
The author of "The Perfect Storm" and the director of the documentaries "Restrepo" and "Korengal," Sebastian Junger tells non-fiction stories with grit and emotion.
Why you should listen
Sebastian Junger thundered onto the media landscape with his non-fiction book, The Perfect Storm. A correspondent for Vanity Fair and ABC News, Junger has covered stories all across the globe, igniting a new interest in non-fiction. One of his main interests: war.
From 2007 to 2008, Junger and photographer Tim Hetherington embedded with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan. They spent intensive time with the soldiers at the Restrepo outpost in the Korengal Valley, which saw more combat than any other part of Afghanistan. The experience became Junger's book WAR, and the documentary "Restrepo," which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2011.
Junger and Hetherington planned to make a second documentary on the topic, "Korengal," meant to help soldiers and civilians alike understand the fear, courage and complexity involved in combat. It's a project that Junger decided to carry on after Hetherington was killed in Libya while covering the civil war there. Junger self-financed and released the film.
Sebastian Junger’s TED Talks
More news and ideas from Sebastian Junger
In Brief
A new map of the Peruvian Amazon, the race to explore the deep ocean, and a rock album reimagined
March 10, 2017
As usual, the TED community has lots of news to share this week. Below, some highlights. A map to guide conservation. After almost eight years of airborne laser-guided imaging spectroscopy, Greg Asner has finally mapped all 300,000 square miles of the Peruvian Amazon. Highlighting forest types that are reasonably safe and those which are in […]
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Sebastian Junger’s last patrol
November 10, 2014
Veterans often have a hard time returning to civilian life after war. Sebastian Junger offers a counterintuitive theory about why
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My personal lesson in “White Privilege 101” and other of this week’s comments
June 24, 2014
This week’s haul of great comments includes thoughts on Jamila Lyiscott's spoken word essay, the happy memory of an excellent teacher, and a shared photo of a cockroach carcass, inspired by Ed Yong's tales of dastardly parasites.
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