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An honest reckoning with the war on terror, masculinity, and the violence of American hegemony abroad, at home, and on the psyche, from a veteran whose convictions came undone When Lyle Jeremy Rubin first arrived at Marine Officer Candidates School, he was convinced that the “war on terror” was necessary to national security. He also subscribed to a strict code of manhood that military service conjured and perpetuated. Then he began to train and his worldview shattered. Honorably discharged five years later, Rubin returned to the United States with none of his beliefs, about himself or his country, intact. In Pain Is Weakness Leaving the Body, Rubin narrates his own undoing, the profound disillusionment that took hold of him on bases in the U.S. and Afghanistan. He both examines his own failings as a participant in a prescribed masculinity and the failings of American empire, examining the racialized and class hierarchies and culture of conquest that constitute the machinery of U.S. imperialism. The result is a searing analysis and the story of one man’s personal and political conversion, told in beautiful prose by an essayist, historian, and veteran transformed.
I have read MANY different books about war and the military from the perspective of those who were actually involved or in combat, whether fictional, historical fiction, non-fiction, etc.All Quiet On the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, A Rumor of War by Phillip Caputo, Dispatches by Michael Kerr, Ghost Riders of Baghdad by Danny Sjursen, The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers; all excellent reads. All of these books offered interesting insights into the human condition under the stresses of war. Many pointed out the fervor that the protagonists got swept up in prior to their enlistments or commissions, and then the later disillusionment felt when they realized that much of what they were told was just false propaganda. Most of them touched on the political reasons for these wars, and all made apparent the evil, horrible, wasteful endeavor that war truly is.I recently finished reading Lyle Jeremy Rubin's “Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body: A Marine’s Unbecoming”. I must say that Lyle touches on ALL of the aforementioned subjects and more.But what set his book apart from the others I have read is his deeply personal dive into what he was feeling and experiencing in his own life; his experiences growing up, and his decidedly right-wing attitudes when he was younger. From there, he goes on to explain how those same attitudes changed radically after his enlistment, OCS training, experiences in Afghanistan, his experiences with interpersonal relationships, and how his curiosity with history, sociology, and philosophy contributed to help change his earlier beliefs.Lyle, a PhD in History, is extraordinarily well-read and an outstanding writer. The way he ties in his own personal experiences, education, military experiences, history, and also his own willingness to learn more about himself and the world make this book a must-read for anyone. I HIGHLY recommend reading it.
