Sebastian Junger

Sebastian Junger, the bestselling author of War and The Perfect Storm, takes a critical look at post-traumatic stress disorder and the many challenges today’s returning veterans face in modern society.There are ancient tribal human behaviors-loyalty, inter-reliance, cooperation-that flare up in communities during times of turmoil and suffering. These are the very same behaviors that typify good soldiering and foster a sense of belonging among troops, whether they’re fighting on the front lines or engaged in non-combat activities away from the action. Drawing from history, psychology, and anthropology, bestselling author Sebastian Junger shows us just how at odds the structure of modern society is with our tribal instincts, arguing that the difficulties many veterans face upon returning home from war do not stem entirely from the trauma they’ve suffered, but also from the individualist societies they must reintegrate into.A 2011 study by the Canadian Forces and Statistics Canada reveals that 78 percent of military suicides from 1972 to the end of 2006 involved veterans. Though these numbers present an implicit call to action, the government is only just taking steps now to address the problems veterans face when they return home. But can the government ever truly eliminate the challenges faced by returning veterans? Or is the problem deeper, woven into the very fabric of our modern existence? Perhaps our circumstances are not so bleak, and simply understanding that beneath our modern guises we all belong to one tribe or another would help us face not just the problems of our nation but of our individual lives as well.Well-researched and compellingly written, this timely look at how veterans react to coming home will reconceive our approach to veteran’s affairs and help us to repair our current social dynamic.

A profound rumination on the concept of freedom from the New York Times bestselling author of Tribe.Throughout history, humans have been driven by the quest for two cherished ideals: community and freedom. The two don’t coexist easily. We value individuality and self-reliance, yet are utterly dependent on community for our most basic needs. In this intricately crafted and thought-provoking book, Sebastian Junger examines the tension that lies at the heart of what it means to be human.For much of a year, Junger and three friends—a conflict photographer and two Afghan War vets—walked the railroad lines of the East Coast. It was an experiment in personal autonomy, but also in interdependence. Dodging railroad cops, sleeping under bridges, cooking over fires, and drinking from creeks and rivers, the four men forged a unique reliance on one another.In Freedom , Junger weaves his account of this journey together with primatology and boxing strategy, the history of labor strikes and Apache raiders, the role of women in resistance movements, and the brutal reality of life on the Pennsylvania frontier. Written in exquisite, razor-sharp prose, the result is a powerful examination of the primary desire that defines us.

In his breakout bestseller, The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger created "a wild ride that brilliantly captures the awesome power of the raging sea and the often futile attempts of humans to withstand it" ( Los Angeles Times Book Review).Now, Junger turns his brilliant and empathetic eye to the reality of combat--the fear, the honor, and the trust among men in an extreme situation whose survival depends on their absolute commitment to one another. His on-the-ground account follows a single platoon through a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. Through the experiences of these young men at war, he shows what it means to fight, to serve, and to face down mortal danger on a daily basis.

“Riveting. . . reads like a novel. . . . A worthy sequel to The Perfect Storm .” —New York Times Book Review In the most intriguing and original crime story since In Cold Blood , New York Times bestselling author Sebastian Junger examines the fatal collision of three lives during the infamous Boston Strangler serial murder case In the spring of 1963, the quiet suburb of Belmont, Massachusetts, is rocked by a shocking murder that fits the pattern of the infamous Boston Strangler, still at large. Hoping for a break in the case, the police arrest Roy Smith, a Black ex-con whom the victim hired to clean her house. Smith is hastily convicted of the murder, but the Strangler's terror continues. And through it all, one man escapes the scrutiny of the police: a carpenter working at the time at the Belmont home of young Sebastian Junger and his parents—a man named Albert. A tale of race and justice, murder and memory, this powerful true story is sure to rank besides such classics as Helter Skelter , and The Executioner’s Song .

