What readers think of Tribe, plus links to write your own review.

"Isn't it fun to be with your tribe?" author Joyce Carol Oates asked the assembled 1,000 who had gathered to hear her speak at the 2016 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Indeed. As an avid reader, I had never before thought of those sitting around me in this auditorium as "my tribe," but the description fit. Suddenly, I felt more fulfilled and happy. My tribe!

As humans, we are programmed to be part of groups, or tribes, for survival. Modern society is the antithesis of tribal unity. We live lives that are separate from one another. And that is why so many of us are sad, anxious or even clinically depressed. This extraordinary book by Sebastian Junger—which will only take you a few hours to read--explains in an eye-opening way the incredible value of tribal behavior and the resulting danger when it disintegrates.

When we think of tribes, most of us think of American Indians, and that is an excellent example of a group of people each taking care of the entire group's needs—from food to fighting. In today's world, tribes only form in times of distress: soldiers on the battlefield, civilians in Sarajevo who were under siege for years during the Bosnian war, Britons during the Blitz and survivors of natural disasters. We Americans became a tribe after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and that feeling of unity lasted for about two years. Mind you, no one is advocating war and violence, but it is only then that we revert to tribal behavior for survival. The divisive, contemptuous language that characterizes the United States today—liberals vs. conservatives—is dangerously undermining, seriously weakening and distressingly dividing our American tribe.

Here is the takeaway from Junger's thesis: It is only through tribal behavior that we humans feel a true sense of loyalty and belonging, and this could very well be the key to our mental health and wellbeing.

I give this book my strongest recommendation, and while I encourage everyone to read it and talk about it, I think it should be required reading for all U.S. elected officials. It is a truly remarkable book.