Name: Eric

Grade: 12

Title: War

Author: Sebastian Junger

Sebastian Junger spent 14 months in a veritable hell to bring us the story of "War", a non-fiction account of a company of U.S. soldiers fighting in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. Junger lives with these ragtag men in what is one of the most removed areas of the world: the Korengal Valley. The troops must survive attacks by Taliban insurgents and jihadists from Pakistan, on top of the severe elements, and perhaps most importantly, each other. Reading about these men gives you a true insight into our modern military, and the mindset that frontline combat troops must have and endure. This book is not page after page of propaganda however; it is very much a cold, hard truth, and one that many may find difficult to swallow. Junger does not feed us heroic stories. Instead, he paints a picture of what war is truly like in the three mini-books, "Love", "Killing", and "Fear" that make up "War". This is an extremely powerful novel, and one that is sure to surprise and grip readers when they least expect it.

I picked this book up because I had to read it for a class.

I finished this book because I had too, but also because it was very engaging.

I'd give this book to someone who is interested in foreign policy or the military.

My rating: ****