"War Is Hell. Mary Roach Met the Folks Who Make It Less So." Topic

"Mary Roach, a self-confessed "goober with a flashlight," has created a niche for books with one-word titles—Gulp (on the digestive system); Bonk (on the science of sex)—that take a funny, and informed, look at the scientific secrets of everyday things. In her latest book, Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War, she goes behind the scenes of modern warfare to celebrate the unsung heroes of military science, who do everything from design high-tech clothing for the battlefield to perform penis transplants—all in the name of keeping soldiers "alive and comfortable." (Learn about the effects of battlefield blasts on soldiers' brains.)

Talking from her home in Oakland, California, she describes how the British instituted fly-kill quotas in World War II; why Velcro is a sniper's enemy; and how improvised explosive devices (IEDs) can blow apart a soldier's sex life. (Meet the dogs who go into combat.)

This is, by your own account, no Zero Dark Thirty. Tell us about the work of military scientists—and what inspired you to write a book about them?

I write about a particular military subset: white hat military scientists. I don't cover weapons or strategies, building a better bomb or designing a submarine. It's about the human entity: the soldier and everything that entity deals with—extreme heat, loud noise, fear and panic, food poisoning, and flies…"
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Amicalement
Armand

I am currently reading her book, GRUNT. It has been very entertaining. Being a former soldier, it does make you start to understand that the research people are trying to make the front line soldier's life better. Sometimes not very well. So far, a pretty good book.

Thanks …

Amicalement
Armand