Nonfiction

Freedom

Freedom

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  • Create Date：2021-08-01 09:51:15
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Sebastian Junger
  • ISBN：1982153415
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Summary

A profound rumination on the concept of freedom from the New York Times bestselling author of Tribe。

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 the 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 history of labor strikes and Apache raiders， the role of women in resistance movements， 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。

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Reviews

Bethia ，

What a thoughtful examination of "freedom"！ What a thoughtful examination of "freedom"！ 。。。more

Jt O'Neill ，

I really enjoyed Tribe by Sebastian Junger and so was ready to dive into this new book of his。 Overall， I would say it was an interesting read although， as others have noted， he rambles。 As another reviewer commented， it does remind me of something Bill Bryson would write， only without the humor。 It feels as if there were three things going on in this book。 First， a thread that runs through the pages is a narrative about his experiences of walking along the railroad lines of the East Coast。 That I really enjoyed Tribe by Sebastian Junger and so was ready to dive into this new book of his。 Overall， I would say it was an interesting read although， as others have noted， he rambles。 As another reviewer commented， it does remind me of something Bill Bryson would write， only without the humor。 It feels as if there were three things going on in this book。 First， a thread that runs through the pages is a narrative about his experiences of walking along the railroad lines of the East Coast。 That was interesting to me and I enjoyed reading about his encounters along the way。 His account also made me get out maps and look at the territory he references。 A second focus of the book was history/social sciences。 I loved that part even if it did feel kind of random。 He talks about Apache raiders， the Trail of Tears， the brutal life of the early pioneers ， the role of women in resistance movements， steelworkers' strike， some primatology， the hunter/gatherer societies， and even some boxing strategy。 I wasn't really sure why the topic might have been introduced and discussed but the text was engaging to me。The third focus of the book is an on again / off again conversation about the word freedom。 What does freedom really mean？ Here's the problem for me。 I walked away not really knowing much more than I did going in。 He talks about the intersection of individual freedoms and the impact of government。 He muses on the acquisition of wealth。 Does having money equal freedom or is a life of poverty more conducive to freedom？ Were the hunter/gatherer societies more free than the agrarian societies？ He inserts comments on the subject of freedom throughout the book but I needed a more cohesive and unified discussion to really carry much away。 But that's me。 I'm maybe not the brightest bulb in he box so don't count on my assessment。 Try the book yourself。 The discussions might well be complete for you。 。。。more

Terri ，

This is the second book of Sebastian Junger's I have read and his grasp of the human condition is amazing as is his ability to express it in words。 I knew I would not be disappointed when I decided to listen to this。 This is the second book of Sebastian Junger's I have read and his grasp of the human condition is amazing as is his ability to express it in words。 I knew I would not be disappointed when I decided to listen to this。 。。。more

S。A。 Klopfenstein ，

I've been a fan of Junger's writing for quite a while， so I picked this one up quick。 It's hard not to compare it to Tribe， since it felt like he was aiming for something in a similar vein。 The story itself was interesting--Junger and a small group of vets trekking illegally along the train tracks through the rural towns and backwoods of Pennsylvania--and I enjoyed the ruminations on freedom sprinkled throughout。 Junger really focused on the dance we are forced to play between complete autonomy I've been a fan of Junger's writing for quite a while， so I picked this one up quick。 It's hard not to compare it to Tribe， since it felt like he was aiming for something in a similar vein。 The story itself was interesting--Junger and a small group of vets trekking illegally along the train tracks through the rural towns and backwoods of Pennsylvania--and I enjoyed the ruminations on freedom sprinkled throughout。 Junger really focused on the dance we are forced to play between complete autonomy and a dependence on society and community in general。But this book lacked a focus that really set Tribe apart。 There were times that Junger would talk about something for a few pages before it was clear how it connected to his overall idea， and that weakened the book a little for me。 But the meandering also kind of fit the mood of the book and the rail journey itself。Overall， I enjoyed wandering with him and thinking about the complexities of freedom throughout history， as well as today。 。。。more

Brian ，

A--what？--travelogue， history lesson， existential meditation？ Not sure， but it's brief and beautifully conceived and executed。 A--what？--travelogue， history lesson， existential meditation？ Not sure， but it's brief and beautifully conceived and executed。 。。。more

