I will admit to finally getting the impetus to read the book after seeing the movie, though I knew going in that the two were very different. The book is, essentially, unfilmable, and I think the filmmakers did a good job of keeping the idea of talking to various people about what's happening while still keeping a coherent plot and some action. 
 That said, I found the structure of the book ultimately boring. A few of the stories were interesting and captivating, but most of them weren't. I also had trouble understanding the politics and such of the new world (at least until toward the end when that was a primary focus) because the interviewees tended to talk as though the audience already knew them. Which makes sense, because the interviewer would know, and I suspect Brooks was trying to dodge info-dumping and "as you know, Steve," but it still made the middle of the book a bit confusing. 
 I've seen reviews that complain that nobody talks the way the interviewees do, and I agree, but I do have to give some leeway because transcripts of people talking are just damn difficult to read. This reads like it was cleaned up a bit, which I'm okay with. However, only a few of the interviewees have distinctive voices; most of them pretty much talk the same, regardless of their economic, geographic, and cultural differences. 
 My biggest complaint, by far, is about the women. Of the dozens of stories, I counted five that were told by female characters. And each of those characters has deep issues. They are (and I may be getting the order they appear in wrong here) 1. a flighty, out-of-touch soccer mom; 2. a Russian private who turns into a baby factory at the end; 3. a developmentally challenged girl; 4. a plain, boring girl; and 5. a pilot who went slightly batshit during a stressful crash landing, escape-and-evade, and rescue. This isn't to say that there aren't men with deep problems and issues in the book, but they're much better balanced by heroes or even regular joes. The book desperately needed more women in general, but specifically more powerful, heroic women who stand up with the men. They're in the background of the men's tales occasionally, but I would have liked to hear their voices more often.