Freedom
- Downloads：7855
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-16 12:31:17
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sebastian Junger
- ISBN：1797122258
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Leigh Ann
，
Overall， not a fan。 I liked the idea of the book but feel it was not executed well。 The narratives aren't woven together as the blurb claims; rather， it's a stream of consciousness at best and rambling at worst。 As I was reading， I kept wondering whether the author is having a midlife crisis--which it seems he is！ Much of the history presented throughout this book is shockingly oversimplified， misinterpreted， and even downright incorrect。 Even some of the correct facts are taken out of context a Overall， not a fan。 I liked the idea of the book but feel it was not executed well。 The narratives aren't woven together as the blurb claims; rather， it's a stream of consciousness at best and rambling at worst。 As I was reading， I kept wondering whether the author is having a midlife crisis--which it seems he is！ Much of the history presented throughout this book is shockingly oversimplified， misinterpreted， and even downright incorrect。 Even some of the correct facts are taken out of context and serve to reinforce white Western superiority and authority。 The writing is often idyllic， and although Junger doesn't necessarily romanticize America's bloody history， his language occasionally veers in that direction （e。g。， "white immigrants" rather than invaders or conquerors）。As I mention above， there's a lot of oversimplification of history。 Some claims are factually incorrect （the gendered division of labor is most certainly *not* universal）。 He relies on colonialist narratives to describe "frontier life，" choosing to ignore how the settlers extirpated the indigenous people already living there， burning their homes and fields and stealing their livestock， etc。， and that the indigenous were retaliating。 It was more of a back-and-forth bloodiness instigated by the colonizers。 At the end of the book he lists many of his sources， and I find that a great many of them are outdated， which accounts for some of the issues in the book。 It would have been better if he sought indigenous historians rather than repeating what are often exaggerated and biased works written by outsiders of the language and culture being written about。 For a better overview of indigenous history， Roxanne Dunbar-Ortíz and Andrés Reséndez have both written extensively researched books。A couple of other things bother me throughout the book: Junger usually terms indigenous peoples collectively as "Indians，" sometimes "Natives。" I noticed that often he will refer to indigenous peoples during conflict as "Indians，" which I assume is because the colonists writing about them used that term， and when referencing peaceful traditions and indigenous healing practices， he uses "Natives。" It just rubs me the wrong way。 Also， he shockingly decides to praise "Western society" for deciding that all human brings have the right to freedom。 A） That is not even true （in that if we as a collective society truly valued freedom， we would not allow many of the Western capitalist-perpetrated atrocities we do）， and B） the reason we have international law is largely due to colonialism and the demands of emancipation and independence in our recent history。 The Western world wanted in part to maintain authority over less developed countries （underdeveloped thanks in no small part to colonialism！）。He just seems to be picking and choosing things out of context that best seem to suit his argument at any given point。 For example， Junger claims the Pueblo peoples were easily defeated due to their being sedentary （as opposed to nomadic Apache peoples）， but later goes on to discuss how the Montenegrins， in small guerilla groups， were able to rout an increasing army。 The Montenegrins were also sedentary peoples， but Junger does not explain why one group was more disposed to ward off invaders than the other。 His lack of depth in recounting these histories insinuates that while the Montenegrins chose to fight back against invaders， the Pueblo passively awaited their dooms。 Argument-wise， it's often difficult to see where he's going or how he got there， or how some of this fits into the larger picture。 The discussion on testosterone and aggression seems unrelated to freedom， and more related to conquering， which he ends with what amounts to: "if it weren't for people who oppressed others and for the oppressed who fight the oppressors， we wouldn't know what freedom is。" I'm just not sure what he hoped to accomplish with this work。 。。。more
Jennifer
，
I had previously read Tribe by this author and thought that it made some interesting points， although it was not a great book for me （3-star）， so I signed up for the Goodreads giveaway of Freedom to explore more of his work。 Throughout this very short book， he flits back and forth between a mid-life crisis bromance hiking memoir （some military buddies of his go backpacking with him along a set of railroad tracks while he avoids the topic of his looming divorce） and his musings about a series of I had previously read Tribe by this author and thought that it made some interesting points， although it was not a great book for me （3-star）， so I signed up for the Goodreads giveaway of Freedom to explore more of his work。 Throughout this very short book， he flits back and forth between a mid-life crisis bromance hiking memoir （some military buddies of his go backpacking with him along a set of railroad tracks while he avoids the topic of his looming divorce） and his musings about a series of disparate subjects and events that could be loosely considered to fall under the ambiguous word 'freedom。' The end result just felt erratic and disconnected。 。。。more
