Most Popular Books by Sebastian Junger

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.

We have a strong instinct to belong to small groups defined by clear purpose and understanding--"tribes." This tribal connection has been largely lost in modern society, but regaining it may be the key to our psychological survival. Decades before the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin lamented that English settlers were constantly fleeing over to the Indians-but Indians almost never did the same. Tribal society has been exerting an almost gravitational pull on Westerners for hundreds of years, and the reason lies deep in our evolutionary past as a communal species. The most recent example of that attraction is combat veterans who come home to find themselves missing the incredibly intimate bonds of platoon life. The loss of closeness that comes at the end of deployment may explain the high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by military veterans today. Combining history, psychology, and anthropology, Tribe explores what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty, belonging, and the eternal human quest for meaning. It explains the irony that-for many veterans as well as civilians-war feels better than peace, adversity can turn out to be a blessing, and disasters are sometimes remembered more fondly than weddings or tropical vacations. Tribe explains why we are stronger when we come together, and how that can be achieved even in today''s divided world.

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.

Un clásico moderno: la historia de la tormenta del siglo. En octubre de 1991 tuvo lugar lo que los meteorólogos denominaron «la tormenta del siglo», un fenómeno imprevisto que azotó la costa este de Norteamérica fruto de una insólita combinación de factores. Con olas de más de treinta metros de altura y vientos de 180 kilómetros por hora, la tormenta sacudió el mar con una violencia extraordinaria. En La tormenta perfecta, Junger describe las condiciones que dieron lugar a este hecho sin precedentes y reconstruye minuciosamente tres emocionantes historias, la de los seis tripulantes del pesquero Andrea Gail –que desaparecieron a cientos de kilómetros de su hogar en Gloucester, Massachusetts–, la de un velero atrapado en plena tormenta y la del rescate de los tripulantes de un helicóptero de salvamento que cayó al mar. A partir de una extensa serie de fuentes, que van de comunicaciones por radio a relatos de testigos, Junger recrea con impresionante tensión narrativa la lucha de estos hombres por su supervivencia y traza un magnífico retrato de la gente de mar. Convertida en un bestseller desde su aparición en 1997, esta crónica sobrecogedora está considerada ya un clásico del género. «Trepidante. Aunque nunca hayas estado en una tormenta en alta mar, el relato de Junger te hará sentir el mismo terror.» Anthony Bailey (The New York Times Book Review) «Una historia que se lee con enorme interés, inquietud y concentración; y si uno conoce un poco la vida en alta mar, siente la gigantesca fuerza de los vientos huracanados y el volumen inconcebible de las olas de más de treinta metros.» Patrick O’Brian «No hay nada inventado en el libro de Junger. Todo lo que se cuenta es terrorífica y horriblemente real.» Los Angeles Times «Una crónica apasionante, una auténtica historia de aventuras.» Newsweek «Soberbio. Está narrado con autoridad, brío y una profunda simpatía por todos los que se enfrentan a los peligros del mar.» Jonathan Yardley (The Washington Post) «La tormenta perfecta es una descriptiva, pulida y detallada crónica, un reportaje coral que ahonda en las historias, motivaciones y forma de vida de sus protagonistas. Una pieza de innegable valor, tensión y violencia.» Patricio Sánchez-Jáuregui (ACE Prensa)

"A ... rumination on the concept of freedom from the New York Times bestselling author of Tribe"--

"In 1963, with the city of Boston already terrified by a series of savage crimes known as the Boston Stranglings, a murder occurred in the quiet suburb of Belmont, just a few blocks from the house of Sebastian Junger''s family - a murder that seemed to fit exactly the pattern of the Strangler. Roy Smith, a black man who had cleaned the victim''s house that day, was arrested, tried, and convicted, but the terror of the Strangler continued." "Two years later, Albert DeSalvo, a handyman who had been working at the Jungers'' home on the day of the Belmont murder, and who had often spent time there alone with Sebastian and his mother, confessed in lurid detail to being the Boston Strangler." "This is the point of entry to Junger''s book: a narrowly averted tragedy for Junger''s family opens out into an electrifying exploration of race and justice in America. By turns exciting and subtle, the narrative chronicles three lives that collide - and are ultimately destroyed - in the vortex of one of the first and most controversial serial murder cases in America."--BOOK JACKET.

The incredible true story of a tempest born from so rare a combination of factors it was deemed "perfect" and of the doomed Boston boat with her crew of six fishermen that was helpless in the midst of a force beyond comprehension.

Junger''s essays deal with the primal power of fire and with man''s capacity for destruction.

