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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
Junger's writing, as always, has a kind of raw energy and emotionality that, somehow, feels perfectly placed in this book. He captures something of every human experiences in the midst of telling us a story about an particular outpost and a specific group of soldiers.
There is no "moral" to this story. He doesn't write to help us decide something. He lets us in and gives us room to ask any question we'd like.
Next to the column he wrote to honor Tim Hetherington (Vanity Fair; April 2011), this is my favorite piece of Junger's writing.
There is no "moral" to this story. He doesn't write to help us decide something. He lets us in and gives us room to ask any question we'd like.
Next to the column he wrote to honor Tim Hetherington (Vanity Fair; April 2011), this is my favorite piece of Junger's writing.
(Listend to audio book)
I really enjoyed this book. Not too long (about 8 hours listen) and give you an idea of what it is like to be a young man in the US army in Afghanistan. Junger follows a single platoon over a 15 month deployment in a small isolated output in Afghanistan. He brings characters and events to life. You the sense of how boring things can be, how combat can be less stressful than waiting for something to happen. Junger explores what motivates young men to fight and sacrifice.
My most memorable takeaway from this book was when Junger was describing how the sheer one sidedness of firepower of the US military could be reassuring but also absurd.
“Each Javelin round costs $80,000, and the idea that it's fired by a guy who doesn't make that in a year at a guy who doesn't make that in a lifetime is somehow so outrageous it almost makes the war seem winnable.”
I really enjoyed this book. Not too long (about 8 hours listen) and give you an idea of what it is like to be a young man in the US army in Afghanistan. Junger follows a single platoon over a 15 month deployment in a small isolated output in Afghanistan. He brings characters and events to life. You the sense of how boring things can be, how combat can be less stressful than waiting for something to happen. Junger explores what motivates young men to fight and sacrifice.
My most memorable takeaway from this book was when Junger was describing how the sheer one sidedness of firepower of the US military could be reassuring but also absurd.
“Each Javelin round costs $80,000, and the idea that it's fired by a guy who doesn't make that in a year at a guy who doesn't make that in a lifetime is somehow so outrageous it almost makes the war seem winnable.”
Devoured this in three sittings, and the first two don't really count.
Written in Junger's singularly compelling style, this is a must read for anybody attempting to understand the war in Afghanistan from the perspective of the people doing the fighting and the dying.
A fantastic read. A fantastic story about fantastic people.
Written in Junger's singularly compelling style, this is a must read for anybody attempting to understand the war in Afghanistan from the perspective of the people doing the fighting and the dying.
A fantastic read. A fantastic story about fantastic people.
Extremely well put together. Sebastian captures the essence of these men, the terrain, and their mission during their tumultuous tour in Afghanistan’s “Valley of Death”
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
War is well written and informative look at relatively recent U.S. activities in the Korengal Valley area of Afghanistan. Junger was an embedded journalist with a platoon at forward operating bases where conditions are brutal from a climate and terrain perspective. This area was among the most contested areas where firefights and snipers were frequent and deadly. Junger did a fantastic job capturing the fellowship of a platoon where guys will die for each other but may not like each other. Junger fills in the gap with relevant research related to individual war psychology. The difficulty of the missions and the overall anti-insurgent campaigns was conveyed by the fact that there is no real finality to winning but rather incremental progress potentially achieved. Junger especially did a nice job explaining how soldiers struggle coming back because there is nothing like the adrenaline rush of every action literally impacting life or death that thankfully cannot be duplicated upon returning home. Recommended for readers who want to better understand what U.S. soldiers were doing in these remote areas in modern warfare.
Hands down the best book I've read in years. If you have ever wondered why there always has been and always will be war, check out this book for a succinct and insightful explanation.
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
This was a hard one to read but definitely sheds some light on struggles within the conflict in Afghanistan