Freedom Paperback – 26 May 2022

FreedomIn a journey through the forgotten highways of north America, Junger explores the trade-off between freedom and security, the unspoken price paid by our ancestors for our present way of life. We continue to pay it. The resulting narrative is reminiscent of Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" and Pirsig's "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" (minus the spectre of mental illness). From pre-history to present the author examines the cost to the individual for civilization and progress, without the romanticism and nostalgia so often endemic in this discussion. Drawing on personal experience Junger discusses the reality of defending "our people" in a globalised world and the ancient instincts that direct our loyalty and trust. A logical extension of themes developed in his earlier books "Tribe" and "War", this is compelling reading for anyone concerned with the trajectory of our society into the near future.

This unique book is best described as part travel journal, part history book, and part philosophy lecture. There is no rigid structure, Junger just alternates back and forth between detailing the perils of walking along the railroads with his group of friends, explaining the history of the American frontier, and contemplating philosophical ideas like the nature of freedom. I found this chaotic style to be very compelling, the book really held my interest and I had to finish it in one sitting. Junger weaves historical data about the area into his description of his journey so naturally, making insightful comparisons and conveying the feelings of his experiences.The book starts off by jumping right into the journey. There is no introduction, forward, preface, or table of contents; Junger just starts with a description of how the landscape changed after his group had traveled past Harrisburg. He does an excellent job of giving you a sense of what it is like on this kind of walking journey, with vivid, gritty descriptions of the environment; the sights, sounds and dangers of the surrounding areas. There is a great deal of Native American history in the book, about not only the areas he passes through, but stories from all over the United States. To illustrate a point about freedom, Junger uses the example of the Apache and Pueblo tribes and their encounters with the Spanish army. He explains that the Pueblo, who lived in more permanent, fortified dwellings were actually conquered much more easily by the Spanish army than the Apache were, as the Apache had almost no possessions and moved quickly over the landscape. He connects this to the idea that nomadic peoples have often been considered to have more freedom than stationary civilizations, and then back to his feelings of personal freedom on his long walking journey.Along the way, Junger and his group have to contend with avoiding police helicopters, dealing with infected blisters, meeting random mysterious people, and getting shot at, among other things. The book is relatively short, at only about 150 pages, but it packs quite a bit into those pages. I felt inspired, anxious, and grateful; all while learning quite a bit about the history of various groups of people. I really enjoyed this book, it was a very unique style of writing, and I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Hardly a book for everyone, especially someone looking for plot thrills and mindless page turning. Really hard to describe this book, since it doesn't fit a category that comes readily to mind: a modern day walking trip that explores history and sociology and political consequences, at times in more depth than you want! But I wanted to read more Junger (I bought all his books, used, on amazon) -- really just for the lyrical writing and word choices and beautiful expression -- craft worth dying for -- that make me feel happy at the possibilities that can be achieved in good writing. And all arising from what I sense is a mature and masculine mindset, a gifted writer.

Interesting journey with lots of historical references. What does freedom entail, who has it and to what ends would you fight for it. Unlike his other books this reads like a journal without much personal context. Still good read

Quick read and a different perspective of what freedom means.

If you enjoy Sebastian Junger's books, listen to him anytime he appears on someone's podcast as I do, then you will enjoy this book. Personally I could listen to Junger talk about re-shingling the roof of his house, because I know he'd find some way to look at the experience from his own brand of historical and philosophical perspective.The quotation from "Freedom" that captures its essence is this - "But the inside joke about freedom.....is that you're always trading obedience to one thing for obedience to another." The vehicle for this observation about freedom is a 400 mile vagabond's type walk he made with friends he's made over the years as a war correspondent - they called their trek "the last patrol." Interwoven throughout Junger's story of the last patrol are various examples throughout history of the interplay between obedience and freedom. IMO, nomadic hunter-gatherers represent the ultimate form of freedom in Junger's thinking, and perhaps the naming of "the last patrol" is an implied homage to the last time Junger anticipates he'll live the free life of a nomad. This inspired a lot of thought regarding freedom and the examples in history, of humanity's struggle with freedom and obedience.This is a very unusual little book - a travelogue that's also a disquisition on an issue of great philosophical importance to humanity. I don't think most writers could've pulled this off, but Junger definitely did, as I plan on giving this book a second reading.Another aspect of this book I loved is its concision. The text of "Freedom" itself comes in at 133 pages. Well over 90% of books out there I find much too verbose, as I wade through what seems like verbal padding whose only purpose is to fulfill some preconceived, irrelevant notion of how long a book should be. Junger writes with Hemingway-like precision - not a word wasted.