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WAR  By  cover art

WAR

By: Sebastian Junger
Narrated by: Sebastian Junger
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Editorial reviews

In listening to Sebastian Junger read War, the book he both experienced and wrote, you will periodically find yourself standing or sitting stock-still while the powerful narrative sinks in. Junger does not pull any punches in his writing, and his reading carries with it the anxiety and the pure fear he experienced embedded on five occasions with U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. This six-mile long valley "the Afghanistan of Afghanistan”, according to Junger has sustained 70% of all U.S. bombing in Afghanistan. Junger’s respect for the soldiers of U.S. Army’s 2nd Platoon, Battle Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade can be heard as he contrasts the jocularity of the men (the platoon was all male) and periods of stultifying boredom with the split-second responses every soldier maintains to react to snipers, ambushes, and IED attacks.

Junger tells of the bravado and the extraordinary human connection to one another the soldiers display. Each soldier and even Junger knows that the next instant might bring death. That knowledge is ever-present as Junger describes surprise attacks by Taliban and on Taliban with vivid intensity.

Junger’s reading lets you join in on the soldiers’ humor that strengthens bonds and, for the moment, relieves the reality of life in one of the world’s most unforgiving terrains, even without a vicious enemy potentially lurking behind the next boulder. His tone captures the men’s loneliness and the existential angst inevitably affecting them all until the next firefight comes as most of them do, in an instant and seldom with warning.

Listeners will enjoy Junger’s description of the physically huge soldier, Vandenberg, who has his fellow soldiers in awe of his sheer bulk and strength. Vandenberg is a source of good-humored testing and honest admiration, and you can hear the catch in Junger’s voice as he tells of Vandenberg’s nearly fatal wound and the tenderness with which the soldier reached from the cot where he lay to grab the hand of his also severely wounded buddy, while both waited to be helicoptered away for more intensive medical care.

Junger describes the brutality of war experienced by young American soldiers and shares examples of bravery and camaraderie that occur on almost a daily basis amidst deprivations unimaginable to civilians which will make you want to stop every person in military uniform to thank them for their service. You’ll also want to thank Sebastian Junger for writing War and— most especially for reading it with honesty and compassion. Carole Chouinard

Publisher's summary

In his breakout best seller, 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 situation whose survival depends on their absolute commitment to one another.

His on-the-ground account follows a single platoon through a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. Through the experiences of these young men at war, he shows what it means to fight, to serve, and to face down mortal danger on a daily basis.

©2010 Sebastian Junger (P)2010 Hachette

Critic reviews

"Junger mixes visceral combat scenes-raptly aware of his own fear and exhaustion-with quieter reportage and insightful discussions of the physiology, social psychology, and even genetics of soldiering. The result is an unforgettable portrait of men under fire." ( Publishers Weekly)

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Day-to-Day Insights

Sabastian Junger, who also authored "The Perfect Storm," reports in this volume his observations while being embedded with US troups in Afghanistan. He spent five one-month periods there and reports what he saw. This book is an apolitical approach to explaining what conditions and experiences were like for men in the "remotest of outposts" in the war.

This book will disappoint some who are expecting a description of hand-to-hand combat. It is more detached than that. Yet, it reveals the behavior of the troups and places that behavior in context. Digressions into ballistics, passages about particular weapons, tedium and monotony, lack of entertainment and other issues are very insightful. Junger is not unsympathic or uncaring about the men around him, but rather explains what is taking place. To that end, he has done all tax payers a great service.

The book is written very well. Junger reads his own text which is an education in itself. A bonus, comes at the end of the audio book where he first provides acknowlegdements and then when he is interviewed. Don't miss those parts of the audio book.

War may not change your mind about US military involvement, but it will certainly help you better understand what it is all about.

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Another Winner for Junger

I read "The Perfect Storm" and " A Death in Belmont" prior to listening to "War". In fact, I've read "Storm" three times over the years. Junger's prose is straightforward and powerful. He lets the images and the stories speak for themselves and does not impart partisanship or rhetoric. In "War", he does not pass judgement on whether the war in Iraq is justified or not. He creates portraits of individual soldiers who form a life and death bond with one another. This is another one of Junger's workds that I will listen to again

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Even better than the documentary

Amazing! Have no illusions about the horrors of war, yet still curious how I would handle it, this give you a miniscule amount of insight into what combat is like.

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Makes you wonder why

WAR -- Its title alone defines my headline. War -- why, and especially why a war in such a godforsaken place where it seems most of the people there hate Americans. Sadly, not unlike Vietnam, where my husband spent way too much time. The narrator / author gives an insight with words that movies can't begin to show with all their action and noise. A must read and I will end here or not have the review published I fear. 1/21/19

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nice snap shot

love when he talks about when you know your being shot at. not necessarily as clear cut as you'd think.

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Devastating for everyone

Devastating the lives of those who serve and for those who defend their homeland .
Give peace a chance . Get them out of there . Don't send any more . Please !!

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War

Author and book are very easy to listen to and provide a different view of the war the World is going through now.

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Best War Correspondence Book Available

Sebastian Junger provides firsthand accounts in astonishing detail. His delivery is also phenomenal. Buyer beware: this audiobook is not for the faint of heart!

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This Book Is Amazing

It's Sebastian Junger's account of his time spent embedded with US Army Infantry soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. It's a great read and it's completely free of politics and opinion. This us journalistic perfection. Junger writes what he experiences and observes. I 100% recommend watching his documentaries "KORENGAL" and "RESTREPO". Because these actually show you what here merely writes about here. RIP Tim Heatherington.

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Amazingly written and presented

One of my favorite books of all time. Hearing the author read it made it all the more real and captivating!

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