War
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Review
‘An incredible work of frontline journalism’ Independent, Books of the Year
‘In his acute observations of soldiers both in battle and at rest, Junger paints a vivid and realistic portrait of the fighting in Afghanistan, often bitterly funny and desperately sad.’ Patrick Hennessey, Literary Review
‘The bloodiest and most compelling book you are ever likely to read on the enduring carnage in Afghanistan’ The Times
‘One of the best books about war you will ever read. Beautifully written in unshowy prose and thoughtful, honest and profound. A masterpiece of the genre.’ Mail on Sunday
‘An intense account…Junger uses his documentary skills to ask his comrades tough questions about killing, dying, loyalty and friendship. The result is a book not just about war, but about the limits of courage and, yes, love under pressure.’ Guardian
‘Absorbing and original…Junger has found a novel and interesting lens through which to view the conflict in Afghanistan, and he captures many things a lesser writer might miss.’ New York Times
‘It takes a very good book to carry off a title as portentous as ‘War”, and Sebastian Junger has written one…An outstanding war report: a precise and gripping account of some of the fiercest battles involving American soldiers in recent times.’ The Economist
Product Description
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.
For 15 months, Sebastian Junger accompanied a single platoon of thirty men from the celebrated 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 could 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.
But this is more than just 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 is elusive but profound, and goes to the heart of what it means not just to be a soldier, but to be human.
‘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, it explores the neurological, psychological and social elements of combat, and the incredible bonds that form between these small groups of men.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
When you pick up a book called "War" it's pretty obvious from the outset what you're going to get: a diary style account of the Afghanistan War as seen through the eyes of Sebastian Junger, a journalist who spent 15 months with a platoon in the bloody Korengal Valley whilst on an assignment for Vanity Fair magazine. As you would expect, Junger depicts the brutality of war, filled with gunfights, explosions and ultimately death, but "War" is so much more than a book about the violence humans can inflict upon one another in what can from the outside appear to be a pointless battle. It is also a book about the nature of humans and the relationships that men form in such extreme circumstances.
The men of 173rd Airborne are clearly distinguished by Junger with their individual personalities and varyingly dishevelled appearances, but what really stood out for me was the complete honour and trust they all placed in one another. If one man makes a mistake, he doesn't just put his own life at risk, but the lives of the entire platoon, and it is this bond and reliance on each other that makes the book so interesting. On top of this, Junger also delves into the lives of the men when they go home on leave, and how their mental state is affected by everything they've been through. It's not an easy thing to read about, but it's important that people are made aware of how these men can never truly leave the war behind.
"War" is an amazing read - exciting, terrifying, humbling, devastating. There are many words that could be used to describe this book but I'll summarise in just two: "read it".
The men of 173rd Airborne are clearly distinguished by Junger with their individual personalities and varyingly dishevelled appearances, but what really stood out for me was the complete honour and trust they all placed in one another. If one man makes a mistake, he doesn't just put his own life at risk, but the lives of the entire platoon, and it is this bond and reliance on each other that makes the book so interesting. On top of this, Junger also delves into the lives of the men when they go home on leave, and how their mental state is affected by everything they've been through. It's not an easy thing to read about, but it's important that people are made aware of how these men can never truly leave the war behind.
"War" is an amazing read - exciting, terrifying, humbling, devastating. There are many words that could be used to describe this book but I'll summarise in just two: "read it".
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
WAR
by Sebastian Junger
Book Review by Jay Gilbertson
For over fifteen months author Junger (a Vanity Fair contributing editor) shadowed a single American army platoon in and around the Korengal Valley located deep in a remote part of Afghanistan. This is NOT an easy read, but one of the most compelling accounts of something most of us know very little about. This is not the kind of information you will ever see or hear in the media--this is what it's really like out there--and it's not what you think.
It's worse.
"The core psychological experiences of war are so primal and unadulterated, however, that they eclipse subtler feelings, like sorrow or remorse, that can gut you quietly for years."
