I did not want to read this one, because I'm not much for military stories. However, it needed an additional reader for the book award committee I'm on, so off I went. I ended up enjoying it more than I thought. I liked that Reedy showed how Joe's perspective changed over time, from what he thought war would be, to its reality. I knew I wouldn't have too much of a problem with Basheer (I know where my bias lies), and I liked that he grew in confidence over the story too.