This book really opened up my eyes as to why men continuously go back to battle in dangerous places. Junger examines the mental, psychological, and emotional elements of war deeper than most most other accounts. His resources were vast, from first hand accounts to in-depth health journals about evolution.
This book made me question the way I see war. I definitely still have an anti-war point of view, but my perception of the “grunts” and frontline men have definitely changed.

Down one star because the writing got confusing when going into battle scenes. But this book isn’t really about the battles. But also correlates with real life experience of battles- you never see it coming. Ok. I’m adding one star. 5/5!!

A wonderful account of war from the perspective of the soldiers, without political agenda. Junger does a wonderful job of capturing the complexities of being a soldier, from the fun, boredom, and the relationships formed. It made me much more understanding of the appeal of army and war and of the complexities of coming home. Highly informative and educational but also draws you in by making you feel attached to the men Junger talks about through out the book. I would definitely recommend it.

An interesting read, but it's no "The Things They Carried." I found myself struggling at times to connect emotionally with the story Junger was telling, particularly when there were casualties. As a journalist, though, I did like his description of what it's like to be embedded in a unit.

Very disappointing book. The focus is on Junger's experiences with a US unit in Afghanistan. Only towards the end of the book does he include some research and theories as to why war is still an option.

i read this quite a while ago. it was pretty good, but as much as i hate to say it, i think i liked the documentary better. there were just too many sections where it would spend a considerable amount of time talking about the logistics of war/military history/etc that it kind of lost my interest.

that being said, i'm really happy i read it. the documentary was better, but only because it was an EXCEPTIONAL film- so much so that i was unable to get it out of my head for several days after viewing!

“Stripped to its essence, combat is a series of quick decisions and rather precise actions carried out in concert with ten or twelve other men. In that sense it’s much more like football than, say, like a gang fight. The unit that choreographs their actions best usually wins. They might take casualties, but they win. That choreography—you lay down fire while I run forward, then I cover you while you move your team up—is so powerful that it can overcome enormous tactical deficits. There is choreography for storming Omaha Beach, for taking out a pillbox bunker, and for surviving an L-shaped ambush at night on the Gatigal. The choreography always requires that each man make decisions based not on what’s best for him, but on what’s best for the group. If everyone does that, most of the group survives. If no one does, most of the group dies. That, in essence, is combat.”― Sebastian Junger, War

This is my third book by Sebastian Junger. War describes, from a journalist's perspective, the reality of war and combat. Junger spent 15 months following a platoon at the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan.

Riveting in its descriptions of combat and the men he is shadowing, the reader learns about these men in detail, how they live and survive in such a dangerous place, what the toll of war takes in them and in how many different ways it affects them physically and psychologically. We learn about fear, trust, honor, terror, friendship, and extreme survival in horrific conditions.

An excellent read. I read War this month for obvious reasons. Lest we forget.

“The army consists of the first infantry division and eight million replacements.”
― Sebastian Junger, War

>> I do wonder if Junger is capable of writing about women in these types of situations. My only complaint is that he never mentions women in any of the books I've read, including, Tribe, The Perfect Storm, and War. He tends to thrive on masculine viewpoints as well as male group behavior and PTSD.

Powerful, educational piece of journalism by Sebastian Junger. I watched the documentary, Restrepo, in 2015, so I had some images in my mind to accompany the writing.

I spent a lot of time reading it at first, then had to put it down a while before I finished. I wish I’d read it all together as fast as possible to better remember the details about who everyone is.