Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging

For millennia, humans banded together in tribes that provided food, shelter, economic stability, and defense from enemies. Western society evolved away from close-knit clans as economies diversified and industry developed and basic needs could be met outside the tribe. Even in a contemporary culture that values individual expression and independent thinking, the concept of "tribe" speaks to our need to identify with others and to belong. Junger (The Perfect Storm) observes that soldiers experience the value of the tribe, in which their lives depend on their comrades, and their comrades depend on them. When military deployments end, many combat veterans are at a loss without that support system. Junger extends his study to people who must work together to survive after natural disasters or terrorist attacks. This is a short book and a thoughtful one. Junger reads his own work clearly and precisely.