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Brian Castner is a nonfiction writer, former Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer, and veteran of the Iraq War. He is the author of “All the Ways We Kill and Die,” forthcoming in the spring of 2016, and the war memoir “The Long Walk,” an Amazon Best Book of 2012. His writing has appeared at The New York Times, VICE, Wired, Foreign Policy, and on National Public Radio.

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The Sexiest Memoir of the Year

DRAWING BLOOD

Molly Crabapple has held up a less than flattering mirror to society, and now we get to see the backstory to this dynamic artist.

Brian Castner | Published Dec 05, 2015

The American Warlord Guilty of Torture

MONSTER

Chucky Taylor, the bloodthirsty son of a former Liberian dictator, is the only American rotting in U.S. prison for torturing people abroad.

Brian Castner | Published Apr 07, 2015

Fiction Honed in a Combat Zone

Far and Near

<p>Veteran James Pitre takes the measure of modern warfare both up close and from a reserved distance in his debut novel, <i>Fives and Twenty-Fives</i>.</p>

Brian Castner | Published Aug 25, 2014

An Amazing New Way to Fix Trauma

Invisible Wounds

Thanks to a new invention, we’re finally learning how to diagnose and treat the lingering affects of explosive events that have led to a mass of traumatic brain injuries in veterans.

Brian Castner | Published Mar 23, 2014

The Profanity of War

Aim True

<p style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">With his new collection of short stories <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Redeployment-Phil-Klay/dp/1594204993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1393863783&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=phil+klay">Redeployment</a></i>, Marine Corps veteran Phil Klay has written brilliant, true, and winning fiction on the Iraq War, writes Brian Castner.</p>

Brian Castner | Published Mar 01, 2014

Between Boredom and Terror

Homefront

From the frontlines of America’s war in Afghanistan a Yale graduate turned Army warrior reflected on his experience in letters home. Now he’s put those letters together and they reveal a man comforted by the trivial and questioning why he is there.

Brian Castner | Published Feb 06, 2014

Who Should Kill?

Contracted

The founder and CEO of controversial military contractor Blackwater is out to defend his record and celebrate his success in his new memoir, but veteran and military contractor Brian Castner says that the book misses the big questions here.

Brian Castner | Published Nov 22, 2013

Remembering the Living

Memorial Day

<p>Memorial Day commemorates those who were killed while serving in the armed forces, but Brian Castner hopes that we will remember those who survived injuries but might not have if not for bomb suits, armors, and other advances. His book <i><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Long-Walk-Story-Life-Follows/dp/0307950875/">The Long Walk</a></i> is now out in paperback.</p>

Brian Castner | Published May 26, 2013

A Good Guy With a Gun

War and Peace

Iraq war vet Brian Castner considers his own experience of returning from war and arming himself to protect his family.

Brian Castner | Published Apr 27, 2013

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