Sebastian Junger

Caught in mountainous seas and hurricane-force winds are the swordfishing fleet from Gloucester, Massachusetts and a sailing yacht. The rescue services cannot locate the swordfishing boat "Andrea Gail", and Captain Billy Tyne and his crew of six are feared lost. This is a simplified adaptation of Sebastian Junger's best-seller about a terrible storm that occurred in 1991. It is an intermediate-level story in a series of ELT readers comprising a wide range of titles - some original and some simplified - from modern and classic novels, and designed to appeal to all age groups, tastes and cultures. The books are divided into five levels: Starter Level, with about 300 basic words, Beginner Level (600 basic words), Elementary Level (1100), Intermediate Level (1600), and Upper Level (2200). Some of the titles are also available on cassette.

ena tohto kusu: 7,17

Ronomovaný americký novinář (např. Dokonalá bouře) se ve své knize věnuje nejextrémnější situaci, ve které se člověk může ocitnout - válce. Sebastian Junger se od roku 2007 do roku 2008 pohyboval řadu měsíců s vojáky americké výsadkářské jednotky v afghánském údolí Korengal, které se považuje za jednu z nejnebezpečnějších frontových oblastí v boji s Talibánem. Spolu s britským fotografem Timem Hetheringtonem doprovázeli vojáky na hlídkách a v zákopech. Zažil zde abstraktní válku - většina vojáků nikdy nepohlédla svým nepřátelům do očí. Všechno viděli jenom z dálky. Jungerovi nešlo při jeho novinářském pátrání o Afghánistán, ani o politiku; vojáci, se kterými se setkával, nikdy nemluvili o politických tématech, která jsou v pozadí této války. "Chtěl jsem zjistit něco jiného," říká Junger, "chtěl jsem vědět, co to dnes znamená, být vojákem." V knize Válka si autor pokládá jednoduché otázky: čím válka fascinuje mladé muže? Jak válka změní člověka, který právě vyšel ze střední školy? Proč se někteří chovají jako čestní muži a jiní jako darebáci? Výsledkem spolupráce Jungera s Timem Hetheringtonem byl také velmi úspěšný film Restrepo, který získal Velkou cenu poroty na filmovém festivalu Sundance. Tim Hetherington zahynul 20. dubna 2011 při bojích v libyjské Misurátě, kde působil jako reportér v občanské válce.

From the author of THE PERFECT STORM and WAR comes a book about why men miss war, why Londoners missed the Blitz, and what we can all learn from American Indian captives who refused to go home.Tribe is a look at post-traumatic stress disorder and the challenges veterans face returning to society. Using his background in anthropology, Sebastian Junger argues that the problem lies not with vets or with the trauma they've suffered, but with the society to which they are trying to return.One of the most puzzling things about veterans who experience PTSD is that the majority never even saw combat-and yet they feel deeply alienated and out of place back home. The reason may lie in our natural inclination, as a species, to live in groups of thirty to fifty people who are entirely reliant on one another for safety, comfort and a sense of meaning: in short, the life of a soldier.It is one of the ironies of the modern age that as affluence rises in a society, so do rates of suicide, depression and of course PTSD. In a wealthy society people don't need to cooperate with one another, so they often lead much lonelier lives that lead to psychological distress. There is a way for modern society to reverse this trend, however, and studying how veterans react to coming home may provide a clue to how to do it. But it won't be easy.

ena tohto kusu: 7,17

Throughout history, humans have been driven by the quest for two cherished ideals: community and freedom. The two don't coexist easily: we value individuality and self-reliance, yet are utterly dependent on community for our most basic needs. In this intricately crafted and thought-provoking book, Sebastian Junger examines this tension that lies at the heart of what it means to be human. For much of a year, Junger and three friends-a conflict photographer and two Afghan war vets-walked the railroad lines of the east coast. It was an experiment in personal autonomy, but also in interdependence. Dodging railroad cops, sleeping under bridges, cooking over fires and drinking from creeks and rivers, the four men forged a unique reliance on one another. In Freedom, Junger weaves his account of this journey together with primatology and boxing strategy, the role of women in resistance movements and apache renegrades, and the brutal reality of life on the Pennsylvania frontier. Written in exquisite, razor-sharp prose, the result is a powerful examination of the primary desire that defines us.