A riveting collection of literary journalism by the bestselling author of The Perfect Storm, capped off brilliantly by a new Afterword and a timely essay about war-torn Afghanistan -- a superb eyewitness report about the Taliban's defeat in Kabul -- new to book form. Sebastian Junger has made a specialty of bringing to life the drama of nature and human nature. Few writers have been to so many disparate and desperate corners of the globe. Fewer still have met the standard of great journalism more consistently. None has provided more starkly memorable evocations of extreme events. From the murderous mechanics of the diamond trade in Sierra Leone, to an inferno forest fire burning out of control in the steep canyons of Idaho, to the forensics of genocide in Kosovo, this collection of Junger's reporting will take readers to places they need to know about but wouldn't dream of going on their own. In his company we travel to these places, pass through frightening checkpoints, actual and psychological, and come face-to-face with the truth.

"Takes readers into the maelstrom and shows nature's splendid and dangerous havoc at its utmost".October 1991. It was "the perfect storm"--a tempest that may happen only once in a century--a nor'easter created by so rare a combination of factors that it could not possibly have been worse. Creating waves ten stories high and winds of 120 miles an hour, the storm whipped the sea to inconceivable levels few people on Earth have ever witnessed. Few, except the six-man crew of the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing boat tragically headed towards its hellish center.

A near-fatal health emergency leads to this powerful reflection on death—and what might follow—by the bestselling author of Tribe and The Perfect Storm. For years as an award-winning war reporter, Sebastian Junger traveled to many front lines and frequently put his life at risk. And yet, the closest he ever came to death was the summer of 2020 while spending a quiet afternoon at the New England home he shared with his wife and two young children. Crippled by abdominal pain, Junger was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Once there, he began slipping away. As blackness encroached, he was visited by his dead father, inviting Junger to join him. “It’s okay,” his father said. “There’s nothing to be scared of. I’ll take care of you.” That was the last thing Junger remembered until he came to the next day when he was told he had suffered a ruptured aneurysm that he should not have survived.This experience spurred Junger—a confirmed atheist raised by his physicist father to respect the empirical—to undertake a scientific, philosophical, and deeply personal examination of mortality and what happens after we die. How do we begin to process the brutal fact that any of us might perish unexpectedly on what begins as an ordinary day? How do we grapple with phenomena that science may be unable to explain? And what happens to a person, emotionally and spiritually, when forced to reckon with such existential questions?In My Time of Dying is part medical drama, part searing autobiography, and part rational inquiry into the ultimate unknowable mystery.

From America’s greatest chronicler of life lived at its extremes and the bestselling author of "The Perfect Storm," "War," and "A Death in Belmont" comes a rare work of fiction, an intimate, brutal account of a young American journalist trying to survive his latest assignment. Daniel wanted to escape the Midwest and its small-town newspapers, but he didn’t sign up for this: a war-torn West African city strung in barbed wire, its embassies abandoned, child soldiers brandishing guns in the streets. Andre, the veteran photographer Daniel is paired with, is conversant in all of it—the jungle, the locals, and especially the attendant risks of covering war—and pushes them to go deeper into the conflict, to get to the front lines. Yet in a battle like this, there are no reliable lines of safety. Western rules do not apply, and atrocity is color-blind. Just when Daniel thinks he’s convinced his fearless partner to retreat, they arrive at what could be the end of the road for both of them. This powerful short story, at once modern and timeless, combines the best elements of classic war literature and psychological horror. Junger’s unforgettable journey into the heart of darkness confronts man’s unrelenting savagery and his unpredictable capacity for cowardice—and courage.

This piece, which appeared in Outside magazine in 1995 and was originally recorded for Rough Water: Stories of Survival from the Sea, is about an old man, a Bequian harpooner, who uses a wooden sailboat to hunt humpback whales. The piece is an elegy of sorts—an unsentimental lament for something lost.

