War - Colton Y.

Title of the Book: WAR Author: Sebastian Junger Number of Pages: 268 Rating: ☆☆☆☆



Review:
If you are wanting to read something that: shows what it means to fight, to serve, and to face down mortal danger on a daily basis in war, then this is the book for you.

WAR from the beginning can be seen as a life-changing book. Sometimes we as individuals take for granted how much soldiers, especially in the military, do for our country, so that we can live happily at our houses and not have to worry about having a bomb or some enemy come shot you. So that's exactly why Sebastian Junger decides to go on a 13-month combat trip with the second platoon in Afghanistan. As you read you can see that not only is war very dangerous for the soldiers on a daily basis that are in combat for years on end, but it also can take a very large toll on the families and friends of the soldiers. Wives/girlfriends, parents, and children are unable to see or hear from the soldiers for a very long time, which in turn can create lots of drama and terror in their lives as well. Not to mention the trouble that soldiers are known for obtaining even after combat if they happen to survive, which is pure insanity that can take over the mind and cause soldiers to keep reliving past events that either occurred or they heard about while in combat.

This book is unique for a variety of reasons. First of all, it incorporates a variety of perspectives although the majority of we see it from the perspective of the author Sebastian Junger. I feel that Junger incorporates other soldiers perspectives in order to help readers see more than one viewpoint in order to gain more credibility and trust while we as readers continue to read throughout the book. In addition, the book is full of suspense and action that can occur at any time, which keeps the readers guessing and glued to the book as you are wanting to know what is going to happen next. It is also important to note that this book has many hidden meanings that you as a reader are able to unpack by key evidence or certain events that take place. Finally, this book in many ways is very relatable in terms of American life, so it makes it a lot easier to read.

This book has a very unique writing style not normally seen in non-fiction books, which is to include a variety of perspectives in the book rather than just the author's perspective. This, in turn, allows us as readers to trust and see the author as more credible because he's trying to avoid as much bias as possible by hearing various sides of the story. War also has a very unique language to it as it doesn't seem to include too many difficult words or phrases were you happen to get lost or confused, which in turn allows you as a reader to always stay on track with the book. The tone of the book is very relaxed at times, however, at other points of the book, it has a very nervous or on the edge of your seat energy because the soldiers are always at disadvantage not knowing the area they are in or when the enemy plan to attack next. All of these things fit perfectly with the theme of the book which is to describe the various troubles and life-changing things that occur in combat/war.

A few memorable moments from the book are when certain soldiers are shot and wounded, however, many men and medics are willing to run into the line of fire in order to possibly save their brother in arms. This is something that can be seen throughout the book as many soldiers say they care more about protecting their friends than staying alive themselves, it's something only soldiers will understand not regular old people. I also liked how throughout the book we see the various changes that can occur during war whether it be sleeping and gunfire all of a sudden starts or being in battle and quickly having to think on your feet of how you're going to proceed what is occurring. I feel this is something that can be relatable to life as life never seems to go the way you think rather all of a sudden change leaving you no time to think about how you will react. Finally, I found it very interesting that how various soldiers explain how they have no fear of dying because in most cases they have nothing to go back to at home, this is very intense and should make people never take advantage of what they have in their lives at the moment.

Although this book would probably be a joy for all individuals to read, it probably best fits future soldiers, veterans, or high school to older adults best. At times it would probably be too difficult or not as eventful as younger people especially children are used to reading. This book is great for people who love true stories especially ones that have to do with war. In addition, this book is great for those that like reading about delayed suspense and action as it can occur at anytime while you are reading the book.