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War

by Sebastian Junger (Goodreads Author)

4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 · rating details · 7,226 ratings · 1,040 reviews

In his breakout bestseller, The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger created "a wild ride that brilliantly captures the awesome power of the raging sea and the often futile attempts of humans to withstand it" (Los Angeles Times Book Review). Now, Junger turns his brilliant and empathetic eye to the reality of combat--the fear, the honor, and the trust among men in an extreme si...more

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published May 11th 2010 by Twelve (first published January 1st 2010)

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Aug 26, 2011 Petra X rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: popculture-anthropology, biography-true-story

Stupendously brilliant and enlightening book. I understand the appeal of war much more now. It's nothing to do with altruism and everything to do with an uber-boy's club, guns and adrenaline. I understand men a lot more now too. This book should be required reading for the parents and girlfriends of the young men who have enlisted in the military.

It isn't what anyone would actually want to hear - no one much cares about the political reasons for prosecuting the war, everyone likes firing guns a...more

38 likes · like · see review

May 28, 2012 Steve aka Sckenda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Steve aka Sckenda by: Charlie Rose

Shelves: war, current-events, courage, psychological, afghanistan

Sebastian Junger, the writer of "The Perfect Storm," lived with an American platoon based on a remote hilltop in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan for 15 months. Most Korengalis, ensconced in their beautiful and inaccessible mountainous terrain, have never left their village and have no understanding of the modern world; thus, Korengal was the perfect place for the Taliban to base an insurgency.

In order to thwart the Taliban and draw them into open battle, ISAF generals inserted elements of th...more

30 likes · like · see review

Jul 12, 2012 James rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: character-studies, culture-and-politics, death-dying-killing-bereavement, history, military, memoirs, regional, relationships, psychology, spirituality-and-or-religion

One of the most powerful books I've read. The author does a superb job of capturing the atmosphere of an infantry platoon and the relationships of its members with each other as individuals and with the platoon as a whole throughout a brutal combat deployment lasting 15 months. To do so, he spent a great deal of that 15 months living with them, including accompanying them on combat missions in which he was nearly killed several times. This story was the basis for the award-winning National Geogr...more

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Jun 03, 2010 Will Byrnes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: military-and-intelligence-non-fic, non-fiction, american-history, afghanistan

The story here has nothing to do with politics, macro foreign policy or terrorism, per se. Junger looks at the experience of a small band of soldiers at the front lines of the war in Afghanistan, in the eastern reaches, in a valley notorious for its peril to combatants. What matters here are the mechanisms, physical and emotional, that bind the soldiers to one another. What they consider funny, what topics are off limits, how they rely on each other, criticize each other, support each other, how...more

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Aug 20, 2010 warren Cassell rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Any book club--a great eye-opening book for discussion.

Recommended to warren by: NYTBR

This is a phenomenal book and should be required reading for all the knee jerk liberals like me who have had nothing but disdain for the military. What impressed Junger the most during his several months series of embedments with the US army in Afghanistan was the closeness of the men in his units. These soldiers didn't talk about bringing democracy to Afghanistan or any other political or social raison d'etre for their being in what could be described as a Hell on earth. Their only goal was to...more

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Jimmy Warren, I'm not sure why you felt the need to make the comment: "knee jerk liberals . . . who have had nothing but disdain for the military." I could...more
Oct 11, 2010 08:39pm

warren Cassell Hi Jimmy,
Thanks to your thoughtful response to my write-up. We both may be knee-jerk liberals but we obviously had dissimilar military experiences. I...more
Oct 12, 2010 09:09pm

Mar 03, 2012 Karie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: military

Having spent a lot of time interviewing veterans this book really opened my eyes to the connection, dynamics, consequences, and emotional pull and push that war and combat is to a veteran. Junger describes things so well and in a way that only a person who has been through combat can relate but as the reader you almost feel as though you get it, but then again you really can't unless you've been through it. Many a veteran has tried to explain it to me but has been at a loss for words. Junger put...more

