''War: As Soldiers Really Live It'' is a

creative nonfiction Creative nonfiction (also known as literary nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, literary journalism or verfabula) is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contrasts ...

book written by

Sebastian Junger Sebastian Junger (born January 17, 1962) is an American journalist, author and filmmaker who has reported in-the-field on Dirty,_dangerous_and_demeaning, dirty, dangerous and demanding occupations and the experience of Light_infantry#United_Sta ...

and

published Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

by W. W. Norton & Company in 2010. Accompanied by photojournalist

Tim Hetherington Timothy Alistair Telemachus Hetherington (5 December 1970 – 20 April 2011) was a British photojournalist. He produced books, films and other work that "ranged from multi-screen installations, to fly-poster exhibitions, to handheld de ...

, Junger spent months embedded with second platoon of Battle Company, part of the

173rd Airborne Brigade The 173rd Airborne Brigade ("Sky Soldiers") is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) of the United States Army based in Vicenza, Italy. It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic respo ...

, in the Korengal Valley, a transit corridor for

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

fighters coming into Afghanistan from Pakistan, between 2007 and 2008. Junger experienced the conditions of the infantry soldier first-hand, witnessing daily firefights and surviving an IED attack on

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of Military light utility vehicle, light, four-wheel drive Military vehicle#Military trucks, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It ...

while on patrol. Junger profiles multiple soldiers, including Staff Sergent Sal Giunta. His actions during the fighting in the Korengal Valley made him the first soldier to still be alive when receiving the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

since the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. File:TimHetheringtonSebastianJungerFeb2011.jpg, Junger with

in 2011. File:Flickr - The U.S. Army - Medal of Honor, Staff Sgt. Salvatore A. Giunta (10).jpg, The 173rd Airborne Brigade. File:Defense.gov News Photo 101115-A-0193C-021 - President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Honor to Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta who rescued two members of his squad in October 2007 while.jpg, Medal of honor recipient Sgt. Salvatore Giunta and President Barack Obama.

In Other Media

Portions of the book originally appeared as dispatches for ''Vanity Fair''. The documentary film ''Restrepo'', produced and directed by Junger and Hetherington about the soldier’s experience at Combat Outpost (COP) Korengal, was nominated for the 2011 Academy Award for Best Documentary.

Reception

Dexter Filkins Dexter Price Filkins (born May 24, 1961) is an American journalist known primarily for his coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for ''The New York Times''. He was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for his dispatches from Afghanistan ...

writing in the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

said that "Junger has found a novel and interesting lens through which to view the conflict in Afghanistan, and he captures many things a lesser writer might miss." "I have never read a more compelling account of the complex suffering and rewards of the combat experience," wrote Antanas Sileika in the Globe and Mail.

Time magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

named ''War'' a "Top Ten Non-fiction Book" of 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:War 2010 non-fiction books American non-fiction books Non-fiction books adapted into films