Tribe by Sebastian Junger [View all]

Were I dictator of North America I'd make every single person on the continent read this book.

It's hard to sum up. The subtitle is "On Homecoming and Belonging."

Essentially it's about how humans are hard wired to connect. That we have powerful bonds with our group, our tribe. That we connect in essential ways that keep individuals from gaming the system. That we will freely share what we acquire when we hunt and gather. That we are tuned to how the members of our tribe behave, and in our original state (back when we lived in much smaller groups) those who gamed the system were quickly found out and chastised or punished, and such chicanery didn't last.

It is more essay than a book. And I found that it left me profoundly re-thinking my take on the recent election and my resulting opinion of those who voted for Trump.

It talks a LOT about war, and the integration of the warrior to his home group (not Junger's term, but I'm at a loss for something better).

All I can say is that everyone should read this book. Everyone. Especially if you voted earlier this month, or if you didn't, if you feel you have a vested interest in the outcome. If we could all alter our thinking about what it matters to be human, to be part of the human tribe, there would be a very good chance we could come together.

Please read it.