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Jul 31, 2010 Micheal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am constantly asking myself why I am so fascinated with the detailed accounts of combat. I don't have an answer. Since I was a boy I devoured memoirs of the Vietnam experience and todays accounts of Iraq and Afghanistan draw my interest in the same manner. Having never experienced combat I still wonder how it looks, smells, sounds.... books can communicate all that, but not how it really feels. Some come close, and Jungers book comes as close as I think is possible. So close that I didn't come...more I am constantly asking myself why I am so fascinated with the detailed accounts of combat. I don't have an answer. Since I was a boy I devoured memoirs of the Vietnam experience and todays accounts of Iraq and Afghanistan draw my interest in the same manner. Having never experienced combat I still wonder how it looks, smells, sounds.... books can communicate all that, but not how it really feels. Some come close, and Jungers book comes as close as I think is possible. So close that I didn't come away stimulated and entertained, but worn out, frustrated, sad and angry. Still, it's a great book and I highly recommend it.

If you follow the headlines then you may know that the Korengal Valley, the setting in WAR, has been abandoned by US forces after five years of bloody fighting. With that in mind what is relayed in the book becomes that much more heartbreaking. The sacrifice of the young Americans, and the unknown trials of the men they're fighting becomes void of meaning and just another exercise in mans inhumanity to man. Young men growing so callous about killing, and even relishing in seeing another man blown apart is of concern. The lack of respect for property and another's way of life is troubling.

I liked the segments about the brotherhood that develops among the soldiers and Jungers analysis drawing on decades of research from many sources about how and why that occurs. The psychology and motivation of human beings at war was fascinating and enlightening

I watched the Sebastian Junger/Tim Hetherington documentary RESTREPO (a video diary of the same story) the day after I finished WAR. I was glad to have more detailed knowledge of the circumstances depicted in the film, but it only added to the uncomfortable feeling brought on by the book. I find myself questioning everything iv ever thought about the conduct of warfare.

There are incidences of honor and heroism in WAR. I respect and appreciate the volunteerism, sacrifice and courage of those who choose to fight, in the face of something I surely don't understand. (less)

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Oct 11, 2011 Mario rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The organization of the book is somewhat less than ideal and betrays that it evolved from the author's work for Vanity Fair; however, the book still reads well enough. It recounts the author's experience as an embedded reporter with a group of soldiers assigned to one of the most violent regions in the Afghanistan theater. It is this small group of men that does a good portion of the fighting involving American troops.

The book actually has a couple of different things going on. The first and mor...more The organization of the book is somewhat less than ideal and betrays that it evolved from the author's work for Vanity Fair; however, the book still reads well enough. It recounts the author's experience as an embedded reporter with a group of soldiers assigned to one of the most violent regions in the Afghanistan theater. It is this small group of men that does a good portion of the fighting involving American troops.

The book actually has a couple of different things going on. The first and more obvious is the author's account of the warfare itself: the firefights, the down time, the camaraderie among the soldiers. The author does a credible job of recounting the anxieties and fears, the acts of heroism, the boredom bordering on stir craziness, and the at times seeming randomness of it all. But, make no mistake, this isn't a thinly veiled screenplay for a summer blockbuster. The writing lets the events speak for themselves.

The second part of the book is what I found more interesting. Interspersed with the journalistic reporting are reflections by the author on what the men experience, and the strange hold war has on the men. He never mentions the term evolutionary psychology, but he touches on its themes several times. To hear it told — rather plausibly — by the author, the experience of warfare seems to strike a chord deep within the psyche of the men in combat. The bonding among men, the heroism, the swinging extremes of victory won only by the palpable threat of mortal danger, the adrenaline rush and flood of endorphins during and after battle seem to be almost overwhelming to the human animal, eclipsing any larger moral considerations or even the rest of what we might call everyday life. To the men in the thick of the fight, it's an unrepeatable experience that they find themselves strangely missing years afterwards. What they miss doesn't minimize the horror of what they've experienced, and that's what they find so strange. In some respects once the shooting starts, the soldiers have all the justification they need to continue indefinitely. The immediacy of the experience provides satisfaction enough and requires no further rationale. In some ways it creates a microcosm of life and packs more than a lifetime's worth of living into its fleeting moments. How can life afterwards compare?

