First published 2011
Karl Marlantes confronts the brutal realities of combat and the failure to prepare soldiers for war's psychological toll. The author of Matterhorn draws from his own Vietnam experience to examine how ancient cultures used ritual and religion to guide warriors into battle and back to civilian life. Modern soldiers receive no such preparation. Marlantes analyzes the contradictions warriors face daily, where split-second decisions determine who lives and who dies. He describes the religious-like intensity that overtakes fighters in combat. The author grapples openly with killing a young North Vietnamese soldier at close range and the lasting impact of that moment. Through readings spanning Homer to the Mahabharata to Jung, he seeks understanding of war's place in human nature. The book offers both veterans and civilians insight into combat's psychological landscape and the journey toward reconciling with violent experience.
Genres: history, non-fiction, biography-memoir, military-history, academic, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: gritty, psychological
Setting: Vietnam
Period: Vietnam War
257 pages · Hardcover · Atlantic Monthly Press
Content warnings: graphic-violence, violence