I listened to the Blackstone Audio of the audio book.

I didn’t think I’d read the book since I watched the movie as a kid and really liked it, but I am glad I did. I wouldn’t say I liked the book much better, but it was just–different. True, I haven’t watched the movie in a long time, but I recall it being focused on the battle with the bugs. Instead, the book was focused more on Juan Rico’s military career, and the military industrial complex of that time. Through the lens of an enlistee climbing through the ranks, we learn how the mobile infantry (MI) operates, what it cares about, and why it exists. We learn that juvenile delinquent is an oxymoron, that duty is what makes a citizen, and that the MI never leaves one of their own behind.