Book Review Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger

➡ Marjorie highly recommends the book “Tribe” by Sebastian Junger, which discusses how humans come together in tough times, contrary to the belief that they become more vicious. The book uses historical examples, like London during World War II, to show how people can transcend race, position, and economic status to help each other. It also discusses the desire for deep human connection, which is often missing in modern life. Marjorie finds the book inspiring and uplifting, especially in the face of current and upcoming challenges.

Hey this is Marjorie and I finally want to get around to doing that review on the book Tribe that I recommend. I really recommend you read this book. It’s a really good book. I’ve read it, well actually I’ve listened to it many, many, many times and if you remember I said hey let’s all read it in December, which I did, and then let’s have a discussion about it. I just have been wanting to make the perfect thing and I just don’t know what to say to make it perfect. For those of you that are interested, it’s called Tribe by Sebastian Junger, J-U-N-G-E-R, and it’s a very small little book, I think it’s like a four-hour listen, and he talks about when things get really, really, really hard and really, really bad, like so if you were to believe the media and the programming and all the things we’ve been taught, when things get really, really hard and really bad you would think you know people get even more and more vicious and it just becomes you know horrible.

And Sebastian actually points out an alternative truth, that know that humans really pull together in a way, a tribal way, that is something that most modern, most of us modern people don’t have any clue about but we actually really long for. His story is you know he grew up in the standard American subdivision and he said nothing happened you know if the dog died in the street the city would come clean it up if you know somebody got hurt or fell down the ambulance would be there immediately I mean it’s just you know it’s like there’s nothing dangerous and nothing are you guys yeah you guys you know about Tribe.

Nothing really crazy ever happened and so he goes off on an adventure eventually becomes a war correspondent and he certainly goes and finds out about some some difficult situations but he taught a so he uses a lot of interesting historical examples of times when things were really bad one one of the examples for me was he talks about when when London was being bombed in World War two and people were having to go down and be in the tubes right and they thought when people went down that that was gonna be just like mayhem or bloodshed or whatever nothing was further from the truth people organized they helped each other there was there’s a real outpouring of generosity and care I’m gonna move so these guys don’t continue to come probably follow me but people really pulled together in a way that transcends you know you transcend race and position and economic status and you become one human being helping and serving and being the best for all the group of human beings that you with the tribe right he also gives some examples I’ll spend a lot of time with you know Native Americans many many many whites wanted and did become a part of Indian tribes but there are almost no examples of Indians wanting to go want it going back the other way wanting to become a part of white civilization and he’s not over glorifying I promise you he’s very aware of the torture and the harsh realities of life not only there but all over so it but it was very interesting and I that because they lived in a way where people really cared deeply for the rest of the group that you’re with the tribe basically I found it really just a really inspiring and uplifting read because we’re headed into some really really really hard times I mean let’s not kid ourselves about it it looks at the moment this is March of 2026 that the US is being spared at the moment from the brunt of the energy lockdowns and you know they’re rolling out the biometric IDs and the whole you know we are going to be facing famine on a lot of the planet in the coming months it is going to get really really really hard no I don’t think it’s necessarily going to turn into a Mad Max scenario everywhere I certainly don’t want to live in the I don’t want to live yeah I don’t think it’s wise to be in like Manhattan or something like that but being in a place where a smaller community people pull together he talked about World War two in that example with you know Londoners getting bombed and how people really pulled together and under the harshest drought and it made just created the resolve even greater to to fight and win the war and help each other and and and anyway and then and then of course the Amity allies didn’t learn anything because they went and they just bombed resident even harder which united and result and help people there have the resolve he talks a lot about PTSD which is something I don’t have any experience with so I’m not I don’t want to get engaged any kind of embroiled in any kind of conversation or or or because I really just don’t have a lot on that subject and he talks about it and apparently it’s very for the people who have read the book it can be very inflammatory so I just want to give you a heads up on that but again it’s a really really hopeful book I think it is you know you know I keep talking to people here in Puerto Rico like what was it like during Maria you know I get up with people rooting and lying looting and rioting you know and not in the not in the world small towns or the rural countryside you know people pulled together they took care of neighbors they helped cut down and remove those trees that were blocking roads they you know shared resources you know water or whatever so I think you know that I think is fundamentally human nature and in the book he also speaks about the incredible desire to feel that like that spin that connectedness that deep deep connectedness one human being to a group of other human beings that you belong to and are committed to has been completely stripped away from us in our modern lifestyles convenience and whatever right anyway I know I’m rambling a bit like I said I didn’t make it I really wanted to come up with something that was perfect and articulate and that’s not happening and but I really wanted to get this out I highly highly recommend you read the book and when you do if you have any thoughts or feelings less noisy ducks following you around I need to feed these guys more food I’d love to see you the comments and read the comments and and you know what are your thoughts and what did you get from the book or what are your experience if you’ve experienced some of these things that he’s talking about what are what have been your experiences can you verify that or not or have you seen the other I’m very very curious and I think that we can use this by the way this is going out primarily on sub stack yeah I know sub stacks you know compromised and we’re gonna have to move off the sub stack at some point in time but for the moment we have it and it works and let’s use it as a place to come together to we already happen actually to share ideas and information okay all right this is Marjorie I love this book I read it pretty regularly every few years it really ends up being very uplifting so tribe by Sebastian younger talk to you later
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