The Midtown Scholar Bookstore and Lancaster Public Library are pleased to welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author Sebastian Junger as he discusses his new work, FREEDOM. Junger will be in conversation with author Dreux Richard. This is a ticketed, live-stream event. Every ticket includes a signed, first edition copy of FREEDOM.
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.
About the Authors:
Sebastian Junger is the New York Times bestselling author of Tribe, War, A Death in Belmont, Fire, and The Perfect Storm, and co-director of the documentary film Restrepo, which was nominated for an Academy Award. He is also the winner of a Peabody Award and the National Magazine Award for Reporting. He lives in New York City with his family.
Dreux Richard is the author of 'Every Human Intention: Japan in the New Century' (Pantheon, 2021). From 2011 to 2016 he covered Japan’s African community for The Japan Times, where he also led a yearlong investigation of the “world’s safest” nuclear plant. His writing has appeared in CounterPunch,The New York Times, and Estadão, among other publications. He is a doctorate-by-research candidate at the University of Otago and divides his time between Massachusetts and Abia State, Nigeria.