Ginni
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This book。 This little book is as grand， ambitious， poetic， and pretentious as Walden， and as maddeningly meandering as Stargirl's mesmerizing "I Might Have Heard a Moa" speech:Like a butterfly， her words fluttered from image to image [。。。] She touched on silver lunch trucks and designer labels and enchanted places [。。。] It was a jumble， it was a mishmash， and somehow she pulled it all together， somehow she threaded every different thing through the voice of a solitary mockingbird singing in the This book。 This little book is as grand， ambitious， poetic， and pretentious as Walden， and as maddeningly meandering as Stargirl's mesmerizing "I Might Have Heard a Moa" speech:Like a butterfly， her words fluttered from image to image [。。。] She touched on silver lunch trucks and designer labels and enchanted places [。。。] It was a jumble， it was a mishmash， and somehow she pulled it all together， somehow she threaded every different thing through the voice of a solitary mockingbird singing in the desert。Freedom is a string of vignettes and musings that may or may not be related to the purported theme of freedom， or to an aimless illegal hiking trip down the nation's train tracks， but somehow always make sense together。 I don't quite know what to make of this book and I like that。（I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway。） 。。。more
Nikunj
，
A scarred man’s midlife crisis homily after walking through the woods to seek wisdom after a divorce。。。The narrative voice - husky and cigarette baritone - provides imagery of a frayed veteran streaming interjected snippets of history warped and wefted through a loose “new universal truth” narrative about ‘freedom’ over at the local tavern — and all you can do is nod your head; there’s no point in debating。 You are there to listen。 The 3 essays are a quick read and have some interesting insights A scarred man’s midlife crisis homily after walking through the woods to seek wisdom after a divorce。。。The narrative voice - husky and cigarette baritone - provides imagery of a frayed veteran streaming interjected snippets of history warped and wefted through a loose “new universal truth” narrative about ‘freedom’ over at the local tavern — and all you can do is nod your head; there’s no point in debating。 You are there to listen。 The 3 essays are a quick read and have some interesting insights on the region depicted （mostly rural Pennsylvania） and the nomadic way of life that will likely be appealing to minimalists and weekend warriors to the woods。 。。。more
Shannon
，
I live where the Juniata River runs into the Susquehanna so I was excited to read this book from page one。 I find reading about places local to me that I am familiar with interesting。 This book ended up being one of my favorites so far this year。 I loved the bits of history about varied topics and the glimpses Junger gives into his journey along the railroad。 It was well written and I definitely will be reading his backlist。
Anne Hart
，
I kept thinking about how many times Sebastian reiterated， in the book Freedom， the fear of being arrested for being on a train track。 I didn’t know you could be arrested！ We have to many train tracks in our little town which we all walk over everyday。 Freedom is a memoir， part history and part self-help。 He treks across Pennsylvania by following the railroads。 I kept turning the pages faster and faster wondering if he was going to get run over by a train， drown， starve to death， or be killed by I kept thinking about how many times Sebastian reiterated， in the book Freedom， the fear of being arrested for being on a train track。 I didn’t know you could be arrested！ We have to many train tracks in our little town which we all walk over everyday。 Freedom is a memoir， part history and part self-help。 He treks across Pennsylvania by following the railroads。 I kept turning the pages faster and faster wondering if he was going to get run over by a train， drown， starve to death， or be killed by a gang！ Freedom is like Wild by Cheryl Strayed meets Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer。 Freedom goes on sale May 18， 2021 from Simon & Schuster。 I’m thankful they blessed me with this advanced copy。 。。。more
Liz
，
I kept thinking about how many times Sebastian reiterated， in the book Freedom， the fear of being arrested for being on a train track。 I didn’t know you could be arrested！ We have to many train tracks in our little town which we all walk over everyday。 Freedom is a memoir， part history and part self-help。 He treks across Pennsylvania by following the railroads。 I kept turning the pages faster and faster wondering if he was going to get run over by a train， drown， starve to death， or be killed by I kept thinking about how many times Sebastian reiterated， in the book Freedom， the fear of being arrested for being on a train track。 I didn’t know you could be arrested！ We have to many train tracks in our little town which we all walk over everyday。 Freedom is a memoir， part history and part self-help。 He treks across Pennsylvania by following the railroads。 I kept turning the pages faster and faster wondering if he was going to get run over by a train， drown， starve to death， or be killed by a gang！ Freedom is like Wild by Cheryl Strayed meets Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer。 Freedom goes on sale May 18， 2021 from Simon & Schuster。 I’m thankful they blessed me with this advanced copy。 。。。more