The book doesn't glorify war, nor does it lament the present war. It sides neither with the hawks nor the doves. Instead, it presents the facts of the men's lives and some reflection on their experience. The result is a book that is fascinating, at times disturbing, and ultimately thought provoking.(less)

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Mar 13, 2012 Paul rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

Sebastian Junger and a cameraman spent a year, off and on, embedded with a single Army platoon at a series of mountain outposts in the Korengal Valley near the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, an area where American troops are under almost constant attack from the Taliban. I knew Junger's work from earlier books (The Perfect Story, A Death in Belmont, and Fire) so I knew approximately what I was going to get: a near total immersion in manliness, stripped to its most elementa...more

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Jun 03, 2010 Kyle, E rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This books was ok. I found it to be an enjoyable read but the jumpy narrative was a bit off putting. I kept catching myself skimming paragraphs and some things that should have been explained or pointed out were left for the reader to figure out (like a dushka) whereas, things like mortars, which are pretty simple to understand and many people know what they are, were explained in more detail.

I didn't find many of his theories very insightful as he used mostly psychological studies conducted by...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Dave marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: calibre, fiction

SUMMARY: From the author of The Perfect Storm, a gripping book about Sebastian Junger's almost-fatal year with the 2nd battalion of the American Army.They were known as "The Rock." For one year, in 2007-2008, Sebastian Junger accompanied a single platoon of thirty men from the storied 2nd battalion of the U.S. Army, as they fought their way through a remote valley in Eastern Afghanistan. Over the course of five trips, Junger was in more firefights than he can count, men he knew were killed or wo...more SUMMARY: From the author of The Perfect Storm, a gripping book about Sebastian Junger's almost-fatal year with the 2nd battalion of the American Army.They were known as "The Rock." For one year, in 2007-2008, Sebastian Junger accompanied a single platoon of thirty men from the storied 2nd battalion of the U.S. Army, as they fought their way through a remote valley in Eastern Afghanistan. Over the course of five trips, Junger was in more firefights than he can count, men he knew were killed or wounded, and he himself was almost killed. His relationship with these soldiers grew so close that they considered him part of the platoon, and he enjoyed an access and a candidness that few, if any, journalists ever attain.War is a narrative about combat: the fear of dying, the trauma of killing and the love between platoon-mates who would rather die than let each other down.Gripping, honest, intense, War explores the neurological, psychological and social elements of combat, and the incredible bonds that form between these small groups of men. This is not a book about Afghanistan or the 'War on Terror'; it is a book about the universal truth of all men, in all wars. Junger set out to answer what he thought of as the 'hand grenade question': why would a man throw himself on a hand grenade to save other men he has probably known for only a few months? The answer elusive but profound, and goes to the heart of what it means not just to be a soldier, but to be human.
SUMMARY:
From the author of The Perfect Storm, a gripping book about Sebastian Junger's almost-fatal year with the 2nd battalion of the American Army.They were known as "The Rock." For one year, in 2007-2008, Sebastian Junger accompanied a single platoon of thirty men from the storied 2nd battalion of the U.S. Army, as they fought their way through a remote valley in Eastern Afghanistan. Over the course of five trips, Junger was in more firefights than he can count, men he knew were killed or wounded, and he himself was almost killed. His relationship with these soldiers grew so close that they considered him part of the platoon, and he enjoyed an access and a candidness that few, if any, journalists ever attain.War is a narrative about combat: the fear of dying, the trauma of killing and the love between platoon-mates who would rather die than let each other down.Gripping, honest, intense, War explores the neurological, psychological and social elements of combat, and the incredible bonds that form between these small groups of men. This is not a book about Afghanistan or the 'War on Terror'; it is a book about the universal truth of all men, in all wars. Junger set out to answer what he thought of as the 'hand grenade question': why would a man throw himself on a hand grenade to save other men he has probably known for only a few months? The answer elusive but profound, and goes to the heart of what it means not just to be a soldier, but to be human.(less)

