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What It Is Like To Go To War
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Check link for latest rating. ( 9,742 ratings, 901 reviews)
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Format: Paperback / softback
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From the author of Matterhorn comes a vivid, visceral examination of what happens to a young man when he is sent into battle, based on Karl's own experiences as a decorated Marine.
From the author of MATTERHORN - 'America's great Vietnam novel' (Sunday Times), 'a novel of astonishing power and insight' (Observer) - comes a vivid, visceral examination of what happens to a young man when he is sent into battle, based on Karl's own experiences as a decorated Marine.
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Description
In 1968, at the age of 22, Karl Marlantes abandoned his Oxford University scholarship to sign up for active service with the US Marine Corps in Vietnam. Pitched into a war that had no defined military objective other than kill ratios and body counts, what he experienced over the next thirteen months in the jungles of South East Asia shook him to the core. But what happened when he came home covered with medals was almost worse. It took Karl four decades to come to terms with what had really happened, during the course of which he painstakingly constructed a fictionalized version of his war, Matterhorn, which has subsequently been hailed as the definitive Vietnam novel.
What It Is Like to Go to War takes us back to Vietnam, but this time there is no fictional veil. Here are the hard-won truths that underpin Matterhorn: the author's real-life experiences behind the book's indelible scenes. But it is much more than this. It is part exorcism of Karl's own experiences of combat, part confession, part philosophical primer for the young man about to enter combat. It is also a devastatingly frank answer to the questions 'What is it like to be a soldier?' 'What is it like to face death?' and 'What is it like to kill someone?'
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Many reviews praise What It Is Like to Go to War for its raw and honest depiction of combat, highlighting the book's powerful insight into the realities and psychological impact of warfare. Critics admire Karl Marlantes' ability to merge storytelling with profound philosophical reflections, offering both veterans and civilians a deeper understanding of what it means to be in battle. The book is noted for its eloquence and bravery in dissecting both the nobility and the brutalities of war.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780857893802
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 01 July 2012
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Corvus
Edition: Main
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 20.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 237g
Pages: 272
About the Author
A graduate of Yale University and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, Karl Marlantes served as a Marine in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals for valor, two Purple Hearts, and ten air medals. Matterhorn, his novel about the Vietnam War, took over three decades to complete and was an international bestseller. He and his wife Anne live on a small lake in western Washington state.
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