War

Starred review from March 15, 2010
War is insanely exciting.... Don't underestimate the power of that revelation,” warns bestselling author and Vanity Fair
contributing editor Junger (The Perfect Storm
). The war in Afghanistan contains brutal trauma but also transcendent purpose in this riveting combat narrative. Junger spent 14 months in 2007–2008 intermittently embedded with a platoon of the 173rd Airborne brigade in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, one of the bloodiest corners of the conflict. The soldiers are a scruffy, warped lot, with unkempt uniforms—they sometimes do battle in shorts and flip-flops—and a ritual of administering friendly beatings to new arrivals, but Junger finds them to be superlative soldiers. Junger experiences everything they do—nerve-racking patrols, terrifying roadside bombings and ambushes, stultifying weeks in camp when they long for a firefight to relieve the tedium. Despite the stress and the grief when buddies die, the author finds war to be something of an exalted state: soldiers experience an almost sexual thrill in the excitement of a firefight—a response Junger struggles to understand—and a profound sense of commitment to subordinating their self-interests to the good of the unit. 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.

August 30, 2010
Junger delivers a closeup examination of the American war in Afghanistan during his travels with the military, often on the frontlines. The choice for Junger to read stems from his firsthand knowledge (and the implicit belief he can convey that orally). However, his slightly nasal tone and drab delivery make the audiobook unimpressive. He lacks the emphasis and energy to do his prose justice, thus, despite an awe-inspiring text, his narration might leave listeners bored or uninterested. A Twelve hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 15).