WAR

By: Sebastian Junger

Narrated by: Sebastian Junger

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©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)

Best War Book

This is truly a great book and the best I have read about modern warfare. It brings a personal perspective to war.

Required Reading on Afghanistan

While I'm sure this book doesn't tell the whole story of Afghanistan and the war we're fighting there, it did help me to find out what was going on in one of the hot spots of that war. I listened to this after listening to Matterhorn, an excellent novel about Vietnam, and the contrasts and comparisons between the wars is very interesting. Based on these two books Vietnam seems tame compared to fighting the Taliban.

Thank you Seb.

this book captured the raw emotions unlike anything that I have ever heard I think the world could stand to learn a lot by shutting up and listening to Sebastian Junger/narrator talk about war And the emotions and how men and women in the armed services are taught to deal with those emotions during chaotic catastrophic tragic and unavoidable wars. love from 🇺🇸

A fantastic telling of the realities of modern war

As an initial outsider to the realities of modern war faced by our soldiers, Junger does well to explain their daily lives and attitudes towards war and the progression thereof over time. A fantastic book with great insight.

Getting it right!

I first learned of author Sebastian Junger when I watched Restrepo in my home while stationed overseas in 2010 but I didn’t know it at the time. Years later, my boss had loaned me his copy of Tribe by Sebastian Junger after a long conversation we had had concerning Iraq, Afghanistan, and PTSD. Funny, I was stationed overseas again at this time. I did a lot of traveling so I took that book with me on a flight. I could not stop reading that book. I took photos, notes and made commentary about it all because I wanted to capture this amazing work and share it with my Marines. In he Marine Corps I believe the statistic goes there is only one and four who have been on a combat deployment ISO A combat deployment.

When I finally returned to the United States in the summer of 2017, I wanted a book. I went to my list of books and there was WAR by Sebastian Junger waiting for me to select it. He had mentioned it in Tribe so I added it to my list.

This book captures what I have lived with my exposure to War spanning three deployments between Iraq and Afghanistan. I love this book because Sebastian Junger captures and communicates what I have felt for many years since 2003 and could never formulate words to express them. The general theme and insight is amazing. I look forward to reading more of his books. Semper Fi!

Powerful

The author/narrator walks point for readers and listeners in an incredible detailed reality of what our troops…American paratroopers…lived through in a war that defied both winning and losing. In the end the prize turns out to be a clear definition of brotherhood, and what that really means to young men dedicated to one another in the worst of survival conditions. A salute to Junger for serving his fellow man by experiencing and reporting this important work. He’s not an armchair quarterback, he’s one of the guys.

Amazing throughout

I loved every bit of Junger's experience with second platoon in Afghanistan. Very personal, very effective.

Truly amazing

Want to know why we do it, want to know why we risk it all and the psychology behind it? Read this book!!!! ...seriously.

Brilliant

This is a very wise book that everyone should read. Junger is a great writer and wonderful narrator.

A must read!

The Perfect Storm was an inspiration for me to join the merchant marine and start a life at sea. Not that I ever wanted (or want) to see a storm of that magnitude but I was fascinated by the science and adventure of life upon the ocean. 15 years later I am a licensed captain of large ships and continue to be fascinated by the ocean... but not by war.

Wars fought on land never interested me so I was, at first, reluctant to purchase this book but, considering the source, I gave it a try and was hooked from the first chapter. This is the story of the real battle on the front line of terrorism. Not the fox news version of the story but the hard faced reality of life on the front line of hell.

This book is Journalism at it's finest, a rare window into the hard reality of modern combat.