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.
