This is a powerful book. But not for the faint of heart. And on the anniversary of D-Day, it seems an appropriate book to suggest.

Sebastian Junger, a reporter and author, describes the people and the life on the front lines of battle in Afghanistan. It’s a brutally honest look at the war, the young men who fight the war, and the setting of the war. There are stories that will make the squeamish cringe and put the pacifist on edge.

This is not a political statement about the war. Junger makes a point of how unimportant that is to the men on the front line; they don’t think in terms of geopolitical or ideological outcomes. They can’t think that way because they are fighting for survival. They are fighting for each other.

And that’s what makes the book so powerful. No matter you take on the war, you can read this book and find a deep appreciation for the impact it has on the young men on the front lines. It’s a violent book at times, but it goes deeper than that and explores the impact of war on the human mind. Junger balances the very real results of post traumatic stress disorder with the unique set of values and even character that results from a unit serving together in war.

If you are curious about the primal instincts about human behavior, and if you have ever wondered what drives us to be warriors, this is a must-read book. It makes me very thankful for the men who serve on the front lines, for the men and women who support them, and for the families who suffer when a casualty occurs.