A Soup to Nuts Science Look at War-Fighters

Roach, Mary.  Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War.  New York: W. W. Norton, 2016
          ISBN: 978-0-393-24544-8

 Mary Roach provides a brief and informative look at the science involved in keeping U.S. military personnel intact, awake, sane, uninfected, and uninfested. In fourteen chapters, she looks at clothing, vehicles, hearing issues, stink bombs, sleep, maggot flies, and many other interesting topics.

Each chapter has Mary Roach investigating how science and the U.S. military interact.  In "Second Skin," she visits Natlick to find out how military uniforms are tested.  In "Sweating Bullets," she endures a heat tolerance test alongside a Army Ranger.  There are chapters that deal with diarrhea, medical devices, maggot flies, training medics under combat conditions, shark repellent, submarines, and what the dead can do for the living.  Each chapter provides a brief look at the issues and what the military is doing to help, improve, or understand the science and make the end product or process more usable. 

Mary Roach writes in a straightforward style that is engaging and entertaining.  She provides footnotes that add little details that can make the reader laugh, giggle, or go "Huh?"  She provides a bibliography of sources for further research.  While Grunt has much to offer, it does suffer from quick changes of subject, and sketchy topic coverage in the last few chapters. The lack of a conclusion is also a drawback.  But if you are interested in the U.S. military, you are likely to enjoy Grunt.