What would you write if no one knew who you were? In the spirit of the demolition derby, where drivers take heedless risks with reckless abandon, welcome to the first convocation of the Secret Society of Demolition Writers. Here is a one-of-a-kind collection by famous authors writing anonymously–and dangerously. With the usual concerns about reputations and renown cast aside, these twelve daredevils have each contributed an extreme, no-holds-barred unsigned story, each shining as brightly and urgently as hazard lights. Unconventional and unapologetic, this publishing equivalent of a whodunit features an eclectic group of fictional characters, including a delusional schizophrenic narrator, an egg donor with second thoughts about her decision, a pharmacist who forms a weird crush on a woman who beat both of her parents to death, and a little girl who understands that an old safe is the threshold to another, ghostly, world. Equally diverse and surprising are the authors themselves: Aimee Bender, Benjamin Cheever, Michael Connelly, Sebastian Junger, Elizabeth McCracken, Rosie O’Donnell, Chris Offutt, Anna Quindlen, John Burnham Schwartz, Alice Sebold, Lauren Slater, and Marc Parent, the editor of the collection. Never before has such a wide-ranging and talented group of authors been assembled to such explosive and entertaining effect. The Secret Society of Demolition Writers is an intriguing puzzle in itself, but it’s also an important addition to the careers of some of our finest storytellers–even if we never really know who wrote what. Its boundary-smashing fiction offers exhilarating proof that for an artist, withholding your identity can mean gaining your freedom.

These stories rocket readers across the roof of the world on the new high-speed railway in Tibet, describe the tension between Indian farmers and the sacred elephants besieging their villages, and introduce them to a shaman whom some believe can cure the most serious depressions.

Sólo un libro extraordinario podría justificar un título tan ambicioso como el de Guerra –escribió un crítico-, y este lo es. Sebastian Junger compartió durante quince meses la vida de un pelotón en un lugar remoto de Afganistán, con el propósito de averiguar lo que los soldados experimentan. No le interesaba lo que sucedía en aquella guerra, sino captar las experiencias y los sentimientos de unos soldados que se enfrentan al riesgo de la muerte cada día: la brutal violencia del combate, el miedo ante una emboscada, el aburrimiento en los momentos de inactividad, la camaradería que se forja en una situación extrema y la confianza que se establece entre unos hombres cuya supervivencia depende del compromiso total de cada uno. La fuerza extraordinaria de este libro, escrito de manera directa, sin retórica ni artificio, permite entender que se haya mantenido durante muchos meses en las listas de los más vendidos en Estados Unidos, y augura que va a convertirse en un clásico. Porque, como ha dicho Philip Caputo: “No es una historia de guerra, sino un gran libro sobre la guerra”.

Tenemos un fuerte instinto, como especie, de vivir en pequeños grupos definidos por un claro propósito y entendimiento, de treinta a cincuenta personas que dependen enteramente unas de otras, por seguridad y comodidad. Esta conexión tribal se ha perdido en gran medida en la sociedad moderna, pero podría ser la clave de nuestra supervivencia psicológica. Un ejemplo actual de esa atracción son los veteranos de guerra, que regresan a casa y pierden por completo los vínculos increíblemente íntimos de la vida del pelotón. La pérdida de esta cercanía puede explicar las altas tasas de trastorno de estrés postraumático sufrido por los militares veteranos de hoy. Combinando historia, psicología y antropología, Tribu explora lo que podemos aprender de las sociedades tribales sobre la lealtad, la pertenencia y la eterna búsqueda humana del sentido de la vida. Explica la ironía de que muchos veteranos y civiles se sientan mejor en tiempos de guerra que en los de paz. A veces la adversidad puede resultar una bendición y los desastres se recuerdan con más cariño que las bodas o unas vacaciones en el trópico. El problema no radica en los veteranos ni en el trauma que han sufrido, sino en la sociedad a la que están tratando de regresar.

Oktober 1991, Nordatlantik: Ein Hurrikan, ein Zyklon und eine arktische Kaltfront vereinigen sich zu einem Jahrhundert-Sturm. Mitten hinein in diesen "perfekten Sturm", wie ihn Meteorologen nennen, steuern sechs Fischer auf dem Fangboot "Andrea Gail". Ein aussichtsloser Kampf ums Überleben beginnt. "Der Sturm", New York Times- und Spiegel-Bestseller und Vorlage für den gleichnamigen Hollywood-Film, gilt als modernes Meisterwerk. Sebastian Junger gelingt es, Berichte von Seeleuten, von Rettungskräften und Wissenschaftlern, aber auch die Erinnerungen der Familien im Fischerort Gloucester an der Küste von Maine in einer Dichte zu verweben, wie man sie bis dahin nicht kannte. Ein realer Thriller von der Gewalt der Elemente.