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Aug 03, 2011 Bruce added it

Sebastian Junger was the author of "The Perfect Storm" which is the true story of a fishing vessel being lost at sea in a gigantic storm. It was later adapted in a movie. This time Junger makes five trips to Afghanistan to live and go on missions with the Battle Company over a period of 18 months (the length of their tour of duty). Battle Company was stationed at the hottest spot in Afghanistan. 50% of all casualties experience during that time was in this location. It is an amazing book. Probab...more

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Jun 16, 2010 Bookmarks Magazine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: july-aug-2010

In his harrowing portrait of U.S. soldiers abroad, Junger doesn't discuss the theoretical nature of war or analyze current congressional policies. Instead, Junger's goal is to get at war's gory, brutal essence as experienced by "grunts" and to examine the nature of courage. He describes the grunts' diversions and deprivations so convincingly that readers become immersed in their world, and his searing exploration of the soldiers' thoughts and emotions elevates War above the genre. Critics praise...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Alex Kawamoto rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book by Sebastian Junger is a very good book. I enjoyed reading it. This book War is all about a journalist that goes into war with the Second Platoon of Battle Company in Afghanistan. He follows them for a 15 month tour in the Korengal Valley. He talks all about the men in the platoon and what they are experiencing. He gives us details about war that we would never think about. He really explains the courage, honor, and trust among the troops. He makes the reader feel what it means to be a...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Henri Moreaux rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nf_military-war, non-fiction, middle-east, nf_mid-east-wars

Sebastian Junger's War is a depiction of the lives of a group of men in the US military, specifically, 2nd Platoon, Battle Company of 173rd Airborne Brigade and their subsequent deployment to the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan. This a sliver of valley at the base of the desolate, rough and unforgiving Hindu Kush mountains.

The books focus is mainly on the men of Battle Company and not the larger war effort in greater Afghanistan. It paints a picture that the men don't really care one way...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Joel Margolese rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a must read for anyone who supports the role of the US in foreign wars, opposes it, or has no strong opinion. Junger offers a clear eyed report on what it's like to live in a remote outpost at the most violent of the war in Afghanistan. What makes his reporting so important is that he spends no time assessing the rightness or wrongness of the cause or why this outpost exists and he offers no opinions on whether the US military's strategy and troop levels are appropriate. (Well, he commen...more This is a must read for anyone who supports the role of the US in foreign wars, opposes it, or has no strong opinion. Junger offers a clear eyed report on what it's like to live in a remote outpost at the most violent of the war in Afghanistan. What makes his reporting so important is that he spends no time assessing the rightness or wrongness of the cause or why this outpost exists and he offers no opinions on whether the US military's strategy and troop levels are appropriate. (Well, he comments on these at the end, but only raises the issues, doesn't attempt to delve into them.)

The power in this book comes from his understanding of the soldiers. Why they do what they do. How miserable it is here (and in so many other combat situations), but in the end, the worst damage to the soldiers is that they can't "go home". When they leave the boredom, rush, excitement and camaraderie of their platoon, home cannot compete. It's the real Catch-22. You'd only go back if you were crazy, but you want to go back anyways, but are sane enough not to. Thoughout the book, Junger includes some terrific insights into what makes a warrior, how normal they are and how little they care about the broader political goals.

Tellingly, he reports that there is virtually no patriotic bluster outside the rear-bases. The true fighting soldiers have no time nor interest. To me, this strikes to the heart of our current national crush on the military. These soldiers came to the Army from a variety of backgrounds, criminal, to bored to tradition. But they are uniformly not there to be "heroes", a much overused designation. Some of their actions are amazingly heroic. But they are a result of (not in any particular order) training, unit cohesion, circumstance and physical and mental strength. And the term most definitely (in this reading) doesn't apply to rear-area support troops, who play a vital role, but it's a job, not heroism.

