“This book is the only text on the Pakistan Army that ethnographically focuses on the lives (and deaths) of non-commissioned soldiers. By brilliantly using tropes of paradox and ambivalence, this excellent book tells us a story that interplays between nationalism, sacrifice, and masculinity in contemporary Pakistan. Unlike many renditions on the Pakistani military, this exceptional text enables us to understand the persuasive powers through which this potentially hegemonic entity seeks to create consensus.”
Kamran Asdar Ali, The University of Texas at Austin

“A good read for those who want to understand militarism in Pakistan as well as why the military has become the center piece of Pakistani society for decades.”
Shuja Nawaz, Atlantic Council in Washington DC 

“In a book that breaks new ground in scholarship on Pakistani militarism, Maria Rashid explores how the Pakistan Army manages emotions like grief, pride and fear among foot soldiers and their families.”
Mahwish Ahmad, London School of Economics