You may have recently wondered, “How does America’s favorite military contractor do it?” If, by “America’s favorite military contractor,” you meant Halliburton. And if, by “it,” you meant score billions in no-bid contracts, buddy up to DC’s most powerful, overcharge taxpayers, cover up gang rapes, squander Iraq’s oil money, and more. Sound familiar? Pratap Chatterjee has just the book for you. Halliburton’s Army: How a Well-Connected Texas Oil Company Revolutionized the Way America Makes War (Nation Books, $26.95) is a birth-to-now account of the contracting behemoth—where Dick Cheney was once CEO—and its cheerleaders and whistleblowers. DAMON AGNOS

Thu., Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m., 2009