Author and Iraq war veteran Kevin Powers moved audiences with his debut 2012 novel, "The Yellow Birds," which told the story of the impact of modern warfare on soldiers and their families. His new novel is also about war, but instead of contemporary Iraq, he takes readers back to Civil War America. It is a bleak look at the inhumanity and fallout of war, and the story takes place in both the 1860s and the 1950s.
Powers joined MPR News host Kerri Miller to discuss his new novel, "A Shout in the Ruins," and also to hear from listeners about war literature that has had an impact on their lives.
Here's a list of listener-recommended war- and veteran-themed books:
• "The Faithful and the Fallen" series by John Gwynne
• "Goodbye To All That" by Robert Graves
• "The Painters of Battles" by Arturo Perez-Reverte
• "Cold Mountain" by Charles Frazier
• "Ghost Soldiers" by Hampton Sides
• "Doc: Platoon Medic" by Daniel E. Evans Jr. and Charles W. Sasser
• "Bill Mauldin's Army: Bill Mauldin's Greatest World War II Cartoons" by Bill Mauldin
• "The Greatest Generation" by Tom Brokaw
• "Neverhome" by Laird Hunt
• "Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo
Use the audio player above to hear the full discussion.