's Only the Enemies Screaming is the emotionally intense story of one man's descent into the psychological underbelly of American culture during the Persian Gulf War. Given our current political climate, McEnroe's edgy narrative of a spectator's view during the first Iraq conflict couldn't be timelier-but his ultimate focus transcends the political moment. It is a riveting, occasionally hallucinogenic, and always intelligent portrait of America's love affair with violence."-Michael Lynch, author of True to Life