Hardcover Edition - Written in Dutch

2 novels in one book

"Selections by Sebastian Junger, Michael Groom, Gordon Chaplin, Jack London, Rick Bass, Jack LeMoyne, John Vaillant, John Muir, Whitney Balliett, Richard Byrd; Patrick O'Brian, Farley Mowat, Robert Louis Stevenson, Philip Ashton, Rockwell Kent, Herman Melville, Nathaniel Philbrick, Stephen Crane.Most people associate storms and other big weather with death - with the kind of force that makes each of us wonder about life, time, and the nature of our surroundings. Some people go out looking for bad weather or go to places where they're likely to encounter it. Others have the misfortune of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, the stories in Storm have more to say than that. They tell us about what happens when people find that treacherous weather - or when it finds them - and we are reminded of the fragility of life, the capriciousness of nature's will, and how little we can do when both cross paths.In Deep Blue, for those who dare, things often go wrong under the sea. Such tragedies, spurred by the booming interest in the Titanic and the Andrea Doria, have been the focus of tremendous literature form the world's finest authors. Deep Blue offers compelling tales of shipwrecks and salvage, submarine adventure and free diving, nautical survival and cannibalism.EditorAdrenaline Series editor Clint Willis has been a climber and an armchair mountaineer since he was 10 years old. His writing about technology, finance, and the outdoors has appeared in more than 100 publications, including Men's Journal, Outside, Rock & Ice, and The New York Times, and he is a contributing editor of Forbes ASAP and Worth magazines. He lives with his wife and two sons in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.NarratorsNick Sampson, born in Bristol, England, has been an award-winning stage actor for over 20 years. His theatre experience ranges from British farce to Shakespeare.Gary Telles has been narrating audiobooks for the past 10 years. A veteran stage actor, he has performed classical, contemporary and original theatre across the country, in addition to appearing on television, radio, and CD-ROM.Nick Sampson, born in Bristol, England, has been an award-winning stage actor for over 20 years. His theatre experience ranges from British farce to Shakespeare.Terence Aselford has narrated over 150 audiobooks. His acting career has included regional theatre roles ranging from Shakespeare to Neil Simon, on camera work in NBC's ""Unsolved Mysteries,"" national television commercials, industrial videos, and voice-overs.Barrett Whitener has been featured in a variety of instructional and entertainment programs. His recordings have received numerous awards, and he was cited as a 'Voice of the Century' in Audiofile magazine. He lives in Washington, D.C.Richard Rohan is a stage and film actor, as well as an award-winning narrator. He has recorded over 100 audiobooks and has received critical acclaim for many of his performances."

Durante seus anos como premiado repórter de guerra, Sebastian Junger se viu em risco várias vezes, em conflitos armados e linhas de frente. No entanto, o mais perto que chegou da morte foi no verão de 2020, enquanto passava uma tarde tranquila em casa, com a esposa e as duas filhas pequenas. Sentindo dores fortíssimas, Junger foi levado às pressas para o hospital e, lá, começou a perder a consciência. Conforme a vida lhe escapava, foi visitado pelo pai já falecido, que o convidou a se juntar a ele. "Está tudo bem", disse o pai. "Não há nada a temer. Eu cuido de você." Essa era a última coisa de que Junger se lembrava ao recuperar a consciência no dia seguinte, quando lhe disseram que ele havia sofrido um aneurisma abdominal do qual havia se recuperado por um milagre.Essa experiência estimulou Junger — um ateu convicto cujo pai era físico e respeitava o empírico acima de tudo — a mergulhar em uma investigação científica, filosófica e profundamente pessoal sobre a mortalidade e o que acontece depois da morte. Como aceitar o fato brutal de que qualquer um de nós pode perecer a qualquer momento? Como lidar com fenômenos que a ciência talvez seja incapaz de explicar? E o que acontece com uma pessoa, emocional e espiritualmente, quando é forçada a enfrentar tais questões existenciais?Quando chegar minha hora é parte drama médico, parte autobiografia marcante e parte investigação racional sobre o maior mistério da a morte."Um clássico instantâneo que me encheu de assombro e gratidão. Junger nos ajuda a imaginar o que — se é que existe algo — nos espera do outro lado." — Will Schwalbe, autor de O clube do livro do fim da vida"Sebastian Junger é famoso por enfrentar lugares e conflitos que deixariam qualquer um aterrorizado. Aqui, ele se volta para a própria mortalidade, a fronteira mais assustadora e fascinante que há." — Caitlin Doughty, autora de Confissões do crematório"Um livro incrível sobre vida, morte e pós-vida. O mais próximo que qualquer um já chegou de explicar o que é ser humano." — James Patterson, autor best-seller do New York Times