Warbody

“This important, compelling, and easy-to-read-book shares the science of the many unseen—and generally ignored—costs of war, their impact on the environment, and their impact on one Marine sniper who suffered the slow violence of these unseen hazards… . Anyone interested inhealing from war, helping someone heal from war, or just healing our savaged environment will be moved and enlightened by this book.” – Karl Marlantes, author of Matterhorn and What It Is Like to Go to War“A searing mix of wartime memoir and scientific analysis … [Howe and Lemons] astutely explain how the complexities of toxic combat ecosystems are ignored … A gripping war narrative and a sobering indictment of the American military.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Powerful collaborative account of a Marine sniper’s journey through the wilderness of war’s toxicity. … [E]ngaging … Unflinching examination of the hidden costs of American-style war.” – Kirkus Reviews“The scholar and the soldier, two voices intertwined to reveal the tangled web of injury, trauma, and contamination that has assaulted soldiers’ bodies since World War I. Warbody is an exceptional insider’s internal account of the Iraq War and the violence of modern warfare.” – Kate Brown, author of Manual for Survival“This probing, deeply personal, rigorously argued book reads like a toxicology report on the invisible wounds of war, exploring how violence—both to our species and the planet—lives on insidiously in the mind, body, and soul.” – Bryan Doerries, author of The Theater of War“Through meticulous research and a harrowing narrative, Joshua Howe and Alexander Lemons have done a real service in helping all of us understand the hidden health risks faced by our troops. More than an accounting of the staggering toll that toxins and trauma take on the human body, Warbody is a story of resilience and an inspiration to my fellow veterans who continue to fight the good fight on their way to recovery.” – Brian Castner, author of The Long Walk“Together, Joshua Howe and Alexander Lemons have written a book with greater scope than any memoir and more emotional punch than any history. To grasp the true consequences of war for human bodies, human minds, and the living planet, read Warbody.” – Michelle Nijhuis, author of Beloved Beasts“One part Silent Spring and one part Catch-22, Joshua Howe and Alexander Lemons have coauthored an astonishingly original environmental history about what the toxicants and traumas of industrial war do to the human body, and what the Iraq War did to Lemons’s body. Warbody is dark, unexpectedly funny, nuanced, and quite moving.” – Richard White, author of Who Killed Jane Stanford“This is an environmental history of war and its consequences unlike any other. The captivating product of a dynamic partnership between a talented scholar and a veteran of war, this book offers an urgently needed history that exposes the hidden dangers of America’s most deadly warfighting.” – Bart Elmore, Professor of Environmental History, Ohio State University“By mixing memoir with historical anatomy, Howe and Lemons brilliantly show how the toxic residues of America’s strategic interests have come to rest in the flesh and bones of American soldiers. Warbody is an astounding reconceptualization of the environmental history of warfare.” – Paul S. Sutter, University of Colorado Boulder

Joshua Howe is an associate professor of history and environmental studies at Reed College and the author of two books on the science and politics of climate change. He and his wife live in Portland, Oregon, and Victor, Idaho, depending on the season.