With the lose of the military draft, we've lost the link that comes from all segments of society serving in the military. And with this loss, fighting is for most of us, removed from our everyday understanding, outsourced as it were. This is the only reason Americans have tolerated a decade of war in Afghanistan with no discernible point or end goal. Junger's book is one, important step in reminding us of the costs of war.

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Dec 16, 2012 Dylan Leigh rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was okay but it wasn't one of my favorites. It had a lot of boring parts in it but some was exciting. I liked when it talked about the fights they were in during the war. It talked a lot about the people in the it self and how they got along it war and how they lose a lot of the people they grow close to. It also shows how everyone gives up everything to protect eachother and they are all there for eachother. Another thing is it says how there are little wars in side the war. They are...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Gretchen Dennison rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

This exceptional book is a raw, brilliant and honest narrative of Sebastian Junger's experiences as an embedded journalist (over a total of 15 war-time months) in Afghanistan. His compelling observations impart profound insights into the human causes and consequences of combat. Reading it is deeply affecting, provocative, and revelatory. He exposes the seductive sides of intensive wartime hostilities--particularly the enveloping brotherhood that results from and sustains them. He observes as wel...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

Junger has made a name for himself with nonfiction books like The Perfect Storm and A Death in Belmont (both great books). His intimate writing style sucks his readers into the worlds he writes about and his latest book, War, is no exception. Junger spent 15-months following a single platoon during their time in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. He chronicles his time there, including the soldiers he meets, the obstacles they face and the even greater problems they have once the battle in over.

The...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Roger rated it 5 of 5 stars

Make sure you have plenty of time ahead of you when you start this book, because you'll probably find yourself reading it through in one sitting.

This may well go down as one of the best books written about war.

Sebastan Junger, probably best known as the writer of the book The Perfect Storm, spent twelve months "embedded" with a company of US Military in a remote valley in Afghanistan.

During his time there, he grew to know and like several of the soldiers he met, spent time with them on patrol, i...more

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Jun 06, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: current-history, read-2012

At times, War was so exciting, or funny, or poignant that I had to tell myself to stop enjoying it so much because it wasn't fiction. I guess in a lot of ways, that's the lesson to be learned here: that war is really, really wrong, but it sure is a rush.

Sebastian Junger is a very skilled writer. War is a bit of a hodge-podge of a book. There's some on-the-scene narrative, there's some after-the-fact reporting, and there's even some social science. Normally that would be a big mess. Maybe it is a...more

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May 27, 2012 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sebastian Junger's book War reads like a fiction story that was difficult to put down. It made me laugh out loud, cry, shake my head and took me through various other emotions that I would not have expected from this book. Junger explain his themes (e.g., fear, camaraderie, group cohesion, love) both through his experiences with the soldiers and then through insightful and relevant research studies. This book was very well written as far as staying as objective as possible without overt bias or...more

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May 19, 2012 Sean McLachlan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: military-history

Junger, more famous for his book The Perfect Storm, was an embedded reporter for several long stays over the course of fifteen months with a platoon at a remote outpost in Afghanistan. His close-up look at the boys/men of the platoon and the gritty reality of their war makes this one of the best books on modern armed conflict I've read.

His view of the soldiers is sympathetic but not blind to individual flaws. His main focus is on how these soldiers hold up under stress, and how a bond is forged...more

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May 06, 2012 Christopher rated it 4 of 5 stars

Having read quite a few books on Afghanistan, from A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush (Picador Books), The Places In Between to Roberts Ridge: A Story of Courage and Sacrifice on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan, I was looking forward to a new perspective on the war.