Junger lives the life of combat in an area so humanly unfriendly it's often hard to read; let alone imagine. For the entire duration of their tour there is no running water, no cooked food, no women or booze or internet. Their time is filled with constant stress so palpable it will change them forever. How could it not?
This is not a diary, nor is it a case-study of how a soldier lives, nor is it in any way political; it's a collection of brutal experiences. From intense gun-fire and grenade tossing and road bombs that tear up young men beyond recognition to a myriad of horrible injuries and death all tied to the fact that this particular platoon fights as one unit.
That theme is what powers this entire piece. This group of incredibly well-trained men would rather die themselves than be the cause of any other soldier's demise. There's a little known practice called blood-in and blood out to cement this into each and every soldiers psyche and to break the boredom.
"...you got beat on your birthday, you got beat before you left the platoon--on leave, say--and you got beat when you came back. The only way to leave Second Platoon without a beating was to get shot."
One of the more interesting (as well as frustrating) techniques that Junger weaves into his narrative is the reference to many old studies on the behavior of men in combat, as well as current-day neurological research and psychological studies. These commercial-like inserts are on subjects as varied as the biological effects of an adrenaline rush to the weight each individual can carry and though they perhaps serve some fact-checking purpose, they drove me a little crazy. You can appreciate the validity of peppering a difficult subject as war with facts that explain human reactions but I couldn't help but wonder if Junger was in need of `fill.'
The sad truth that Junger drives home is that no matter what side you're on, no matter what you're fighting for; oil, land, honor, revenge, religion--fill in the blank--no one seems to win.
After reading WAR it's clear to me that once a soldier returns home, there is a part of that soldier--that never returns home.
by Sebastian Junger
Book Review by Jay Gilbertson
For over fifteen months author Junger (a Vanity Fair contributing editor) shadowed a single American army platoon in and around the Korengal Valley located deep in a remote part of Afghanistan. This is NOT an easy read, but one of the most compelling accounts of something most of us know very little about. This is not the kind of information you will ever see or hear in the media--this is what it's really like out there--and it's not what you think.
It's worse.
"The core psychological experiences of war are so primal and unadulterated, however, that they eclipse subtler feelings, like sorrow or remorse, that can gut you quietly for years."
Junger lives the life of combat in an area so humanly unfriendly it's often hard to read; let alone imagine. For the entire duration of their tour there is no running water, no cooked food, no women or booze or internet. Their time is filled with constant stress so palpable it will change them forever. How could it not?
This is not a diary, nor is it a case-study of how a soldier lives, nor is it in any way political; it's a collection of brutal experiences. From intense gun-fire and grenade tossing and road bombs that tear up young men beyond recognition to a myriad of horrible injuries and death all tied to the fact that this particular platoon fights as one unit.
That theme is what powers this entire piece. This group of incredibly well-trained men would rather die themselves than be the cause of any other soldier's demise. There's a little known practice called blood-in and blood out to cement this into each and every soldiers psyche and to break the boredom.
"...you got beat on your birthday, you got beat before you left the platoon--on leave, say--and you got beat when you came back. The only way to leave Second Platoon without a beating was to get shot."
One of the more interesting (as well as frustrating) techniques that Junger weaves into his narrative is the reference to many old studies on the behavior of men in combat, as well as current-day neurological research and psychological studies. These commercial-like inserts are on subjects as varied as the biological effects of an adrenaline rush to the weight each individual can carry and though they perhaps serve some fact-checking purpose, they drove me a little crazy. You can appreciate the validity of peppering a difficult subject as war with facts that explain human reactions but I couldn't help but wonder if Junger was in need of `fill.'
The sad truth that Junger drives home is that no matter what side you're on, no matter what you're fighting for; oil, land, honor, revenge, religion--fill in the blank--no one seems to win.
After reading WAR it's clear to me that once a soldier returns home, there is a part of that soldier--that never returns home.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Sebastian Junger was embedded with a US Army unit in the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan for over a year. This book is the result of that experience.
