War Is Not a Game: The New Antiwar Soldiers and the Movement They Built

by Nan Levinson

Overview

On July 23, 2004, five marines, two soldiers, and one airman became the most unlikely of antiwar activists. War Is Not a Game tells the story of these men and women, and the many others who joined them, harnessing their disillusionment, idealism, and determination to become leaders of a nationwide movement, Iraq Veterans Against the War. Nan Levinson chronicles the accomplishments of these brave veterans, showing that sometimes the most vital battles take place on the home front.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813571133
Publisher:	Rutgers University Press
Publication date:	11/10/2014
Series:	War Culture
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	16 - 18 Years

About the Author

NAN LEVINSON is a writer and journalist, focusing on civil and human rights, culture, and technology. She wrote about First Amendment issues in her last book, Outspoken: Free Speech Stories, and as the U.S. correspondent for Index on Censorship. She currently teaches journalism and fiction writing at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue: War Is Not a Game

Author’s Note

1          Maimed for Bullshit (with Gallantry on the Side)

2          Boots on the Ground

3          Exit a Free Man

4          Home Fires Burning

5          What Noble Cause

6          One Paragraph In

7          We’ll Bring ’Em On

8          Art Heart Dream Peace

9          Disgruntled

10        Mad Bad Sad

11        Winter Soldiers’ Stories

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

"War Is Not a Game dramatically underscores the folly of war, serving as a reminder of the physical and emotional costs of war to those directly involved on the 'killing fields' and their families.

US diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to the Iraq War - Ann Wright

"What a superb book! Well, I’ll call it a masterpiece. Nan Levinson has done us all a service by writing this excellent book."

Veterans for Peace

"Despite a long history of veterans, soldiers and military families opposing war, the public perception is that those who fight in wars keep believing in them and war-making in general. Nan Levinson helps dispel that false assumption with her sympathetic and perceptive analysis of the formation and first few years of Iraq Veterans Against the War."

Waging Nonviolence

"Those affected by war and in a moral game of throes are the subjects of this rare, compassionate and informative narrative about people who 'never came close to stopping the army from doing what it wanted' in the last decade but 'caused people in the army to stop and reconsider.'"

Military Times

"Trump’s Interference in the Military ‘Hits a New Level of Dangerousness’" by Nan Levinson
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/25/opinion/letters/trump-navy-seals.html

New York Times

"This is the powerful—and hitherto buried—story of the professional soldiers who made a movement that still shakes the very foundations of America’s unending wars."

author of Vietnam and Other American Fantasies - H. Bruce Franklin

"Levinson well documents how the IVAW has succeeded, notwithstanding internal tensions, chronic lack of funding, hostility from conservative sectors of the American population, and persistent obstacles thrown up by the military."

Common Knowledge

Nan Levinson has brought to life an important piece of recent history, both tragic and inspiring, told the story beautifully, and found some genuine American heroes.

author of To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 - Adam Hochschild

"What does 'support our troops' really mean? It means listening to them when they have unpleasant truths to tell about America's wars. Levinson truly listens; so should we all."

author of Hindenburg: Icon of German Militarism - William J. Astore

"A valuable contribution to the growing literature on antiwar opposition within the Iraq-era military … Levinson's study confirms that even within an all-volunteer force, antiwar dissent is possible."

Peace & Change

"Trump's Interference in the Military 'Hits a New Level of Dangerousness'" by Nan Levinson https: //www.nytimes.com/2019/11/25/opinion/letters/trump-navy-seals.html-- "New York Times"

"War Is Not a Game dramatically underscores the folly of war, serving as a reminder of the physical and emotional costs of war to those directly involved on the 'killing fields' and their families."--Ann Wright, US Army Reserve Colonel "US diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to the Iraq War"

"A valuable contribution to the growing literature on antiwar opposition within the Iraq-era military ... Levinson's study confirms that even within an all-volunteer force, antiwar dissent is possible."-- "Peace & Change"

"Despite a long history of veterans, soldiers and military families opposing war, the public perception is that those who fight in wars keep believing in them and war-making in general. Nan Levinson helps dispel that false assumption with her sympathetic and perceptive analysis of the formation and first few years of Iraq Veterans Against the War."-- "Waging Nonviolence"

"Levinson well documents how the IVAW has succeeded, notwithstanding internal tensions, chronic lack of funding, hostility from conservative sectors of the American population, and persistent obstacles thrown up by the military."-- "Common Knowledge"

"Nan Levinson has brought to life an important piece of recent history, both tragic and inspiring, told the story beautifully, and found some genuine American heroes."--Adam Hochschild "author of To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918"

"This is the powerful--and hitherto buried--story of the professional soldiers who made a movement that still shakes the very foundations of America's unending wars."--H. Bruce Franklin "author of Vietnam and Other American Fantasies"

"Those affected by war and in a moral game of throes are the subjects of this rare, compassionate and informative narrative about people who 'never came close to stopping the army from doing what it wanted' in the last decade but 'caused people in the army to stop and reconsider.'"-- "Military Times"

"What a superb book! Well, I'll call it a masterpiece. Nan Levinson has done us all a service by writing this excellent book."-- "Veterans for Peace"

"What does 'support our troops' really mean? It means listening to them when they have unpleasant truths to tell about America's wars. Levinson truly listens; so should we all."--William J. Astore, Lt Col, USAF, Ret. "author of Hindenburg: Icon of German Militarism"

From the Publisher