Ben East Books

Category: Books

  • Unity Amid Terror

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    Ben East
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    We can look to the barbarians who call for broad, ignorant hatred in response to the specific ignorant hatred behind the tragedies in San Bernardino, Orlando, Portland. Or we can look for unity. While Two Pumps for the Body Man is foremost a satire of the so-called “War on Terror”, it’s also rich in other themes (the odd sexual proclivities of protagonist Jeff Mutton, for…

  • The Foreign Service

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    Ben East
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    today i celebrated with colleagues who serve this nation by going to places like Peshawar, Islamabad, Beirut, Sana’a, Baghdad. most serve without weapons. their service is overlooked. rather than call them heroes, as with our military cousins, more often they are belittled with terms like “cookie-pushers”. But: It is statistically more dangerous to join the Foreign Service than…

  • Free Pumps!

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    Ben East
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    One week left in the Goodreads giveaway of Two Pumps for the Body Man. Follow the link at left to win a copy. Book reviewers can contact me directly for an electronic copy. The Second World War Had Catch-22. The War on Terror Has 2 Pumps. Jeff Mutton walks the diplomatic beat protecting American officials in Saudi Arabia. An expert with guns and…

  • Dark, hilarious, cutting

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    Ben East
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    Exactly the kind of review that makes it all worth the effort. Somebody thought enough of Two Pumps for the Body Man to post this. Mission Accomplished. Came on top of a great plug from killer noir writer C.S. DeWildt (Love You to a Pulp and just last week Kill ’em with Kindness) who said of Two Pumps: “…Full of…

  • a diplomatic noir

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    Ben East
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    At PeaceCorpsWorldwide author and reviewer John Rouse calls Two Pumps for the Body Man “Reminiscent of Joseph Heller’s famous and equally hilarious anti-war novel Catch-22.” Ben East’s humorous yet deadly serious diplomatic noir  Two Pumps for the Body Man should be required reading for any youngster contemplating a foreign service career along the conflict-torn borders of the vast American empire. It’s…

  • Good Deal at Goodreads

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    Ben East
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    Goodreads is hosting a giveaway of Two Pumps for the Body Man. Follow the link at left to win a copy. Book reviewers can contact me directly for an electronic copy. Enter to win a copy of this all-too-real satirical look at America’s diplomats on the front line of the war on terror. Imagine a Sarah Palin-style head diplomat marching to the orders of…

  • Heroes In Literature

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    Ben East
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    Among the acknowledgements listed back of my debut novel is Barry H. Leeds, Connecticut State University Distinguished Professor Emeritus at CCSU. Hemingway, Mailer, Kesey—these were the writers Dr. Leeds expounded to us, models who wrote tough, lean sentences and big, enduring books. I worked like hell to write the strong prose Dr. Leeds demanded in his…

  • Farce Within a Farce

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    Ben East
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    This review captures the tenor and purpose of Two Pumps for the Body Man with incredible brevity and precision. I wish I knew more about the reader, who goes simply by “B”. In some ways, that mystery (I know only that they also reviewed Soul Combat+ Ultimate Active Performance Over-Ear Headphones, Storm Black) adds to the satisfaction of having such an…

  • What is the WOT

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    Ben East
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    Three novelists offer their views of Two Pumps for the Body Man, a satire about life on the front line of the War on Terror. …the pace is fast… Two Pumps is a page-turner, baby, and it takes some real balls to satirize the great Christian crusade of our times. …a wry ode to the cluster-f*** of…

  • Mission Accomplished

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    Ben East
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    War Novels for the War on Terror Thirteen years ago Sunday former President George Bush declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq. Over his head a massive banner proclaimed, “Mission Accomplished.” What followed this publicity stunt—he arrived on an aircraft carrier off the coast of California riding in a Navy jet—were years of insurgency…