Brenda
，
Freedom provides excellent food for thought。 As we journey with Junger along the railways and riverways of Pennsylvania we delve into the idea and ideal of freedom and what it means to each of us。 Along the way we veer off the beaten path into the lives of the early settlers， the French & Indian War， boxing， and the Easter Rising in Ireland and come back full circle to continue on our path to Freedom。 Are any of us truly free？ Would you trade safety for more freedom， or are you content to follow Freedom provides excellent food for thought。 As we journey with Junger along the railways and riverways of Pennsylvania we delve into the idea and ideal of freedom and what it means to each of us。 Along the way we veer off the beaten path into the lives of the early settlers， the French & Indian War， boxing， and the Easter Rising in Ireland and come back full circle to continue on our path to Freedom。 Are any of us truly free？ Would you trade safety for more freedom， or are you content to follow society's rules for the benefits of community？ This little powerhouse of a book is at once a relaxing， meditative walk along the tracks while also providing a starting point for great， in depth conversations on what it means to be free。 Highly enjoyed， and highly recommended。 。。。more
Julie Mink
，
An eye opening look at Freedom through history and something to think about in our current chaotictimes。Sebastian Junger， the author， and three friends hiked through Pennsylvania following the the railroad lines through the mountain passes toward the Eastern Continental divide。 They carried what they needed in their packs and slept under bridges and in any structures they could find。 They would sometimes stop in small towns for a meal but mostly they cooked over fires on the way。 He discusses ho An eye opening look at Freedom through history and something to think about in our current chaotictimes。Sebastian Junger， the author， and three friends hiked through Pennsylvania following the the railroad lines through the mountain passes toward the Eastern Continental divide。 They carried what they needed in their packs and slept under bridges and in any structures they could find。 They would sometimes stop in small towns for a meal but mostly they cooked over fires on the way。 He discusses how Freedom is defined since the start of civilization。 While they had what they needed or could buyit along the way， there was an interdependency between them。 We all want Freedom in our lives but we are also interdependent。 This book gave me greater insight into early settlers in this country and how they did or did not coexist with the other people around them It made early American history more real to me and opened my eyes to how we maintain our freedom。it is a short but a very interesting read。 I recommend it to any one interest in history。 。。。more
Frank Romans
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Good book。 A man and his group of friends walk the railroad lines through Pennsylvania， contrasting to historical events。 Entertaining。
Diane S ☔
，
3。5 An meandering exposition on what freedom means to different people and cultures。 Over a year， off and on， Junger with 8 different people， follows the railroad line from DC to Western Pa。 The people he meets， the hardships he encounters， nature， and musing on the freedom sought by the first settlers， the native Americans be others。Essays really， there is no set format to this book， as he wanders talking about what he sees， encounters， his mind also wanders to history and other things。 I enjoy 3。5 An meandering exposition on what freedom means to different people and cultures。 Over a year， off and on， Junger with 8 different people， follows the railroad line from DC to Western Pa。 The people he meets， the hardships he encounters， nature， and musing on the freedom sought by the first settlers， the native Americans be others。Essays really， there is no set format to this book， as he wanders talking about what he sees， encounters， his mind also wanders to history and other things。 I enjoy his writing and as you read this， my advice is just to go with the flow of his words。 Don't try to figure out where they are from， nor where they're going。 Interesting if less cohesive。ARC from Edelweiss。 。。。more
Bruce Katz
，
3。5 Someone on GR described this short book as more a collection of three long essays than a unified whole。 That sounds about right。 Junger's a very good writer， no question about it。 I'm struggling to find a way to talk about this book。 The first thing that came to mind was， think Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" then take away all the humor， slapstick， buffoonery and。。。 never mind。 Think of a different book entirely。 No， I'll go with the word "virile。" This is a book that feels like parts of it 3。5 Someone on GR described this short book as more a collection of three long essays than a unified whole。 That sounds about right。 Junger's a very good writer， no question about it。 I'm struggling to find a way to talk about this book。 The first thing that came to mind was， think Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" then take away all the humor， slapstick， buffoonery and。。。 never mind。 Think of a different book entirely。 No， I'll go with the word "virile。" This is a book that feels like parts of it were written in testosterone。 I don't say that as criticism， I really don't。 "Freedom" is a three-part account of Junger's long walk with some other men -- sometimes only one other， sometimes more: veterans， a combat photographer -- as they follow railroad lines in Pennsylvania and parts of Maryland and Ohio。 They cover many miles， sleep in the open， roll their own cigarettes， try to stay out of sight from railroad workers， police， and locals。 （There are places along the way where they find lots of brass casings left by people who shoot at the trains as they go by。" Occasionally stopping in a small town for a burger but otherwise roughing it。 They call themselves "the Last Patrol。"Ostensibly， the notion of Freedom is what unifies the three sections （called， respectively， "Run，" "Fight，" and "Think"）， and I suppose that is what the book is， though it won't be perceived that way by everyone。 Still， it's not at all polemical， and like all Junger's writing， it's smart， honest， and direct。 The book brings together the author's experiences walking the miles， meeting people （not many） along the way， meditating on the idea of freedom in all its permutations， throwing in lots of regional history （Indian wars， the hardship of settlers）， and warfare。 And boxing strategy and primate behavior。 And the price of freedom in a modern democracy。 "Freedom" is one of those rare books that had a visceral immediacy to me。 I found myself feeling grateful as hell that I'm alive now and not in the 17th or 18th centuries。 Or before。 I would not have fared well。 Also， I found myself wondering why the hell anyone would put themselves through something like this。 Near the end of the book， we learn why。Early on， he describes an encounter with an old white guy outside Lancaster， Pennsylvania， one very cold morning。 When the man asks if he can join them on their trek -- you have the sense he just wants to get the hell out of his life -- Junger says no。 As he and his buddies walk away， Junger thinks: He didn't need us in order to walk out his own front door， but lots of things that look like freedom when you're with other people are just a form of exile when you're alone， and vagrancy might be one of them。 But the inside joke about freedom -- he would have found out soon enough -- is that you're always trading obedience to one thing for obedience to another。There's nothing cynical intended in his phrasing it this way。 To Junger， it's about balance， and honesty beyond the sloganeering and posturing。 It's clear that he is writing in response to the political and cultural stresses of our time， particularly the demands for Freedom！ in the context of face masks and storming the Capitol and so on。 Junger's not having any of it。 "For most of human history，" he writes， "freedom had to be at least suffered for if not died for， and that raised its value to something almost sacred。" He continues: In modern democracies， however， an ethos of public sacrifice is rarely needed because freedom and survival are more or less guaranteed。 That is a great blessing but allows people to believe that any sacrifice at all -- rationing water during a drought， for example -- are forms of tyranny。 They are no more forms of tyranny than rationing water on a lifeboat。 The idea that we can enjoy the benefits of society while owing nothing in return is literally infantile。 Only children owe nothing。 He backs this up with some rather harrowing stories of settlers who were absolutely reliant upon one another for survival。 And equally harrowing stories of people -- men and women -- having to work together to achieve safe conditions in workplaces and on railways。 There is， in fact， a great deal in the book that speaks -- impatiently -- to our time。 This in particular: "In any society， leaders who aren't willing to make sacrifices aren't leaders， they're opportunists， and opportunists rarely have the common good in mind。 They're easy to spot， though: opportunists lie reflexively， blame others for failures， and are unapologetic cowards。"As I said， Junger is a really good writer。 "Freedom" would make a really good gift for guys who don't particularly like reading but could use a bit of perspective in their lives -- historical， social， and cultural。 I mean this as a compliment。 Junger's point is elemental: The things that had to happen out there were so clear and simple -- eat， walk， hide， sleep -- that just getting through the day felt like scripture: a true and honest accounting of everything that underlies the frantic performance of life。 "Scripture": that's "the world letting you know where you stood。"In "Freedom，" Junger goes a long way in letting us see the world in which we stand。 Not by lecturing us but by showing how freedom and responsibility are two sides of a single coin。 By the way， his earlier book "Tribe" is an extraordinary book。 I recommend it highly。My thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing an advance digital copy in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Tim Joseph
，
More of a collection of 3 essays looking at Freedom from different perspectives， Junger outlines the way freedom has shaped humanity's movements， their fighting spirit， and the way we think。 More of a collection of 3 essays looking at Freedom from different perspectives， Junger outlines the way freedom has shaped humanity's movements， their fighting spirit， and the way we think。 。。。more
Maureen
，
Probably closer to 4。5 stars but I am an acolyte of Junger’s and am always thrilled to read his every written word。
Chris Cardenas
，
I was hoping for more。 Probably would have been 2 stars but there were definitely a few high points that saved it for me。
Danielle
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