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Product Description 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. Amazon.com Review An Amazon Best Book of May 2021: Sebastian Junger’s Freedom resonated deeply with me and is a book I will re-read, likely at times when I need to step away from my own life for a little while. Freedom is an account of Junger’s 400-mile journey walking along the railroad tracks from Washington to Pennsylvania accompanied by two Afghan War vets, a conflict photographer, and a dog. They walked to untether themselves from their modern lives and explore freedom: its meanings, why we want it, and what people have been willing to do to get it. Junger writes about the act of walking for hundreds of miles and sleeping rough; how it feels in your body, your mind, your soul; he writes about Geronimo, nomads, and criminal “one-percenters.” He further recounts fascinating history about the railways, and others who have walked the tracks. I could go on and on, but instead I will simply urge you to take the captivating journey of reading Freedom for yourself. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Book Review Review “A powerful read. I would give a few fingers to be as concise, as dense, as powerful as Sebastian Junger is as a writer.” —Tim Ferris “A fascinating look at freedom and community.” —Mackenzie Dawson, New York Post “Freedom is less a travelogue than a meditation on what Americans have had to endure to gift us this galvanizing idea, which in Junger’s estimation is more complicated than we might presume and easily squandered." —Edward Nawotka, Los Angeles Times “It’s such a slim little book with such a simple title— Freedom— but there’s nothing simple about the questions that word evokes…[An] elegant little book…it’s about a walk—and so much more.” —Robin Young, NPR Here & Now “Readers who’ve enjoyed classics such as Henry David Thoreau’s Walden or Jack Kerouac’s On the Road will certainly find something worthwhile within Junger’s journey. And while Freedom has much more in common stylistically to modern classics such as Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild or Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, those books often used the journey’s encounters as a convenient jumping-off point for the author to contemplate their own existence. Conversely, Junger spends the majority of his time contemplating larger existential questions that not only affect him, but all of humanity…Still, Junger weaves in broad and complicated topics into the narrative and does so in an accessible way. He doesn’t get bogged down in the minutiae of the history of the region, nor does he meander or ramble when reflecting on his own existential dilemmas. He is concise and focused, but still manages to be both informative and vulnerable.” —Seth Combs,The San Diego Union-Tribune "Junger contemplates the intersection of autonomy