So much of the narrative in this book belies the title. Mr. Hedges expounds on his choice in the introduction, but I think it would be more accurately  titled with  "War As Addiction".

The book reveals that war is madness. that its most brutal effect accomplishes the destruction of the human soul. That seems to be the only certain result of man's ultimate inhumanity to his fellow beings.The reader will find much to reflect upon--
has mankind's progress proceeded technologically, culturally, in spite of the long time line of armed conflict -- and not because of it?

Is our species doomed to extinction by our own devices of war?

Any parents that have a child considering joining the military in order to serve their country, should make sure that they read this book. The glamour of uniforms, embellished history, and the offering of other options for service should be carefully explored and that is more likely to occur if a book such as this is read and discussed in the family.
 
Few will have the opportunity to assuage the intangible damages as

Mr. Hedges has. He was given the opportunity to immerse himself in the study of ancient classic poetry by which he restored his soul. I don't see that being a generally offered veterans' benefit.

The homeless, the maimed, will not find their succor in such erudite pursuits, so what are they to do? Well, they might try reading this book, it may give them some insight into the darkness of depression they may find themselves battling.

They might develop an understanding of  the discomfitures they continue to experience after participating in live combat. If this book can offer them some illumination of their misery then we can forgive Mr. Hedges for the book's title.

A listing of the chapter headings often gives clues to content that a reader may use to decide whether to crack the pages of a specific book so here is a list of them in this work followed by some quotes of specific pages that I marked as I read.

There are seven chapters:

1. The Myth of War

2. The Plague of Nationalism

3.The Destruction of Culture

4.The Seduction of Battle and the Perversion of War

5.The Hijacking and Recovery of Memory

6. The Cause

7. Eros and Thanatos

At the beginning of each Chapter is a famous quotation and this is the one prefacing Chapter 3:

"The first casualty when war comes is truth."

Senator Hiram Johnson 1917

I like to think the best illustration of this is when on page 145 second line: Quote - "The story, when we arrived in Kuwait and were able to check with the doctors at the hospitals, turned out to be false. The story came from a fifteen year-old Kuwaiti who identified herself only as "Nayirah"when she tearfully testified before The Congressional Human Rights Caucus on October 10, 1990....................." End Quote.

This story of the prelude to the first Gulf War is so reminiscent of what sort of lies were peddled by Chalabi to the current administration and which they accepted as truth, that one must wonder how can such a repetition of stupidity happen in such high places. Are they so removed from reality that truth has no resonance?

The inability to assess ourselves as others might see us is illustrated on page 148 when Mr Hedges is exposed to the views of Islamic students in Cairo and their "take" on the Persian Gulf War-------Quote" They saw the Persian Gulf War for what it was, a use of force by a country that consumed 25% of the world's petrol to protect its access to cheap oil. The message that was sent to them was this; We have everything and if you try to take it away from us we will kill you. It was not a message I could dispute." End  Quote.

And on the very next page (149), the narrative about complicities with despotic regimes continues with the reporting of how Damascus, Syria demanded 3 Billion Dollars as the price of providing troops for the first Gulf War ( and does that not also have a sense of deja vu?). None of these provided troops ever participated in the fighting according to Mr Hedges. Well it seems the apple did not fall far from the tree, as again there is is obvious parallel between the two Bush presidencies.

Here is a direct quote from the mentioned page, last paragraph----Quote" Destruction of honest inquiry, the notion that one fact is as good as the next, is one of the most disturbing consequences of war." End Quote.

Isn't this what journalism and the free press is supposed to prevent?

The continued narration on pages 150 and 151 further illuminates the absolution of responsibility.

In the final chapter the author seems to be wrestling still between hope and despair and unwilling to commit to either. On page 158 he states: "War fills our spiritual void." That is not a conclusion that I can support. He attempts to use the opposing poles of Eros/Thanatos to delineate the attractions of war, of it being exhilarating to the point of becoming an addictive elixir. I hope mankind has not become this irredeemable. It can only be hoped that Mr. Hedges will acquire as broad an understanding of love (peace?) that he has attained from his war experiences. 

In the last chapter he also makes mention of former Senator Bob Kerrey and Kerrey's sense of inner burden from the acts of killing he participated in during the Viet Nam undeclared war. In doing this, I think there is a serious omission. Bob Kerrey is now President of New School University in New York and devoting his efforts to turning the world in the direction of peace. See this link for more information:

http://www.newschool.edu/intro/aunivvid.html

This should have been worthy of mention as a counterbalance to show that recovery from the trauma of war can be a directing force in one's life thereafter. It is edifying to know that not everyone succumbs to the seduction of K street after government service.

The book has very graphic descriptions of all the horrors Mr. Hedges witnessed in his fifteen years as a war correspondent in many theaters of operations. It would be beneficial if the majority of Americans would read this book. The knowledge gained would counterbalance the propagandizing occurring regularly in the tightly held and controlled mainstream media today.