Leah Clifford ，

I wanted this to be longer， to give him more room to talk about his time riding the rails。 Everything in the book is interested， and it's great， I just thought going in that this was going to be more about he and his friends on trains instead of the history of how humans view freedom。 I wanted this to be longer， to give him more room to talk about his time riding the rails。 Everything in the book is interested， and it's great， I just thought going in that this was going to be more about he and his friends on trains instead of the history of how humans view freedom。 。。。more

Scott R。 Bader ，

Lots of detailA very unbiased book （everythibg is theses days）with lots of detail （sometimes too much imo） but a very enjoyable book。

Jay Leeck ，

Go walking too long and you'll come home to find kids you didn't know you had。。。and who don't look like you。 Ask Daniel Boone。 So I'll live vicariously through my books for now。 I'd like to walk at least part of the AT someday before I'm too old to do it。In 2012， Junger and a few friends spent a year walking the rails in the eastern U。S。 He covers everything from the Iroquois confederacy and the Apaches and the Mongol nomads and Vice Lords to trains and railroads and illusory freedom and asymmet Go walking too long and you'll come home to find kids you didn't know you had。。。and who don't look like you。 Ask Daniel Boone。 So I'll live vicariously through my books for now。 I'd like to walk at least part of the AT someday before I'm too old to do it。In 2012， Junger and a few friends spent a year walking the rails in the eastern U。S。 He covers everything from the Iroquois confederacy and the Apaches and the Mongol nomads and Vice Lords to trains and railroads and illusory freedom and asymmetric warfare。 And has a packing list in case you decide to hit the road。 Read Junger's "War" years ago （recommended） and then watched "Restrepo。" DNF his "Tribe" but may go back and check it out。 I'd recommend this short （two day） book。 Just saw - as I was looking for second photo - that there is an HBO doc called 'The Last Patrol" for those too lazy to read。 As an aside， Junger's not a believer and a lot of his theories are based on evolution。 He recently shared a near death experience （on a podcast） where he was bleeding out internally on a surgery table and saw his late father in a black hole pleading for him to "Go back！" He's still not a believer as far as I know。 。。。more

Maria ，

This time around， I'm enjoying very manly/testosterone-y bro books during my third trimester。 It's out of character， and I think my mind is trying to briefly escape my uncomfortably feminine body！ Next up， Shop Craft as Soul Craft。 This time around， I'm enjoying very manly/testosterone-y bro books during my third trimester。 It's out of character， and I think my mind is trying to briefly escape my uncomfortably feminine body！ Next up， Shop Craft as Soul Craft。 。。。more

Jonathan ，

Junger is always worth reading， and this short work is no exception。 But it's a weird little book--so strangely mashed-up。 There's his own narrative of walking the railways and experiencing that form of personal freedom， but mixed in are all these historical observations about what makes societies more or less free， and how we trade freedom for security， and how democracy tries （sometimes unsuccessfully） to balance the two。 All of it is interesting， but it just seems like a hodge-podge without a Junger is always worth reading， and this short work is no exception。 But it's a weird little book--so strangely mashed-up。 There's his own narrative of walking the railways and experiencing that form of personal freedom， but mixed in are all these historical observations about what makes societies more or less free， and how we trade freedom for security， and how democracy tries （sometimes unsuccessfully） to balance the two。 All of it is interesting， but it just seems like a hodge-podge without any tight narrative or thematic flow。 。。。more

Korey ，

Sort of a Sapiens take on Freedom。 Disconnected but entertaining。

Tom ，

The story of a group of men who travel by foot on the railways in eastern U。S。 in the valley of the Juniata River。 Junger eventually tells us that he is going though a divorce， but little else is revealed about why they are taking this journey。 the title infers that at least he was engaged in thinking about the meaning of freedom。 We learn that most of the men did military service and， given what Junger wrote in Tribe， we are left to guess that they were seeking the intense relationships they ha The story of a group of men who travel by foot on the railways in eastern U。S。 in the valley of the Juniata River。 Junger eventually tells us that he is going though a divorce， but little else is revealed about why they are taking this journey。 the title infers that at least he was engaged in thinking about the meaning of freedom。 We learn that most of the men did military service and， given what Junger wrote in Tribe， we are left to guess that they were seeking the intense relationships they had experienced there。 Against that interpretation is that we learn nothing whatsoever about his companions。The book is divided into three sections: Run， Fight， Think。 Each section is a mix of the description of their journey and reflections， both historical and philosophical。I enjoyed this short book， but not as much as Tribe。 。。。more

Linda Hartlaub ，

Disclaimer: I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway。You remember Kris Kristofferson's lyrics from "Me and Bobby McGee": Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose。 That's one view of Freedom。 But ask someone who is a refugee from political violence， someone who knows their ancestor's story of enslavement， someone who wants to cast their vote， someone who is trapped in an abusive relationship， and you will receive differing answers to what freedom means to them。Sebastian Junge Disclaimer: I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway。You remember Kris Kristofferson's lyrics from "Me and Bobby McGee": Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose。 That's one view of Freedom。 But ask someone who is a refugee from political violence， someone who knows their ancestor's story of enslavement， someone who wants to cast their vote， someone who is trapped in an abusive relationship， and you will receive differing answers to what freedom means to them。Sebastian Junger set out on his own trek to find freedom with friends as they walked the train tracks through （mostly） Western Pennsylvania。 For such a slim book， he covers a vast amount of history， geography and sociology as he pens his reminiscences of his trip。 The book is divided into three sections: Run， Fight and Think。 Run: He covers the difference between the hunting societies vs。 gatherers， including how genetics may play a part in the differing methods of sustainability。 How people evolve with the onset of agriculture。 He writes of indigenous peoples and some of the atrocities that they inflicted on their captives and enemies （don't read this section before eating）。 How nomadic societies can be free from despotism and other harsh political governing bodies， a reflection of historians and their belief that the Great Wall of China may have been built more to keep the population inside China rather than raiding hordes out， the Vice Lords of Chicago and tidbits on Daniel Boone and his wife that were never taught in school！Fight: This section includes historical perspectives on the settling of the Western boundaries of the United States by the Dutch， Irish， Germans and Scotch-Irish who were often exempted from taxes in exchange for being the buffer between the warring bands of Natives and "civilization。" He recounts the trek through this area that is still more wilderness than urban， sleeping under bridges， prepared for a potential fight with locals， sleeping with knives in their boots， dousing lights so as not to be seen by others， and the debate as to whether to stay and fight for their possessions or whether to leave them and disband。 He brings in such diverse subjects as the siege of Masada， the Ottoman Empire and human dominance patterns and weaves these subjects subtly into his story of the trek through the wilds。 Think: This section includes such diverse subjects as the the tendency of groups who organize well to thwart the dominance of other also dominate other groups （i。e。， the Founding Fathers and slavery）， the Irish Easter Rising， how women lend a moral legitimacy to protests， the mill strikes in Lawrence， Massachusetts and the steel strikes around Pittsburgh。 Throughout he writes of the trains， the use of the tracks as a map to the area， how it is still illegal to be on railroad property （ask my husband）， the kindness of some railroad cops and the harshness of others， devastating train accidents， and the theme of democracy that runs throughout the book: "At the heart of most stable governments is a willingness to share power with people you disagree with - and may even hate。" Currently， the United States is in deep trouble with respect to this statement。 And the one thought that I wholeheartedly agree with - "One of God's great oversights is that dogs don't live as long as men。" Amen。This book is a hidden treasure and I recommend it highly。 。。。more

Matt Cannon ，

This is a short read， but it packs some solid lessons in few words。 I recommend listening to Sebastian Junger's recent interview with Tim Ferriss https://tim。blog/2021/05/11/sebastian。。。 before reading the book as I feel the interview enriched my reading experience。 This is a short read， but it packs some solid lessons in few words。 I recommend listening to Sebastian Junger's recent interview with Tim Ferriss https://tim。blog/2021/05/11/sebastian。。。 before reading the book as I feel the interview enriched my reading experience。 。。。more

Brent ，

I'll be rereading， after returning to some earlier work by Junger， and， I hope， watching a film/video version of this he alludes to at end of bibliographic essay/acknowledgements。 There he also says these ruminations come， as ruminations can， at end of messy relationship。Nevertheless， the musings， very general， range topics of cultures， communities， and relationships to each other in competition， nature， and history。 This alternates with the details of hiding out on a railroad walk across most o I'll be rereading， after returning to some earlier work by Junger， and， I hope， watching a film/video version of this he alludes to at end of bibliographic essay/acknowledgements。 There he also says these ruminations come， as ruminations can， at end of messy relationship。Nevertheless， the musings， very general， range topics of cultures， communities， and relationships to each other in competition， nature， and history。 This alternates with the details of hiding out on a railroad walk across most of Pennsylvania， together with some like-minded friends， like-trained and willing to experience。 Daunting， that。Recommended; thanks to Fulton County Public Library for the loan。Goodreads list of sources & references （not including journal articles & personal or email correspondance）， here: https://www。goodreads。com/list/show/1。。。 。。。more

