In 2009, Time magazine sent 25-year-old Nick McDonell, already the author of two novels, to Iraq. In this slender, less-is-more nonfiction, he offers an impressionistic narrative of his experiences embedded with the 1st Cavalry Division. While it is typically a journalist’s job to report, McDonell reveals a strong point of view: The Bush administration was “cowardly, arrogant and dangerous.” Despite his objections to the war, he has sympathy for those who must bring it to a close, particularly foot soldiers and the interpreters — terps — who face reprisals for helping Americans. If there are signs of hope for Iraq’s future, McDonell cannot find them. —Paul Gonzales, Los Angeles Times

“Absolutely incredible read… In a time where we seem inundated with the same impersonal stories about the two wars we're fighting, this book delivers a truly personal and conflicted account of life in Iraq as a solider, as a citizen and as a reporter. Without a doubt, the best war read I've come across so far. —Adam Cunningham, Amazon.

The End of Major Combat Operations came out as 1/2 of McSweeny's #34, and was also published in French by Flamarrion as MISSION ACCOMPLIE.