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Separation Anxiety
Bought the book yesterday and I quite literally could NOT put it down. I finished it last night in record time. I think the last book that held my attention like this one was The Kite Runner (oddly, another Afghanistan related story).
Anyway, I woke up this morning feeling a strange sadness that the book was over and that I won't get to find out more about these incredible men who fought so courageously for our country and for their brothers. I spent a better part of the morning looking up the names of the fallen on http://militarytimes.com/valor/ so that I could have a face for the name and so that they wouldn't just be names or "characters" in a story I read. Broke my heart, honestly....especially when I saw just how young they all were.
Sebastian Junger, thank you for telling this story. It should be required reading for all Americans. To the soldiers, thank you for everything. There are no words to adequately express the love and pride I feel in my heart for you all.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sebastian Junger on -
Hi Rhonda -
Thank you so much for your message, I really appreciate it. There is a general wisdom in the publishing industry that women dont often read books about war, but i was hoping that mine might be different. So your message was really gratifying. You can email the guys in the book from this website...i'm sure they would love to hear from you.
Best wishes,
Sebastian
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Permalink Reply by Rhonda S on
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Sebastian,
Thanks for your response. I am honored! Though I admit to having a bigger preference for war stories than shoes, I think the publishing industry is doing a diservice to women if they mistakenly believe we all prefer Carrie Bradshaw to Bradley tanks. I'm a huge fan of history (in particular WWII and increasingly, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan) but so many books on war droll on with facts and specifics regarding logistics, tactics, and strategy. I suppose I can see why some people, specifically women, might find that boring. However, your book is quite different from many other books on war in that you focused on the men who fought the battles rather than the battles themselves.
The reason I could not put the book down was because with each turn of a page, I became increasingly more emotionally invested in the lives you presented. I refused to stop reading, even though my eyes ached from fatigue, because I HAD to know if O'Byrne, Jones, Donoho, Mace, and all the others survived the next patrol. I read through swollen eyes and tears when Rougle's friends discovered he lost his life. I smiled until my face hurt as I read about Airborne and his adoption into the platoon. You made these "characters" more than just names in a book. You did an amazing job of not canonizing these guys or creating demi-gods of war. They were not presented as heroes akin to Leonidas and the Spartans. Instead, these men were presented as they are - average guys with demons and flaws, just like the rest of us...but with extraordinary courage, loyalty, and resolve unlike most. These men were not stone when their friends died. They cried! They questioned God. They felt fear, rage, shock. At the core, your book is about human emotion. It's what I loved most about your book and I believe it's this kind of story telling that appeals to many people, particularly women. Though I cannot speak for all of my sex, I believe that most women want to walk away from a book "knowing" the people or characters in it. We want something that speaks to our emotions and this is where many war stories miss the mark. Your book nailed it on all accounts!
Thanks again for writing such a beautiful, though at times gut wrenching, story. I've told everyone and their mother to read it. :)
Sincerely,
Rhonda
Sebastian Junger said:Hi Rhonda -
Thank you so much for your message, I really appreciate it. There is a general wisdom in the publishing industry that women dont often read books about war, but i was hoping that mine might be different. So your message was really gratifying. You can email the guys in the book from this website...i'm sure they would love to hear from you.
Best wishes,
Sebastian
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