"The communal march against an enemy generates a warm, unfamiliar bond with our neighbors, our community, our nation, wiping out unsettling undercurrents of alienation and dislocation," writes Chris Hedges, a foreign correspondent for the New York Times. In War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, Hedges draws on his experiences covering conflicts in Bosnia, El Salvador and Israel as well as works of literature from the Iliad to Hannah Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism to look at what makes war so intoxicating for soldiers, politicians and ordinary citizens. He discusses outbreaks of nationalism, the wartime silencing of intellectuals and artists, the ways in which even a supposedly skeptical press glorifies the battlefield and other universal features of war, arguing not for pacifism but for responsibility and humility on the part of those who wage war.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This moving book examines the continuing appeal of war to the human psyche. Veteran New York Times correspondent Hedges argues that, to many people, war provides a purpose for living; it seems to allow the individual to rise above regular life and perhaps participate in a noble cause. Having identified this myth, Hedges then explodes it by showing the brutality of modern war, using examples taken from his own experiences as a war correspondent in Latin America, the Middle East, and the Balkans. These examples highlight the devastating effects of war on life, community, and culture and its corruption of business and government. Hedges is not a pacifist, acknowledging that people need to battle evil, but he thoughtfully cautions us against accepting the accompanying myths of war. This should be required reading in this post-9/11 world as we debate the possibility of war with Iraq. For all libraries.
Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Lib., Parkersburg
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Library Journal, September 15, 2002.
"Moving...This should be required reading in this post-9/11 world as we debate the possibility of war with Iraq."
New York Times Book Review, September 29, 2002
"A brilliant, thoughtful, timely and unsettling book...it will rattle jingoists, pacifists, moralists, nihilists, politicians and professional soldiers equally..."
Los Angeles Times, October 13, 2002
"the best kind of war journalism:...bitterly poetic and ruthlessly philosophical... a powerful message to people contemplating the[war on terror].'"
Salon.com, November 25, 2002.
"As the 'war on terror' continues on its...potentially catastrophic course, America would do well to heed Hedges'...warning."
Molly Ivins, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, November 22, 2002.
"I highly recommend Chris Hedges' splendid little book...His understanding is profound and was earned on the ground."
Jonathan Power, Toronto Star, December 27, 2003.
"If...I thought Bush and Blair would give it time I would happily send them a copy to read."
Reviewer's Choice, Dallas Morning News, February 13, 2003
[Hedges] doesn't tell us that war is hell. He escorts us through the streets made slick with the blood...of innocents."
Foreign Affairs, March/April 2003
a compelling read and a valuable counterweight to the more antiseptic discussions common among strategic analysts."
Liz Smith, syndicated columnist, February 16, 2003
"small but readable...[Hedges] is a brilliant reporter... It's the book to read now."
Book Description
A veteran New York Times war correspondent's complex, moving, and thought-provoking reflection on how life is lived most intensely in times of war.
General George S. Patton famously said, "Compared to war all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance. God, I do love it so!" Though Patton was a notoriously single-minded general, it is nonetheless a sad fact that war gives meaning to many lives, a fact with which we have become familiar now that America is once again engaged in a military conflict. War is an enticing elixir. It gives us purpose, resolve, a cause. It allows us to be noble.
Chris Hedges of The New York Times has seen war up close--in the Balkans, the Middle East, and Central America--and he has been troubled by what he has seen: friends, enemies, colleagues, and strangers intoxicated and even addicted to war's heady brew. In War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, he tackles the ugly truths about humanity's love affair with war, offering a sophisticated, nuanced, intelligent meditation on the subject that is also gritty, powerful, and unforgettable.
Book Info
He tackles the ugly truths about humanity's love affair with war, offering a sophisticated, nuanced, intelligent meditation on the subject that is also gritty, powerful, and unforgettable.
About the Author
Chris Hedges has been a foreign correspondent for fifteen years. He joined the staff of The New York Times in 1990 and previously worked for The Dallas Morning News, The Christian Science Monitor, and National Public Radio. He lives in New York City.