It is an interesting mixture of styles: there is the "Despatches" School of blood, profanity and squaddie philosophy; then there is a technical discussion of how the US Army wages war on the Taliban; finally, an attempt to place the experience of the men in some kind of psychological and social context. Junger resists the temptation to go too far in any direction and the result is a good book.
The soldiers are not seen as quaint or odd but as functioning as well as they may with their lives to date and their present position. Junger gives a view as to why so many die so bravely (he discusses what bravery means) and so many of the survivors suffer yet re-enlist; reminding us that unlike Vietnam these are not conscripts. There is even time to consider the motivation of the Taliban as they sit out in the hills trying to ambush the Americans.
The men in the Korengal chronicled by Junger compare well to the GIs in Vietnam chronicled by other more excitable accounts; this group come over as being much more fluent in counter-insurgency and much less "deranged"; but that maybe a function of Junger's ability to not get in the way of their story. As an account of men under fire it is in the tradition of the Great War rather than Apocalypse Now.
It is an interesting mixture of styles: there is the "Despatches" School of blood, profanity and squaddie philosophy; then there is a technical discussion of how the US Army wages war on the Taliban; finally, an attempt to place the experience of the men in some kind of psychological and social context. Junger resists the temptation to go too far in any direction and the result is a good book.
The soldiers are not seen as quaint or odd but as functioning as well as they may with their lives to date and their present position. Junger gives a view as to why so many die so bravely (he discusses what bravery means) and so many of the survivors suffer yet re-enlist; reminding us that unlike Vietnam these are not conscripts. There is even time to consider the motivation of the Taliban as they sit out in the hills trying to ambush the Americans.
The men in the Korengal chronicled by Junger compare well to the GIs in Vietnam chronicled by other more excitable accounts; this group come over as being much more fluent in counter-insurgency and much less "deranged"; but that maybe a function of Junger's ability to not get in the way of their story. As an account of men under fire it is in the tradition of the Great War rather than Apocalypse Now.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
'War' sucks you in from the first page and keeps you there right up...
'War' sucks you in from the first page and keeps you there right up until the last. Junger is not concerned in his writing with the larger picture of the war in Afghanistan,... Read more
Published 10 days ago by G. Russell
Great Read - Very thought provoking
This is one of those books I will definitely read again, I couldn't put it down once I started and at time couldn't read it fast enough. Read more
Published 17 days ago by Chris
Profound. Thought provoking. Deeply intense.
When I finished reading this book the 12th of August 2010, I lingered on the final words the author had to say to one of the soldiers he was embedded with in Aghanistan: "You got... Read more
Published 25 days ago by Cynthia Danute Cekauskas, LCSW
Profoundly moving and thought provoking; the one to read.
If you read no other book about soldiers, soldiering, the military or indeed war, read this one. In parts profoundly moving and always engrossing. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Stephen B. Peddie
Excellent-ish
I'm inclined to agree with most of the reviews but I would add a couple of reservations: Junger writes smoothly but with a sledgehammer style, as if he doesn't want us to think for... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Marty
Breath taking combat reportage
Any one who has read The Perfect Storm will know that Sebastian Junger's great skill as a writer is to prioritise the human elements of the story, thereby juxtaposing ordinary... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jeremy Persaud
Classic Junger
I've read Junger's other books 'The perfect storm' and his short article collection 'Fire' and this is a worthy complement to those other hemingway-esque books of men doing a... Read more
Published 8 months ago by sam
WAR
War means tear to thousands of mothers eyes
When their sons go off to fight and lose their lives
I said
War, huh good God y'all
What is it good for? Read more
When their sons go off to fight and lose their lives
I said
War, huh good God y'all
What is it good for? Read more
Published 11 months ago by A. Clarke
war, love, life and peace
This book I find is irregular. There are a first part dealing with the description of the war of an USA Army platoon against the Talibans in a far post between Pakistan and... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Carlos Vazquez Quintana
Excellent read. Very clear, some effort at explain the behaviour...
I bought this book in the week that Tim Hetherington was killed in Misrata, Libya. Heterington was a British photojournalist who accompanied Junger on the extended assignment... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Hugh Claffey
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