Eric ，

3。53 essays with some thematic ties。

Bruce Sembar ，

The book was much more interesting when the author was relating the history of how people evolved in relationship to each other than following him and his group's trek。 The book was much more interesting when the author was relating the history of how people evolved in relationship to each other than following him and his group's trek。 。。。more

Jim Lee ，

Quick read， very interesting， impossible to put down！

Ryan ，

What an odd book。 In his last works， War and Tribe， Sebastian Junger documents what it was like to be deployed in Afghanistan as a combat journalist and what PTSD was like upon returning to the USA。 （War is often boring， often restless， and often thrilling while return is often lonely and isolating。） I read Freedom as a more existential text， but Junger still wants it to have some of the meditative weight of Tribe。 In Freedom， Junger and a group of other men， who appear to be either combat journ What an odd book。 In his last works， War and Tribe， Sebastian Junger documents what it was like to be deployed in Afghanistan as a combat journalist and what PTSD was like upon returning to the USA。 （War is often boring， often restless， and often thrilling while return is often lonely and isolating。） I read Freedom as a more existential text， but Junger still wants it to have some of the meditative weight of Tribe。 In Freedom， Junger and a group of other men， who appear to be either combat journalists or veterans， walk 400 miles around Pennsylvania （not all at once， Junger explains） railroad tracks on their "Last Patrol。" Along the way， Junger meditates on freedom。-Are people free if they depend on things？-Are they free if they live in a socially stratified or racist society？-What forms of democratic diffusions of power allow for freedom？-What is the nature of the freedom a person obtains in divorce？ My favorite parts were the passages from the long walk。 But this is otherwise an unusual book， imho， and therefore worth reading。Notes （view spoiler）[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 […] is that you’re always trading obedience to one thing for obedience to another。 17Soldiers， firefighters， and criminal gangs are notorious for the ordeals they put novices through in order to find out who they can count on。 For those who pass the test， belonging to such a group can feel wildly liberating even though it must be one of the most oppressive forms of government ever devised。 The balancing act—a great freedom through an even greater loyalty—can be hard for people who have never been under serious threat to understand。 18-19For most of human history， freedom had to be at least suffered for， if not died for， and that raised its value to something almost sacred。 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 government tyranny。 33-4We’d all been in a certain amount of combat and there was something about our endeavor—the simplicity， the hardship， the proximity of death—that reminded us of those days。 Most of the trip was done in segments over the course of a year。 Halfway through， one man dropped out and others later filled in; one section was just two of us。 We called our trip “the Last Patrol，” and it seemed like a long hard weird thing to do until we were actually out there， when suddenly it was so obvious that we rarely even caught ourselves wondering why we were doing it。 76The word freedom comes from vridom， which means “beloved” in medieval German， and is thought to reflect the idea that only people in one’s immediate group were considered worthy of having rights or protection。 Outsiders， on the other hand， could be tortured， enslaved， or killed at will。 This was true for most of human history， and neither law nor religion nor common decency held otherwise。 77-8The trip was over。 I was fifty-one years old， I had no children， and I was in the process of getting divorced。 In four hundred miles I’d never mentioned that to the other men， and they had never brought it up。 Another man was also getting divorced but had never mentioned it， either。 The trip was an escape from that， a temporary injunction against whatever was coming。 But a few times in your life you arrive at a place where your future has been waiting for you all along， and Connellsville was that place for me。 It was time to go home。 It was time to face my life。 133（hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Roger Elmore ，

I received a free copy of this book from a Good Reads giveaway。 There is plenty of interesting information including Native American territories， feudal groups， and the Irish independence。 Junger spends an extended chapter on the topics Run， Fight， and Think。 Each topic is linked to a historical view of Freedom。 His personal narrative about hiking across Eastern train tracks continues through each chapter。 3。5 stars

Joe ，

Another quick read from Junger exploring an aspect of human culture。 Freedom is held up as a cultural aspiration， yet the reality is much more nuanced。 Some freedoms are granted or restricted by the government but more often we choose to forgo certain freedoms for the sake of comfort and community。 This book helped me to step back and reflect on the freedoms I cherish and the ones I give up and why。

