Uncertain Ground: Citizenship in an Age of Endless, Invisible War
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- Create Date：2022-05-12 16:21:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Phil Klay
- ISBN：0593299248
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Summary
From the author of Redeployment and Missionaries， an astonishing fever graph of the effects of twenty years of war in a brutally divided America
When Phil Klay left the Marines a decade ago after serving as an officer in Iraq， he found himself a part of the community of veterans who have no choice but to grapple with the meaning of their wartime experiences--for themselves and for the country。 American identity has always been bound up in war--from the revolutionary war of our founding， to the civil war that ended slavery， to the two world wars that launched America as a superpower。 What did the current wars say about who we are as a country， and how should we respond as citizens？
Unlike in previous eras of war， relatively few Americans have had to do any real grappling with the endless， invisible conflicts of the post-9/11 world; in fact， increasingly few people are even aware they are still going on。 It is as if these wars are a dark star with a strong gravitational force that draws a relatively small number of soldiers and their families into its orbit while remaining inconspicuous to most other Americans。 In the meantime， the consequences of American military action abroad may be out of sight and out of mind， but they are very real indeed。
This chasm between the military and the civilian in American life， and the moral blind spot it has created， is one of the great themes of Uncertain Ground， Phil Klay's powerful series of reckonings with some of our country's thorniest concerns， written in essay form over the past ten years。 In the name of what do we ask young Americans to kill， and to die？ In the name of what does this country hang together？ As we see at every turn in these pages， those two questions have a great deal to do with each another， and how we answer them will go a long way toward deciding where our troubled country goes from here。
When Phil Klay left the Marines a decade ago after serving as an officer in Iraq， he found himself a part of the community of veterans who have no choice but to grapple with the meaning of their wartime experiences--for themselves and for the country。 American identity has always been bound up in war--from the revolutionary war of our founding， to the civil war that ended slavery， to the two world wars that launched America as a superpower。 What did the current wars say about who we are as a country， and how should we respond as citizens？
Unlike in previous eras of war， relatively few Americans have had to do any real grappling with the endless， invisible conflicts of the post-9/11 world; in fact， increasingly few people are even aware they are still going on。 It is as if these wars are a dark star with a strong gravitational force that draws a relatively small number of soldiers and their families into its orbit while remaining inconspicuous to most other Americans。 In the meantime， the consequences of American military action abroad may be out of sight and out of mind， but they are very real indeed。
This chasm between the military and the civilian in American life， and the moral blind spot it has created， is one of the great themes of Uncertain Ground， Phil Klay's powerful series of reckonings with some of our country's thorniest concerns， written in essay form over the past ten years。 In the name of what do we ask young Americans to kill， and to die？ In the name of what does this country hang together？ As we see at every turn in these pages， those two questions have a great deal to do with each another， and how we answer them will go a long way toward deciding where our troubled country goes from here。
Reviews
Rachel
，
Phil Klay's latest is a collection of nonfiction essays about war， citizenship and what it means to live in a country that's been continuously at war for two decades when most of the American public is oblivious to or indifferent about that fact。 This was a really insightful read， and if you're familiar with Klay's work from the short story collection Redeployment， you'll find the same thoughtfulness about the meaning of war and the obligation of civilians to consider the moral dimension of war Phil Klay's latest is a collection of nonfiction essays about war， citizenship and what it means to live in a country that's been continuously at war for two decades when most of the American public is oblivious to or indifferent about that fact。 This was a really insightful read， and if you're familiar with Klay's work from the short story collection Redeployment， you'll find the same thoughtfulness about the meaning of war and the obligation of civilians to consider the moral dimension of war familiar。 That said， the nature of an essay collection on one topic is that there's a fair bit of repetition between some of the essays， and I found myself getting a little tired of some of the threads that felt similar between pieces。 Klay's greatest strength is in pushing civilians to consider both what war is like and why we're able to distance ourselves from it， and I think this collection accomplishes that admirably。 。。。more
Kat
，
What a powerful book。 Klay is an engaging， thoughtful， and skilled writer。 These essays touched my heart and expanded my thinking。 As someone who doesn't have any relatives or friends in the military， I appreciated his insights into what it has been like for the past decades。 Americans of all political persuasions would do well to read this collection。 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital review copy。 What a powerful book。 Klay is an engaging， thoughtful， and skilled writer。 These essays touched my heart and expanded my thinking。 As someone who doesn't have any relatives or friends in the military， I appreciated his insights into what it has been like for the past decades。 Americans of all political persuasions would do well to read this collection。 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital review copy。 。。。more
Jan
，
US involvement in 21st century warfare is ignominious at best。 Written by a former （is there such a thing？） US Marine， this is a clear look at what we have done to a generation of soldiers who were sold a bill of goods by a succession of politicians。 It also quietly underscores how this country has betrayed another nation of people who looked to us for help and guidance in defeating their own enemies。 To read this series of essays is to feel a deep sadness for what the US has become and how its US involvement in 21st century warfare is ignominious at best。 Written by a former （is there such a thing？） US Marine， this is a clear look at what we have done to a generation of soldiers who were sold a bill of goods by a succession of politicians。 It also quietly underscores how this country has betrayed another nation of people who looked to us for help and guidance in defeating their own enemies。 To read this series of essays is to feel a deep sadness for what the US has become and how its young brave ones have been reduced to cannon fodder。 We owe the veterans more than the meagre honor they've been given。 This book needs to be read。I requested and received a free ebook copy from PENGUIN GROUP/The Penguin Press via NetGalley。 Thank you！ 。。。more
Sarah
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