"She''s comin'' on, boys, and she''s comin'' on strong." È questo l''ultimo messaggio di Billy Tyne, il capitano dell''Andrea Gail, mentre la sua nave rientra da una battuta di pesca sui Banchi di Terranova. Poco dopo, onde alte fino a trenta metri e un vento che soffia a quasi 200 chilometri all''ora colpiscono il peschereccio che sta rientrando verso casa con sei membri a bordo: è la "tempesta perfetta", una condizione meteorologica che si verifica una volta ogni cent''anni e che nasce dallo scontro di un flusso di alta pressione proveniente dai Grandi Laghi con un ciclone proveniente dalle Bermuda, l''uragano Grace. Raccontata dal pluripremiato giornalista Sebastian Junger in questo libro diventato un longseller mondiale, questa è la storia vera di una tempesta capace di far scomparire nel nulla una nave e il suo equipaggio nell''ottobre del 1991. È la ricostruzione degli ultimi istanti di vita di uomini e donne che hanno lottato contro una potenza invincibile consci della propria disfatta, dell''angoscia e della disperazione dei familiari e delle rischiose operazioni di salvataggio. È la storia eterna della lotta tra il pescatore e il mare.

Moderní člověk žije v komfortu, o kterém se předchozím generacím ani nesnilo. Ale pořád má pocit, že mu něco chybí. Proč? Chybí mu totiž něco, co máme všichni hluboce zakódováno ve genech a bez čeho se nám žije strašně těžko - chybí nám pocit, že někam patříme, že jsme příslušníky nějakého "kmene", který za námi stojí, který se o nás postará a který se postará i o naše blízké.

Este livro começa na praia. Sebastian Junger tem 30 anos e está a surfar. É inverno, o mar comporta-se de outra maneira, mas ele não sabe. E só por milagre escapa a uma sucessão de ondas assassinas. Na casa onde vive, tem uma parede preenchida com recortes de tragédias marítimas e afogamentos. Estava a escrever então A Tempestade Perfeita, um bestseller que mais tarde viria a ser adaptado ao cinema, com George Clooney no papel principal. A morte rondava-o, mas Sebastian teimava em ignorar os sinais, os sonhos, as quedas, as balas que lhe rasavam a cabeça em cenários de guerra. Até que, aos 58 anos, sofreu uma raríssima rotura numa artéria pancreática. Na ambulância, a caminho do hospital, julgou que iria morrer. Mais tarde, na cama, viu o pai. O pai há muito falecido, o pai médico hiper-racionalista, que lhe tinha legado o espírito dos céticos: acreditava apenas no que a ciência podia provar. O que se passou a seguir, na sala de cirurgia, alimenta este livro: um jornalista endurecido pela vida, um ex-repórter de guerra, um aventureiro confrontado com uma hipótese bizarra: talvez haja vida após a morte. Na Hora da Minha Morte é uma extraordinária narrativa polifónica. Como a onda com que abre o livro, o autor arrasta-nos num turbilhão, que inclui desde a história dos cateteres à física quântica. Nesse percurso, que parece abarcar o universo, conhecemos as suas filhas e o intenso amor que nutre por elas; testemunhamos o seu encontro com a hipótese da morte – que é também um (re)encontro com o pai, descrito em algumas das mais comoventes páginas da não-ficção contemporânea.

La 4e de couverture indique : "Pendant quinze mois, Sebastian Junger a suivi une section américaine occupant un avant-poste dans une vallée perdue de l''est de l''Afghanistan, avec un objectif tout à la fois simple et ambitieux : faire comprendre ce qu''éprouvent les soldats - ce que c''est vraiment que la guerre. Dans ce livre, il donne un aperçu de ses divers éléments : la peur, le sens de l''honneur et la confiance qui s''établit entre les hommes. Il évoque des choses que les civils ne connaîtront jamais : l''attente paralysante avant le combat ; les énormes risques que prennent machinalement les soldats au feu pour protéger leurs frères d''armes ; le désarroi et la rage qu''on éprouve quand on tombe dans une embuscade. Page après page, "Guerre" éclaire la vie de ces hommes qui combattent pour nous : ce qu''est leur existence quotidienne, ce qu''ils voient, ce qu''ils découvrent, ce qu''ils ressentent. Junger fait appel à la biologie, à la psychologie et à l''histoire militaire pour expliquer les décisions qu''ils doivent prendre et pour les replacer dans leur contexte. "Guerre" décrit d''un regard aigu et avec une émotion sincère une expérience que très peu de gens parviennent véritablement à comprendre et qui reste aujourd''hui encore l''ultime épreuve que peut affronter la nature humaine."

In October 1991, three weather systems collided off the coast of Nova Scotia to create a storm of singular fury--the perfect storm. This nationally bestselling account of some victims of that storm, the doomed crew of the "Andrea Gail", is now a specially priced hardcover with movie-art bellyband. The new summer-release film stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Diane Lane.