War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning

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Summary: Gray did it first and better.
Review: I would strongly suggest you first read _The Warriors: Reflections on Men in Battle_,(1959) by J. Glenn Gray. SAME major themes, better written. That said, get a copy of Hedges' book for his examination of recent US foreign policy.

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Summary: An argument, not fact
Review: Hedges book is an argument. But many reviewers seem to think that it is fact because a New York Times reporter said it. That is not the case. The Jayson Blair scandal at the Times proves that Times' reporters are no longer presumed to be credible. Whether Hedges' argument is persuasive is doubtful. In May 2003 at Rockford College in Illinois, the audience booed Hedges off the stage because he spoiled the graduation ceremony by presenting an antiwar and anti-American speech at the graduation ceremony. Many readers will react to this beek in the same way.

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Summary: Don't let the title dissuade you, this is powerful.
Review: Particularly in light of the times, this book is a thoroughly thoughtful and insightful look into the darker side of humanity. Chris Hedges writes in a very honest and heartfelt manner which undeniably connects the reader to the subject of war. Once faced with the bitter reality of our attraction to war, one is forced to think more critically about the lasting effects.

I highly recommend this book.

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Summary: He just doesn't understand!
Review: Once again a reporter thinks that because he is watching something he knows exactly how the participants think and feel. You can't write truthfully about combat unless you personnally pick up a rifle and USE it. Meerly observing tells one nothing; one only speculates as to what it feels like to be an ACTIVE participant. Having observed combat and participated in Combat, I can assure you that you loook at a situation in an entirely different way if you must decide when to pull the trigger--you aren't speculating or guessing then.

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Summary: Fascinating read
Review: A warning from Chris Hedges (who's been knee-deep in enough war to speak with authority) on the cost imposed by 'war fever' to the deliberative process citizens of a democracy should be going through before, and during war.

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Summary: apparently, too relevant to be read by the average american
Review: it is sad that a book written as well and as important to the current state of events in the world today is not a top ten seller in the united states. hedges' insight is meaningful, important, and should be read by all who toot their horn for war and all the present administration stands for. before you support any war, for any reason, read this book. you owe it to yourself as a human being, and especially if you are a US citizen in these sad, sad days of blind imperialism by Bush and co.

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Summary: Brilliant, Personal Essay
Review: Chris Hedges gathers up all his personal experiences, studies in the classics, seminary training, interviews and anger and releases it brilliantly in the book, War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. It is essentially a series of interconnected essays that assails the myth making that goes into nations sending people off to murder other people. The examples are primarily, but not exclusively, drawn from his own experiences covering wars around the world. The author has earned the right to write this book and we should be glad that he has written it. As long as the noble myths of warfare exist, warfare will always be a driving force and prime motivator of people, instead of an absolute last resort. Anyone who believes the lies told about war, predominantly by the media as discussed in this book, should stop for a minute and read this book before continuing their incessant war chanting. A powerful and moving book.

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Summary: Oh the Irony
Review: Chris Hedges definitely knows war, and not in a good way. He has spent his working life reporting from a variety of war zones, and has seen the worst in death, destruction, and human suffering. He has strong and hard-earned opinions on what happens to people and cultures in relation to war. The title of this book may fool you, because he is being ironic. War really is a force that gives us meaning, but usually not in a good way. So don't think this book is a slavish endorsement of war just because of the title. Hedges examines how the idea and possibility of war can turn normally peaceful and rational people into unthinking warmongers with a hatred for the enemy, who is often ill-defined. From the earliest societies, politicians have used war to detract from domestic problems and to turn local critics into unthinking followers. Right-wingers who usually distrust the state suddenly think it can do no wrong and believe every bit of propaganda it spits out; while left-wingers who usually have total faith in the state suddenly become its harshest critics. The war issue turns the world into a stark black-and-white dichotomy, with an us-and-them outlook on the world. We're seeing a classic example of that right now with the nonsensical "you agree with the war or you don't support the troops" refrain. Meanwhile the enemy (plus its civilians) is demonized to the point of inhumanity, while everyone on our side is perfectly good and can do no wrong.

This is what Chris Hedges examines in this book, and his indictment of civilized society in times of war is not too pretty. That makes this an extremely relevant book for our time. Sadly, the book is not written very well. Hedges has a very repetitive writing style in which he makes the same points repeatedly in slightly different forms, while other important points appear briefly but are not examined, indicating that his thesis would be better presented in an essay or article. In a few places he really stretches his analysis into territory that is difficult to take seriously, such as his connections between war and sexuality in chapter 4, and war and religion in chapter 6. Much of the book becomes repetitive moralizing or complaints about military operations that Hedges disagrees with. Hedges is really onto something here and his subject matter is very important, but it needs more focus plus deeper sociology and psychology to be totally effective.

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Summary: Universal truths that I wish weren't so
Review: Chris Hedges, the author of the book is a former war correspondent for The New York Times. He's seen war up close in Latin America, the Balkans and the Middle East. He looks back at those years as a time of his own intoxication with the great myth of war's appeal. Indeed, it seems to give people a noble cause and a purpose for living. Years after a war the participants often look back and remember never feeling so much alive as during those dangerous times, when their lives were one long adrenalin rush.

Nationalism is one of the plagues used by ruffian leaders to fire up the populace into hate. There's a bonding and a glory. The result is also devastating. Lives are lost, culture is destroyed and people are murdered and tortured. Yet, there is a seduction in the drum roll to this perverse conclusion. Later, memory is often distorted as its the winners who write history. There are psychological reasons too, a connection between romance and death. And it all happens again and again.

I was caught up the 185 pages of this well written book. But yet, after each of the seven chapters, I had to put the book down and do something else. I needed to get away from concepts that he was laying bare to the reader. I needed to move out of the world of horror he created. It's a complex book on many levels, because in spite of the many examples of unspeakable horrors, it seduces the reader too. By the time I finished it I understood what he meant.

Although Mr. Hedges is not a pacifist, he has exposed the myths and lets us look clearly at what war is. His perspective is fresh and clear and certainly made me think. It saddened me too. It's a universal truth that I wish wasn't so. The words are easy to read but their effects have a lingering and troubling effect. Not a pleasant read. But highly recommended.

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Summary: A book for our times
Review: Chris Hedges brings war into a clear perspective; its causes, its effects and its reasons. Only by coming to terms with these aspects of war can humanity overcome the inevitable ultimate consequences.
This book should be translated into all languages and be required reading for high school students all over the world.