Chris Hedges inspires

Hello! I have finished War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, by Chris Hedges. This was a very special book for me. It took me a while to finish because it sparked so many ideas about the direction I want to take my book, information I want to investigate further, and the importance of maintaining cognition about my own culpability as a military veteran.
Like all of my favorite books, I have destroyed this one by filling the margins and back pages with sentences, remarks and notes on topics that Hedges brings up, such as the awful allure of war. One of Hedges themes about the need to belong to something has greatly assisted me in creating my own piece on boot camp, which is centered on the idea of belonging through food, and I am ultimately trying to connect it to “foreign enemies'” need to do the same, so that my ultimate goal of the piece and future book recognizes that I (we) and the “enemy” are the same.
Hedges book has also helped me to further understand and articulate key points that I need to include in my own writing, such as the sexual perverseness that accompanies war. He states, “In the midst of slaughter the only choice is often between hate and lust” (167) and “war is necrophilia" (165). Keeping his words in my thoughts helps me to focus on images and metaphors that I want to portray. Throughout my writing I want to allude to the hyper-sexuality between soldiers, enemies, and even between a government and its portrayal of military members. I like the way Hedges continuously weaves previous themes into new paragraphs, so that the reader is not disconnected but instead he builds a steady arc to explore larger concepts as the book progresses. Writing my next piece, I have tried to incorporate this style instead of my idea to confuse the narrative to make a point, which ends up confusing me as well.
Moreover, Hedges nonfiction account of historical facts and first person observations reminds me of one of my favorite “war” books, A Farewell to Arms, with its relationships that develop in the heady acceptance of future battles and end with its passionless refusal to participate. Here, like Hedges suggests, war and lust are synonymous.
Finally, Hedges inspires and enlightens me to write angry, to not hold back, to tell the ugly truth, even when those truths are mine. Hedges includes Asadourian’s words: “You write because you have to. It all wells up inside of you. It is like a hole that fills constantly with water and no amount of bailing will empty it. This is why I continue” (124). I can only hope to continue with my writing and produce something of such great style, clarity, and relevance. Thanks Jess, I’d be lost without this and not even know it!
~C