What It is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes

As this generation of warriors comes home, they will be enormously helped by what Marlantes has writtenI’m sure he will literally save lives.”Sebastian Junger He is a natural storyteller and a deeply profound thinker. In my eyes he has become the preeminent literary voice on war of our generation. Karl Marlantes has written a staggeringly beautiful book on combat. He makes it clear just how poorly prepared our nineteen-year-old warriors-mainly men but increasingly women-are for the psychological and spiritual aspects of their journey. In a compelling narrative, Marlantes weaves riveting accounts of his combat experiences with thoughtful analysis, self-examination, and his readings-from Homer to the Mahabharata to Jung. War is as old as humankind, but in the past, warriors were prepared for battle by ritual, religion, and literature-which also helped bring them home. In What It Is Like to Go to War, Marlantes takes a deeply personal and candid look at the experience and ordeal of combat, critically examining how we might better prepare our young soldiers for war. One of the most important and highly-praised books of 2011, Karl Marlantes's What It Is Like to Go to War is set to become just as much of a classic as his epic novel Matterhorn. Louis Post Dispatch Favorite Books of 2011Ī Shelf Awareness Reviewer's Top Pick of 2011

Ed Conklin, Chaucer's Books, Santa Barbara, CAīarnes & Noble Best Nonfiction Books of 2011 Ed Conklin, Chaucer's Books, Santa Barbara, CA Fall '12 Reading Group List It is an emotional, honest, and affecting primer for all Americans on war and the national psyche. The long-overdue reckoning that Marlantes' novel Matterhorn deftly demanded of America is enhanced and extended with this new work. Marlantes volunteers his knowledge and experience (and really, his soul) to the cause of crafting the model of a just and ethical warrior in the 21st century. “This is a courageous, noble, and intelligent grapple with myth, history, and spirituality that beautifully elevates the conversation on the role of the military in today's world.

What It is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes