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What It Is Like to Go to War Hardcover – August 30, 2011

by Karl Marlantes (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,758 ratings
Editors' pick Best Nonfiction
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From the author of the award-winning, best-selling novel Matterhorn, comes a brilliant nonfiction book about war

In 1968, at the age of twenty-three, Karl Marlantes was dropped into the highland jungle of Vietnam, an inexperienced lieutenant in command of a platoon of forty Marines who would live or die by his decisions. Marlantes survived, but like many of his brothers in arms, he has spent the last forty years dealing with his war experience. In What It Is Like to Go to War, Marlantes takes a deeply personal and candid look at what it is like to experience the ordeal of combat, critically examining how we might better prepare our soldiers for war. Marlantes weaves riveting accounts of his combat experiences with thoughtful analysis, self-examination, and his readings—from Homer to The Mahabharata to Jung. He makes it clear just how poorly prepared our nineteen-year-old warriors are for the psychological and spiritual aspects of the journey.

Just as Matterhorn is already being acclaimed as acclaimed as a classic of war literature, What It Is Like to Go to War is set to become required reading for anyone—soldier or civilian—interested in this visceral and all too essential part of the human experience.
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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Atlantic Monthly Press
  4. Publication date
    August 30, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1 x 8.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0802119921
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0802119926
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, September 2011: With unflinching honesty, bestselling author Karl Marlantes captures What It Is Like to Go to War in his compassionate, powerful narrative on Vietnam. By recounting experiences that, outside the arena of war, are horrifying or embarrassing for the soldiers who lived them, Marlantes exposes veterans' self-destructive code of silence as the price for re-entering our society. American pop culture celebrates the warrior spirit, winning the battle, but the reality for soldiers is that “reconciling the moral conduct we are taught…with the brutal acts we do in war has been a problem for warriors of good conscience for centuries.” Marlantes tempers the brutal truths of fear, power games, and courage with a thoughtful prescription for our soldiers’ well-being; caring for our soldiers and their families differently will benefit society as a whole. In What It Is Like to Go to War, Marlantes sets a new standard for understanding the experience of war. --Seira Wilson

Review

“Karl Marlantes has written a staggeringly beautiful book on combat—what it feels like, what the consequences are and above all, what society must do to understand it. In my eyes he has become the preeminent literary voice on war of our generation. He is a natural storyteller and a deeply profound thinker who not only illuminates war for civilians, but also offers a kind of spiritual guidance to veterans themselves. As this generation of warriors comes home, they will be enormously helped by what Marlantes has written—I’m sure he will literally save lives.”—Sebastian Junger

“Marlantes brings candor and wrenching self-analysis to bear on his combat experiences in Vietnam, in a memoir-based meditation whose intentions are three-fold: to help soldiers-to-be understand what they’re in for; to help veterans come to terms with what they’ve seen and done; and to help policymakers know what they’re asking of the men they send into combat.”—The New Yorker

“What It Is Like to Go to War is a well-crafted and forcefully argued work that contains fresh and important insights into what it’s like to be in a war and what it does to the human psyche.”—The Washington Post

“Marlantes is the best American writer right now on war . . . With What It Is Like to Go to War a second Marlantes book resides on the top shelf of American literature.”—Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead

“What It Is Like to Go to War ought to be mandatory reading by potential infantry recruits and by residents of any nation that sends its kids—Marlantes’s word—into combat.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“In this thoughtful, literate work of self-exorcism, Marlantes tells tales of incredible bravery as well as brutality.”—People Magazine

“A precisely crafted and bracingly honest book."—The Atlantic

“Marlantes knows what he writes. . . Raw, unsettling honesty pervades the work.”—Time.com

“Marlantes has written a sparklingly provocative nonfiction book. . . He is an exceptional writer and his depictions here are vivid.”—BookPage

“A gripping, first-person plea to consider the impact on the human spirit of being a soldier.”—Huffington Post

“Karl Marlantes, author of the excellent What It Is Like To Go To War, cautions his audience to understand the cost to the human psyche in sending others to kill in our names or for policies decided by politicians determined to use (and abuse) the power entrusted to their office.”—Daily Planet

“Karl Marlantes’ What It Is Like to Go to War is a deeply personal account of dealing with his harrowing time as a Marine Corps officer in Vietnam. . . . Marlantes’ fiction might be just too wrenching for some readers to believe.”—Logos

“This absolutely unique and lucid personal account and analysis will be read with profit by scholars, general readers, and most particularly, by veterans of close combat. . . . The author is qualified by experience, education, temperament, and skill as a writer to make penetrating observations. Many are graphic, bold, and shocking. Some are erudite; some are ethereal; all are worthy of careful consideration. . . . His method is to reflect on a point important to him, to illustrate it with an anecdote or a combat experience, and to mull it over in sparkling prose that has the reader hanging on every word. . . . Mastery of our language and the creative use of poetic devices and images make his pronouncements memorable. . . . Marlantes has joined a short list of authors whose experience, sensitivity, and skill enable them to share wisdom with those among us who would understand.”—Parameters

“What it is Like to Go to War is already considered by many a modern classic. . . . The former Marine has three main goals in this unflinchingly honest look at what it means to be a soldier in a war: to let potential soldiers understand what to expect, to help veterans better cope with what they’ve experienced, and to help policy makers truly comprehend what it means when they send combat troops into a war zone.”—Bradenton Herald

“To say that this book is brilliant is an understatement—Marlantes is the absolute master of taking the psyche of the combat veteran and translating it into words that the civilian or non-veteran can understand. I have read many, many books on war and this is the first time that I've ever read exactly what the combat veteran thinks and feels—nothing I have ever read before has hit home in my heart like this book.”—Gunnery Sergeant Terence D’Alesandro, 3rd Batallion, 5th Marines, U.S. Marine Corps

“Wrenchingly honest. . . . Digging as deeply into his own life as he does into the larger sociological and moral issues, Marlantes presents a riveting, powerfully written account of how, after being taught to kill, he learned to deal with the aftermath.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A valiant effort to explain and make peace with war’s awesome consequences for human beings.”—Kirkus Reviews

“What It Is Like to Go to War offers profound insight on how we must prepare our youth who become our warriors for their hard and uncompromising journey through war’s hell and back home again.”—Vietnam Magazine

“With war such a part of contemporary American life, this book is deeply important, as timely and urgent as contemporary on-the-ground reporting from Afghanistan and Iraq.”—The Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A sound debunking of anything smacking of the glory of warfare—but written with compassion, honest and wit for men and now women who fight and for all of those who care about them.”—St. Louis Dispatch

“A slim spiritual guide. . . Marlantes’s book is a sincere plea for better soldiers and veterans.”—Seattle Weekly

“What It Is Like to Go to War is a courageous, noble and intelligent grapple with myth, history, and spirituality that beautifully elevates the cultural conversation on the role of the military in today’s world. It is an emotional, honest, and affecting primer for all Americans on war and the national psyche, and we ignore this book at our own peril.”—Ed Conklin, Chaucer’s Books, Santa Barbara

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atlantic Monthly Press; First Edition (August 30, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802119921
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802119926
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,758 ratings

About the author

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Karl Marlantes

Karl Marlantes

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A graduate of Yale University and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, Karl Marlantes served as a Marine in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals for valor, two Purple Hearts, and ten air medals. His debut novel, Matterhorn, will be published in April 2010 by Grove/Atlantic.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,758 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book compelling and informative. They describe it as insightful, useful, and deeply moving. Readers praise the writing quality as well-written, articulated, and poetic. They appreciate the author's brutal honesty and brave telling of what it's like to go to war.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

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ReadabilityInsightWriting qualityHonestyPacing
143 customers mention "Readability"143 positive0 negative

Customers find the book compelling, informative, and a good read not only for combat veterans but also for their loved ones. They say it's a life-changing experience and the first part is engaging. Readers mention the book is a tough read because it takes them far into the personal.

"...This was a fantastic book for hundreds of different reasons, and even though it highlighted the Vietnam War, the parallels and lessons can reach..." Read more

"...book is a thoughtful, honest, often excellent description and discussion of warfare: what it is like, how it should be conducted, how we should..." Read more

"...It is a great book for group discussion...." Read more

"...of his personal emotional challenges well after the war make for compelling, informative reading...." Read more

129 customers mention "Insight"112 positive17 negative

Customers find the book insightful, useful, and moving. They describe it as scholarly, sobering, and interesting. Readers also mention the book stimulates and soothes them.

"This book is a thoughtful, honest, often excellent description and discussion of warfare: what it is like, how it should be conducted, how we should..." Read more

""What It Is Like To Go To War" is an intensely personal, if on occasion rambling, memoir by Karl Marlantes of his service as a junior USMC officer..." Read more

"...lands and to report events and care for the sick, this book will stimulate and soothe and may dissuade the people who might find themselves crushed..." Read more

"...As a civilian, I found the book useful in developing an understanding of the confusing and likely fragile emotional state of returning combat..." Read more

75 customers mention "Writing quality"60 positive15 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the book well-written, articulated, and sensitive. They describe it as a poetic and practical read for thoughtful readers. Readers also mention the author is a fine writer with excellent descriptions and discussions of warfare.

"This book is a thoughtful, honest, often excellent description and discussion of warfare: what it is like, how it should be conducted, how we should..." Read more

"...], but are well expressed and together with his honest discussion of his personal emotional..." Read more

"This is a beautiful book. Thoughtful, personal, well researched, and superbly written...." Read more

"...Well written, honest and from the heart of a true combat marine brother. Semper Fidelis" Read more

37 customers mention "Honesty"37 positive0 negative

Customers find the book honest, brave, and shocking. They say it's a good true story of personal experience on the battlefield in Vietnam. Readers also mention the author is wise and honest.

"This book is a thoughtful, honest, often excellent description and discussion of warfare: what it is like, how it should be conducted, how we should..." Read more

"...This is a haunting, insightful, heartbreakingly honest, and at times beautiful view into the author’s psyche during and after his service...." Read more

"...Well written, honest and from the heart of a true combat marine brother. Semper Fidelis" Read more

"This book by Karl Marlantes is an honest, probing, painful look inside the mind of our warriors...who make it back to civilian life...." Read more

25 customers mention "Pacing"19 positive6 negative

Customers find the pacing stunningly insightful, vivid, and brutally realistic. They describe the book as beautiful, evocative, and poetic. Readers also mention that the book is excellently expressed and provides a good depiction of the war.

"...This is a haunting, insightful, heartbreakingly honest, and at times beautiful view into the author’s psyche during and after his service...." Read more

"This is a beautiful book. Thoughtful, personal, well researched, and superbly written...." Read more

"While vivid and realistic, the author is in error on several matters that caused me to question his whole story...." Read more

"...However,the sloppiness continues (The Marines never flew the CH-47; the continuing discussion of the ARVN spotter aircraft, etc) and there are a..." Read more

This is a very good book.
5 out of 5 stars
This is a very good book.
This monumental book is the best effort ever made to explain war and combat to the citizens of our country that have not experienced combat. It is always an impossible task to explain war because like giving birth there is not a way in words to convey the gut wrenching experience that is so uniquely personal to each person. Karl Marlantes did his tour of duty during the bloodiest time of the undeclared war, 1968-9. He was with one of the toughest Marine battalions in I Corps, DMZ, S. Vietnam so this book has that kind of cred. Well written, honest and from the heart of a true combat marine brother. Semper Fidelis
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Top reviews from the United States

Danial Hallock
5.0 out of 5 stars Spiritual and Intellectually Captivating
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2015
Verified Purchase
It doesn't matter if you consider yourself to be a theist, deist, or atheist, the spiritual aspect of warfare is an important part of creating the Warrior's Ego, and in the morally ambigious and unpopular Global War on Terror finding your spiritual footing as a service member can be difficult.

This was a fantastic book for hundreds of different reasons, and even though it highlighted the Vietnam War, the parallels and lessons can reach across generations. Lt. Karl Marlentes does a fantastic job of not shying from the dirty aspects of military life, the questions that every veteran of conscience must answer, and the difficulty of dealing with the conflicting moral and social norms of warfare when you must rapidly integrate, deintigrate, and reintigrate with civilized life (particularly of interest in today's post Rumsfeld Doctrine warfare).

The frustration, pain, and confusion of nineteen year old warrior-children comes across loud and clear in this work, but the undertones of pride and duty still come through loud and clear. Unlike many books that highlight military service in uncertain times, Lt. Marlentes' work doesn't focus on the cynicism of "idiots" at Higher Headquarters, nor the fervered fetishism of Semper Fi or Service Before Self.

He takes the good with the bad and attempts to paint a realistic picture of what it is like to be faced with the ability to - in essence - be God (What else do you call a nineteen year old who can call in thousands of pounds of napalm, artillery, air support, grenades, and the like?), only to deal with the political pundits, the unknowing public, and the often distant leadership. He completely destroys myths like "There are no atheists in foxholes" - to hear Marlentes tell it, warfare very nearly destroys your spirituality.

When combining this with: Duty by Robert Gates and Predator by Richard Wittle, you can begin to understand the moral and spiritual uncertainty associated with military service in today's high-tempo environment. Throw in The Sovereingty Solution with these three books, and it's fairly easy to paint a picture of an over-tasked military industrial complex plagued by corporate greed that is too busy fighting radicals to properly prepare its troops for these uncertain and difficult conflicts.
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Mary Soon Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars Very well worth reading.
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book is a thoughtful, honest, often excellent description and discussion of warfare: what it is like, how it should be conducted, how we should treat those we ask to fight. The author is a much-decorated Marine officer who served in Vietnam, then wrestled with his experiences there for years.

I found the sections about the author's time in Vietnam unflinching and superb. He is open about mistakes he made and instances where he behaved poorly. He details the brutality, bravery, terror, intensity, brotherhood, and near-ecstasy that accompany warfare, as well as the difficulties veterans confront when they return home.

In other sections, the author steps back to discuss war in more general terms: for example that giving soldiers more spiritual preparation might be helpful, or that senior officers should have greater loyalty toward the troops whose lives they spend. These sections are informative, thoughtful, thought-provoking. And occasionally, from my perspective, a little too close to greeting-card wisdom. This is a petty gripe. And I note that I very much liked the parts mentioning how past cultures considered warfare (such as the ancient Greeks, India, Japan).

The book is very well worth reading, and I am grateful to the author for the bravery and care he took in writing it.
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Herbert Hoefer
5.0 out of 5 stars Primer for Non-Vets
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2014
Verified Purchase
Review of What It Is Like to Go to War
by Karl Marlantes (Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, 2011)
N.B.: Citations from Kindle e-reader

Military chaplaincy is part of the traditional mission work of our church. Thousands of veterans are returning to our neighborhoods, churches, and campuses. Do we understand them? Can we understand them?
I have never been a soldier. I have never been in combat. I have never been in a situation of “kill or be killed.” I have never had to kill anyone. I am not a member of “the Club,” which has “always been a club with its own secrets and its own societally imposed rules of silence.” (location 2769-73)
I can never understand the combat veteran because I’ve never been there. Anyone involved in mission and ministry knows the truth that only people of the culture can understand the culture:
• Only alcoholics can understand alcoholics.
• Only Native Americans can understand Native Americans.
• Only victims of abuse can understand other victims.
I can sympathize with the vet, but I cannot empathize, and s/he knows it. Yet, we have to be in ministry with this very needy portion of our society. This book can help us realize why we can’t understand.
Marlantes is a decorated Vietnam War veteran. He has been there. He’s a member of the Club. Very honestly and courageously he tries to help us understand why we can’t understand, why vets typically just don’t talk with us about it. “Not talking about it… is the veterans’ protection against our great fear of being misunderstood.” (location 2865-70)
The chapter topics help us realize the dimensions of this sub-culture:
• Killing
• Guilt
• Numbness and Violence
• The Enemy Within
• Lying
• Loyalty
• Heroism
• Home
• The Club.
With a great deal of introspection and real-life experiences, Marlantes brings us into the powerful world he entered as a young man and still lives out of:
The combat veteran is still not out in the open where the whole of culture can benefit from the sorrow and price and society’s attitude toward war and fighting can mature psychologically and spiritually. (location 2925-30)
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is dealing with vets, particularly those who have been in frontline combat. It is a great book for group discussion. Probably vets will not want to be there at first, for fear of judgment and pressure to share what s/he wants to keep secret. However, I guarantee that readers/discussers of this book will look at vets differently – and sympathetically, whether mainstreaming in their churches and classrooms or opting out along alleys and street corners.
Herb Hoefer
Concordia University-Portland
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Top reviews from other countries

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kyle oster
5.0 out of 5 stars Dense (in a great way) and best read chapter by chapter
Reviewed in Canada on May 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
Dense (in a great way) and best read chapter by chapter, much like The Book of Five Rings. It provides an excellent insight for people dealing with mental health issues related to having to harm others (military and L.E.). I think that this should be required reading for anyone providing support to military members.
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luca
5.0 out of 5 stars Illuminante
Reviewed in Italy on January 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
Ho comprato questo libro senza troppe speranze. Ho amato Matterhorn e avrei tanto desiderato leggere un altro suo romanzo.
E' stata una sorpresa, una lettura interessantissima che apre una prospettiva sul nostro mondo molto illuminante.
Il focus è sull'esperienza di guerra ma il riverbero di queste riflessioni torna fortissimo nel mondo civile, l'unico che molti di noi conoscono, e illumina fino in fondo le crepe della nostra umanità.
Lo consiglio e mi permetto di raccomandare prima la lettura di Matterhorn, romanzo a mio avviso bellissimo.
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emed0s
3.0 out of 5 stars would have liked a regular memoir better
Reviewed in Spain on June 17, 2016
Verified Purchase
The first two thirds of the book are carefully put together. Quotes from every source are used (ever heard of the Mahabharata?), in combination with the memoirs of the author days in Vietnam, all in order to explain how the warrior mind works under stress and many times facing impossible scenarios.

But towards the end of the book quotes are less and the author pet peeves show throughout the text while we tries to develop his ideas on how to improve military training, and child rearing, in order to obtain moral warrior.

I thin the following quote sets the tone "Infantry platoons have medics for the body. Why not for the soul?"

Marlantes quality writing is there all the way, but I would have liked a regular memoir better than this attempt at "Zen and the art of war waging" ...
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PPN250VSD
5.0 out of 5 stars Profond
Reviewed in France on August 28, 2013
Verified Purchase
Une profonde réflexion sur la guerre, ceux qui la font et la puissante symbolique de la mort. Ce livre est écrit par quelqu'un qui a vécu la guerre et en porte les stigmates psychologiques.
Comment change t'on quand on sait que la prochiane est peut-être la dernière.
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Jan C. Teipel
5.0 out of 5 stars Important book on a grave subject
Reviewed in Germany on February 6, 2013
Verified Purchase
Karl Marlantes' "What Is It Like To Go To War" is an essay about war fighting - why individuals are lured into it and how the experience changes the participants. Marlantes draws from his own experience as a young USMC officer in the Vietnam War and he does not shy away from telling us the gory and (seemingly) shameful details.
Furthermore, Marlantes thinks about the possible mental and ethical strengthening to protect individuals against the utter destruction of their personality in war.

I may not agree a 100% with Mr Marlantes, but his reasoning is quite strong and a very good starting point for anybody who wants to form a well-founded opinion concerning soldiers, veterans and the ever-important question of “Shall we or shouldn’t we take up the fight?”

In my humble opinion a must-read for any leader of troops and all politicians.

DEUTSCH:
Karl Marlantes "What Is It Like To Go To War" ist ein Essay über Soldaten im Krieg, warum Menschen vom Krieg fasziniert sind und wie die Erfahrungen ihre Persönlichkeit verändern. Marlantes geht dabei auch auf seine eigenen Erlebnisse als junger Offizier der US Marineinfanterie im Vietnamkrieg ein und er scheut nicht davor zurück, auch abstoßende und scheinbar beschämende Details zu berichten und zu bewerten.

Außerdem zeigt Marlantes seine Überlegungen, ob und wie es möglich ist, Menschen, die in den Krieg ziehen müssen, geistig und ethisch zu stärken, um sie vor der Zerstörung ihrer Persönlichkeit durch den Krieg zu bewahren.

Auch wenn ich nicht gänzlich mit Marlantes einer Meinung bin, ist seine Argumentation abgerundet und solide. Sie ist ein guter Ausgangspunkt für alle, die sich selbst eine wohlabgewogene Meinung bilden wollen über Soldaten, Veteranen und die immer wieder wichtige Frage „Nehmen wir diesen Kampf auf oder nicht?“

Meiner Meinung nach sollte dieses Buch Pflichtlektüre sein für jeden Truppenführer und für alle Politiker.
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