Ranger Games

I wasn't sure what to expect from Ranger Games - I'm anti war and not into the military, so would I even be interested? 
It turns out Ranger Games was a compelling story about a regular guy next door who always wanted to serve his country, but got caught up in participating in a crime which he wasn't fully aware of. 
We've all watched soldiers movies so we think we know what basic training is... but Alex Blum, through his cousin author Ben Blum, explains in detail not only about the pain inflicted upon recruits bodies, but their minds. It was painful to read because what happens to these young men is not far fetched, but easy to imagine. The body heals, but it's the psychological trauma that lasts and is so difficult to get past. 

In Ranger Games, we are shown what it takes to make a soldier. Alex said Basic Training and Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP) made him into a mindless follower. After the fourth week, he said he could feel his mind shut down. He no longer had an opinion, and couldn't tell right from wrong or understand emotions. He did everything his superiors asked of him because he was taught to trust and obey. This brainwashing that he describes is what makes a good soldier. No objective, independent thinking, just a blind follower. From all this, you can believe Alex didn't have the sense to comprehend they were actually robbing a bank. 

In his interviews with the mastermind of the bank robbery Luke Elliott Sommer, it felt like he was putting on a performance, being a character in a movie. Such was his wild personality. I can see a Ranger Games film in the near future. 

Interesting was psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen's lack of empathy theory Zero-Positive for those with Asperger's syndrome. He says they can't read emotions well but feel badly when told they hurt others - which could be remorse. It was something Blum contemplated in his theorizing about Elliott. 

While what lead to the crime was intriguing to read about, this book was too long, and Blum often goes into too much detail.

In this decade + long process from the crime to the researching, interviewing and writing of the book, Blum's attitude towards Alex shifts. He always defended Alex, but began doubting him towards the end. It ended up sounding like a long journey for him, a look into family, truth and fiction. 

I received Ranger Games in a GoodReads giveaway. 

Until next time,

Kara