Written by a long served journalist and the writer of the excellent The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Man Against the Sea, I expected a well researched, clear account of his one year embedded with the army on the front line of the war i...more Having read quite a few books on Afghanistan, from A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush (Picador Books), The Places In Between to Roberts Ridge: A Story of Courage and Sacrifice on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan, I was looking forward to a new perspective on the war.

Written by a long served journalist and the writer of the excellent The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Man Against the Sea, I expected a well researched, clear account of his one year embedded with the army on the front line of the war in Afghanistan.

Whilst the author does convey some of the chaos, bravery and fear his narrative jumps from one subject to the next with little reason. One particularly frustrating example is when he describes the build up to a daring ambush, with the soldiers hiding just outside a village overnight and throughout a scorching day only to drop the story with no explanation, instead talking about another base and forgetting to return to complete the story of the ambush.

This occurs throughout, with explanations of everything from the biological effects of an adrenalin rush to the weight each individual in the platoon can carry interrupting stories of contacts and no further mention being made of the story interrupted.

The author is good, however, at explaining some of the mechanics of war such as the ever present "Prophet" network, which constantly listens in to the enemy chattter and provides up to the second intelligence to the soldiers on the ground.

It is also an interesting contrast between the American and British experience in a modern war. (Ranging from differnet logistical and equipment support to a constant need to make a brew rather than smoke a ciggie).

One question I have often thought whilst reading a journalist's description of war was answered, as Mr Junger described the many occasions he was offered a gun. It must have been absolutely terrifying to be under the threat of being overrun by the Taleban with nothing more than a sharp pencil to defend yourself.

Overall, I didn't feel that the book gave the best view of modern warfare - books such as Dusty Warriors: Modern Soldiers at War or Sniper One: The Blistering True Story of a British Battle Group Under Siege do that job better, but for a reasonably unbiased (not in the sense of pro or anti US) look at the incredible job the soldiers undertake on our behalf on the front line, this fits the bill. (less)

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Apr 25, 2012 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sebastian Junger authored this excellent treatment of platoon life in the forward spear of the Afghanistan conflict. He visits and lives with the soldiers during their 15 month tour in a remote outpost in a series of 5 visits, one a continuous month. The Korengal Valley is only about 6 miles long, but in tortuous terrain. The time is just after the disaster cited by Lone Survivor.

The establishment of the forward bases in this valley is said by some to be in response to the special forces deaths...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Sebastian Power rated it 5 of 5 stars

I recently finished reading the book War by Sebastian Junger. I really enjoyed this book and I think he wrote this to help clear up the misconceptions that we have about war. As a 16 year old studnet from a small twon school i don't really know what war is like and what the long term effect of being in a war can be like.

In this book some themes are brotherhood and the basic survival instencts and over all the real emotional toll fighting a war can take on you. In the book we follow a group of me...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Nora rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

This book was not about the politics of war or the many bloody battles that we have come to expect. Junger divided his account into three sections; fear, killing and love. Book 1 - FEAR - What surprised me in this section was that the men did not fear dying so much as of loosing their comrades or what they will do when the war ends. Will they survive the normal life where you aren't hyped up on adrenaline waiting for the worst to happen? What kind of job will be best suited for them? Book 2 - KI...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Ensiform rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, war

The author, a journalist, was embedded with an Army platoon in the Korengal Valley, one of the most dangerous spots in Afghanistan, off and on for just over a year. He lives among and interviews the soldiers, who are a rough, unkempt lot, living in high stress, acting out in larger than life ways, and seeming to crave the occasional firefight as a release from that stress.

