Grunt

Dive into the peculiar and often hilarious world of military science with Mary Roach's "Grunt," a New York Times bestseller that unravels the ingenious and sometimes bizarre ways scientists endeavor to keep soldiers intact, sane, and functional in the extreme environments of war. Roach, celebrated as "America's funniest science writer," takes readers on a fascinating tour, exploring solutions to challenges like panic, exhaustion, noise, and infection. From dodging paintball fire with the U.S. Marine Corps to understand hearing loss, to visiting a fashion studio for military gear, and witnessing amputee actors preparing medics for combat trauma, her journey is anything but conventional. Discover why a zipper can be a sniper's bane, how diarrhea poses a national security threat in Djibouti, and the peculiar reasons DARPA might be interested in ducks. With her characteristic wit and insatiable curiosity, Roach samples caffeinated meat, sniffs WWII stink bombs, and spends a night aboard a nuclear submarine, answering questions you never knew to ask about the science behind our nation's defenders.