War Is

In a provocative anthology, two editors with opposing viewpoints present an unflinching collection of works reflecting on the nature of war.

Marc Aronson thinks war is inevitable. Patty Campbell thinks war is cruel, deceptive, and wrong. But both agree on one thing: that we need to hear the truthful voices of those who have experienced war firsthand. The result is this collection of essays, memoirs, letters, and fiction from contributors both contemporary and historical—from Christian Bauman’s wrenching “Letter to a Young Enlistee” to Chris Hedges’s direct look at combat to Fumiko Miura’s memoir of Nagasaki. Whether the speaker is Mark Twain, World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle, or a soldier writing a miliblog, these divergent pieces look war straight in the face—and provide an invaluable resource for all of us.