Jake ，

3/5Nice and compact， this book talks about what freedom is to him and some historical context。 I am not wild about it but still glad I read it。

Martin Kilkenny ，

A very fast read， I wished it was a longer book。 Good mix of personal story and history， history I knew very little about。

David Quijano ，

I heard Sebastian Junger on the Joe Rogan podcast， and found him to be fairly interesting。 Junger has written several several books， some of them rather well known， though I haven't read any of them。 In his most recent book， Freedom， Junger plays with the ideas of individualism vs community and freedom vs oppression。 He uses some rather obscure anecdotes to show how humans， unlike other animals， can defeat larger and more powerful individual or groups and how that is necessary for freedom。I list I heard Sebastian Junger on the Joe Rogan podcast， and found him to be fairly interesting。 Junger has written several several books， some of them rather well known， though I haven't read any of them。 In his most recent book， Freedom， Junger plays with the ideas of individualism vs community and freedom vs oppression。 He uses some rather obscure anecdotes to show how humans， unlike other animals， can defeat larger and more powerful individual or groups and how that is necessary for freedom。I listened to the audiobook of Freedom after listening to the Joe Rogan episode and honestly I found the podcast to be more compelling than the book which seemed a bit disjointed and incomplete。 The book starts off with Junger on a walk with some buddies along various railroads in the northeast。 He uses this experience as analogy for the ideas presented in the book。 It kind of works， but I also thought basic information about the trip and his companions were missing。 I don't think the tie-in with the rest of the themes of the book was explicit enough。 I felt like he started the book expecting every reader to know exactly who he was， what he was doing， and why it was significant。 Without listening to the Joe Rogan podcast first， I think I might have been completely lost。Junger has two main themes in this book， the first being the idea of community vs the individual。 He has some interesting things to say on this， although most of it wasn't particularly original。 He notes that no one is truly independent of others despite people acting as if they were。 As an example， few people grow their own food， make their own clothes， or build their own houses。 No one builds their own cars， refines their own gasoline， or makes their own TV。 Yet， despite our dependence on each other， individual rights are what really separate modern society from our not too distant ancestors。The other idea he plays with is how individuals or groups， can defeat a larger and/or stronger oppressive person/group。 Junger distills the various strategies to running， fighting， and out-thinking the oppressor。 This was by far the more interesting aspect of the book and Junger presents a few interesting anecdotes of examples where underdogs defeated superior forces in various ways。 He talks about how a smaller fighter can defeat a larger one， something that really irked Rogan during his podcast。 Rogan argued that there were weight classes which proved size does matter。 This is a perfect example of how this book could have been a lot better had a little more thought gone into it。 The existence of weight classes doesn't disprove Junger's point。 All it means is that all if all things are equal， significant size differences can be a huge advantage or disadvantage。 The obvious retort to this is that humans don't fight fair。 The closest thing we have to a fair fight is in the relatively sterile environment of organized sports。 In a real fight， a small woman could pull a gun and kill the strongest man who ever lived。 Where this argument is most interesting is where he talks about it at a larger scale。 Junger notes that superior armies often lose to underfunded， undermanned， ragtag forces。 He doesn't get into too much detail about any particular conflict， but I think he still makes his point。In the end， the material presented in this book was more suited for an essay or a single podcast。 Had he done a deeper dive in a few of these anecdotes and expanded on his personal journey， I think this could of have been a great book。 As presented， it is more of an outline or a rough draft。 Two stars。 Skip this and listen to Joe Rogan's podcast with him instead。 。。。more

