Harvard Book Store; WGBH Forum Network; Sebastian Junger: War in Afghanistan

Hi everyone my name is Heather again on behalf of Harvard bookstore I am thrilled to welcome you to tonight's event with Sebastian Younger. We're pleased to have him here with us to celebrate the publication of his latest book War. Tonight's event is one of many interesting talks at Harvard bookstores hosting the summer. This Thursday back here at the Brattle Theater. We're pleased to welcome behavioral economics economist Dan Ariely for a discussion of his new book The Upside of Irrationality. The rest of the summer event series includes talks with the likes of Bret Easton Ellis Jack and Jessica Stern Mary Carr David Mitchell Carl Hiaasen and many others. These events and more are listed online at Harvard dot com. That's what I find about all of it. Find out about all of our events. Is there a weekly e-mail newsletter you can sign up for that by going to have a dot com and clicking on subscribe. You can also follow us on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook or you can pick up a paper events flyer on the book table. So after reading tonight by Mr. younger we'll have time for questions from the audience. Please do keep your questions brief so we can get in as many as possible. At the close

the talk will have a signing here at the front of the hall. Please line up down the aisle to my right your left to be X being out this door to my left your right and you can find copies of war at the book table at the back of the hall. Of course I have my personal thanks for buying your books from Harvard bookstore and attending events like tonight. Your participation supports not only the existence of this author that serious but of a landmark an independent bookstore. A quick reminder that now is a perfect time to switch off our cell phones or cell phones if you have not done so already. Thank you much. So tonight on behalf of Harvard bookstore I am honored to welcome Sebastian Younger to the Brattle Theater. He's here to discuss his latest book entitled War from June of 2007 to June of 2008 Sebastian Younger traveled several times the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan. There he followed a single platoon through a 15 to 15 month tour of duty of the most deadly location. From those experiences Mr. younger has produced an astonishing new book that chronicles the stark reality of modern combat. Kathryn Shelton a recent Boston Globe review

calls war extraordinary and writes that quote This new book is about war the way that The Perfect Storm was about whether in both cases the youngers real interest lies elsewhere. Many journalists embed with the military younger wants to get inside something more private and inscrutable. The nature of courage. War is messy and improvisational and refuses to conform to a narrative arc and much the same can be said approvingly about youngers book. So best in your time Afghanistan also resulted in restruck. A documentary film produced by younger and Tim Hetherington I will get to see a preview of that documentary tonight which recently won the Grand Jury prize for a domestic documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. So yes the younger is an author a journalist documentary filmmaker and restaurant tour as a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and contributor to ABC News. He's covered international news stories around the globe including liberate Liberia Sierra Leone Kosovo and elsewhere. He has won numerous awards for his journalism which has been published in Harper's The New York Times Magazine.

Outside National Geographic Adventure and elsewhere. He's also the author of several books among them a Death in Belmont and fire. His first and widely acclaimed book The Perfect Storm was made to feature film and camped out on the New York Times best seller list for three years. This younger is a native New Englander and a graduate of Wilson University. We're so thrilled to have him back in Massachusetts with us tonight. That is a gentleman. Thank you for your patience. Please join me in welcoming Sebastian Younger. Was God. Thank you thank you very much. Thank you for coming out tonight. I did a total of five trips to the Korengal Valley with my partner Tim Hetherington and we shot all the video you're about to see I want to do the trailer first. Movies are kind of very touching getting into striking I want to show that first in them then I'll move on to the book. Both are about the same man in the same place but very different works so it's 90 seconds

everything you see to him and I shot. You can see the full movie starting in late June in different part of the country including in Boston. So if you want to cue the trailer. Oh. I. See.