In this combat-heavy environment, Junger explores how the hell that is modern combat, despite all its terrors, can simplify t...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Wynne Kontos rated it 3 of 5 stars

The two most striking aspects of this book are the fact that what is described is still considered "modern" warfare, and that Junger and his fellow journalist were willing to place themselves on the battlefield in order to capture this experience. The fellow journalist whose name escapes me now, was tragically killed on assignment earlier this year. Which proves that the type of journalism he and Junger were doing. Placed on the ground in one of the most dangerous battlefields in the Middle East...more

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Aug 13, 2011 Kater Cheek rated it 4 of 5 stars

I bought this book on spec, mostly because of the strength of Junger's other book THE PERFECT STORM, the book by which all other maritime disaster accounts are held up to (and usually found lacking). In WAR, Junger takes on the war in Afghanistan. He follows a platoon for fifteen months into firefights, in summer and winter, and even home on leave. It reminded me most of the film THE HURT LOCKER, and if you prefer watching your documentaries rather than reading them, Junger has made a film calle...more I bought this book on spec, mostly because of the strength of Junger's other book THE PERFECT STORM, the book by which all other maritime disaster accounts are held up to (and usually found lacking). In WAR, Junger takes on the war in Afghanistan. He follows a platoon for fifteen months into firefights, in summer and winter, and even home on leave. It reminded me most of the film THE HURT LOCKER, and if you prefer watching your documentaries rather than reading them, Junger has made a film called RESTREPO based off the material gathered for this book.

The strength of this book is in Junger's exhaustive research. He doesn't just follow the men and talk about their firefights, he talks about everything physiologically and psychologically related to the firefights. He talks about the effects on the body of adrenaline, what happpens to your body when your pulse rate gets to high levels, for example. He talks about army research into what makes a good soldier and what makes a poor one. He even touches on the history of warfare. He talks about how radically machine guns changed war, and how the courage in warfare is a uniquely human trait.

In addition to the factual research, Junger follows the stories of these men's lives at Restrepo, about the firefights they get in, the ambushes they plan, and the lengths they go to to entertain themselves when there's no one to shoot at (some of these are hilarious.)

The actual combat descriptions were the aspect of the book that I found most frustrating. On occasion, Junger left out pieces of the story. When describing an ambush, I couldn't figure out how the terrain was laid out and what their actions were. I reread it more than once and found that I still couldn't understand what was going on. On another occasion, he described being part of a patrol that snuck in under cover of darkness, hid all day, and then attacked at night. Except that before he got to the attack part, he went off on a discussion of something factual. If an author starts out with the story of star-crossed lovers in fair Verona who are planning to elope, then breaks off to tell us about the history of Verona, that's fine, but when he goes back to the story, I want it to pick up where it left off. I understand that the book is about war, not about this particular platoon, but a story wants a resolution. When he introduced a dangerous mission, and talked about their objectives, I wanted to know (clearly) what happened. Maybe there was a good reason for that. Maybe having too many action scenes would bring this book further from science and more into sensationalism. I still found it frustrating to hear the beginning of an exciting story about people I cared about, and then never get the middle or the end.

I like Junger's writing style, and I appreciate that he went to such great lengths to give an in-depth reporting of a life that I would never be allowed to see first hand. This book didn't blow me away like THE PERFECT STORM did, but it's still interesting and worth reading. I recommend it for people who are interested in science (especially psychology and sociology) for people who are interested in Afghanistan, and for people who like to read about war.

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War

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War > Military

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Sociology

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Military > Military History

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Autobiography > Memoir

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About Sebastian Junger

Sebastian Junger is an American author and journalist. He graduated from Concord Academy in 1980 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University in cultural anthropology in 1984. He received a National Magazine Award in 2000 for "The Forensics of War," published in Vanity Fair in 1999. In 1997, with the publication of his work, The Perfect Storm, he was touted as the new Hemingway,...more

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Books by Sebastian Junger

The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea

Storm: Stories of Survival from Land, Sea and Sky

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Quotes from War

“The Army might screw you and your girlfriend might dump you and the enemy might kill you, but the shared commitment to safeguard one another’s lives is unnegotiable and only deepens with time. The willingness to die for another person is a form of love that even religions fail to inspire, and the experience of it changes a person profoundly.” — 18 people liked it

“War is a lot of things and it's useless to pretend that exciting isn't one of them. (pg. 144)” — 12 people liked it

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