CHAD FOSTER ，

Human freedom is a complex concept。 It is too often manipulated， misunderstood， misrepresented， neglected， and defiled for nefarious and cynical purposes。 This book explores the concept （and reality） of freedom through a personal account of traveling by foot along the fringes of society。 During this journey， the author observes （and experiences firsthand） the delicate balance between individual liberty and responsibility - between the theoretical and the practical。This book is especially relevan Human freedom is a complex concept。 It is too often manipulated， misunderstood， misrepresented， neglected， and defiled for nefarious and cynical purposes。 This book explores the concept （and reality） of freedom through a personal account of traveling by foot along the fringes of society。 During this journey， the author observes （and experiences firsthand） the delicate balance between individual liberty and responsibility - between the theoretical and the practical。This book is especially relevant to our current political discourse as we struggle to come to grips with the balance between our personal freedoms and our responsibilities to other humans。 I can see misguided right-wing pundits mistaking Junger’s words as an endorsement of their intellectually lazy take on freedom that is， in reality， merely an empty embrace of personal convenience。 Equally wrong would be a self-righteous left wing interpretation of this book as being a justification of intrusive collective overreach into the lives of individuals。 The views from the extreme “right” or “left” miss the more nuanced insights that this book provides for those who actually want to find them。Absolute freedom is， for all intents and purposes， an unattainable aspiration。 Societal participation is a necessity for those who would not live in a world governed completely by the Hobbesian “all against all” rule of nature。 Likewise， absolute subservience to the collective is neither desirable nor healthy for the human mind and spirit。 Despite all of this， it is the aspiration that keeps us driving toward growth and learning。 This is why it is correct to think of the United States as an “aspiration，” an idea to which we， as citizens， continually strive。 By thinking in this way， we are able to see that aspiration without conscience is a poison - just as freedom without responsibility is a fool’s errand。 。。。more

Coleman Ross ，

OK。 For me， not as good as "Tribe。" OK。 For me， not as good as "Tribe。" 。。。more

Jesse D ，

A pretty quick read and similar to ‘Tribe’。 Junger incorporates a personal annotation of his experience and intermingles it with stories from modern times and antiquity which is a good storytelling technique but in this instance didn’t quite impress。 Overall a decent read。

Dean Lloyd ，

I found Freedom to be a charming little book。 Full of imagery and metaphor and interwoven with historical context。 It made me think， made me reflect， precisely what a book should do。

Brian ，

Although the focus was not as I expected， I do not regret reading it。 Freedom by Sebastian Junger is a quick read covering the author's own 21st century vagabond walk through parts of America， during which he reflects upon the freedom of various human groups through history， especially groups living in North America。 The combination of engaging descriptions of his own experiences， combined with his historical and scientific research on human wandering， apparently his ideal of complete freedom， w Although the focus was not as I expected， I do not regret reading it。 Freedom by Sebastian Junger is a quick read covering the author's own 21st century vagabond walk through parts of America， during which he reflects upon the freedom of various human groups through history， especially groups living in North America。 The combination of engaging descriptions of his own experiences， combined with his historical and scientific research on human wandering， apparently his ideal of complete freedom， was entertaining。In some ways， this book appears to have been Junger's own cathartic meditation about the meaning of life and his own direction。 He undertook the trip across America in the midst of his own divorce， and it is understandable that he was wrestling with various themes of freedom。 His historical flashbacks focus mostly on the freedom experienced by the American Indians and early settlers who roamed the same country。 In addition to mentioning various Indian tribes and their traditions， he discusses various conflicts among the tribes and also their later conflicts with European immigrants。At a fundamental level， he marvels at the relative freedoms afforded by a hunter-gatherer way of life as compared to farming。 Whereas the former could move freely around and were not constrained geographically， they had less food security than the latter， who enjoyed the freedom that comes from knowing where your next meal is coming from。Although it was not the focus of the book， it was informative that there were so many groups that sought to displace others through genocide。 It has become popular in some circles to make native land acknowledgements as a preface to speeches， acknowledging the American Indian tribe that was displaced from the land by white settlers， we could just as legitimately acknowledge earlier native tribes that were extinguished or displaced by later native tribes。 Unfortunately， I doubt that would suit the anti-European / pro-Native American sentiment of such acknowledgements。I had hoped that the book would delve much deeper into the reasons for why humans hunger for freedom， connecting freedom of movement and traditions with freedom of thought and freedom from government coercion。 Instead， the emphasis was much more about how we distrust outsiders and people who exercise their freedom to live differently from ourselves。 Just as the groups of the past had often distrusted and fought one another when they met， so too are vagabonds living rough distrusted today。 One of the themes of their modern foot voyage was how they would often be pursued by authorities and shot at by locals。It was hard to decide between two and three stars， mostly because of my expectations going into the book being unfulfilled。 If you're looking for a book that wrestles with introspection punctuated by the experiences of wanderers throughout history， you will be well-served。 If you're looking for a deep philosophical treatise on the freedoms expressed in American founding documents， you will likely be disappointed。 。。。more

Jonathan Varjabedian ，

This book really had no main point。 I believe it could have been condensed down to 15 pages。 Felt very forced。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Freedom

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Freedom&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Freedom&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0