Mike Suggests: WAR by Sebastian Junger

WAR by Sebastian Junger

I've read a few books on first-hand war perspectives, as well as historical perspectives of war, but never have had a book relate the effects of war and battle on the minds & bodies of its participants with such honesty, compassion, and authority. I was speechless after finishing the book, because Junger did such a fantastic job of laying out the truth that once you've been a long-time participant in battle, nothing in life is ever quite the same. The extremes of emotion and physical exertion that the front-line fighters in the mountains of Afghanistan subject themselves make it difficult, if not impossible, to imagine yourself in their place--especially when reading about it from the comfort of your home.

The digital book has caused garnered quite a bit of notice as well, because it's representative of what may be the next big thing in ebooks--imagine reading the narrative of a battle and then being able to see video of a .50 caliber gunner laying down fire from the same battle. Definitely the experience I would like to have, of multimedia integration within the text.

Expect the accompanying documentary, Restrepo, to be just as good as Junger's "WAR".