The Cost of War

War, Return and the Re-Shaping of Australian Culture

By: Professor Stephen Garton

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Paperback | 1 April 2020

At a Glance

Paperback
308 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
25.4 x 17.8 x 1.9

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$49.42

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The achievements of Australian servicemen and women have played a central role in shaping Australia’s national identity. While we rightly commemorate the sacrifices of Australians in war, we have ignored those who returned to Australia and their struggles to reintegrate into society. The Cost of War: War, Return and the Re-Shaping of Australian Culture focuses on the Anzacs who returned from the two world wars, the Korean War and Vietnam. Many of the challenges outlined in the book remain pressing and relevant for veterans of other conflicts — notably Afghanistan and Iraq — and conflicts yet to come.

The Cost of War examines the effects of combat, the emotional and physical scars borne by returned men and women, the impact on their families and friends, and the efforts of Australians to understand the physical, psychological, and cultural wounds of war. Although the book presents the other side of the Anzac experience, it is also an appreciation of how Australians have turned something so painful into a mythology of enduring significance, shaping Australian culture in profound ways. It is also a plea for the importance of understanding the aftermath of war for ordinary Australians and our collective responsibility to consider how best to support veterans and their families into the future.

Industry Reviews

'Stephen Garton's book is a long-awaited and very
thorough study of the cost of war to Australian society ... It will be an
important addition to an area in which there is a paucity of published
material.'

-- Carolyn Newman * Labour History *

'The cost of war is borne by individuals, families,
especially successive generations of Australian women, and broader society. We have a deeper and far more nuanced appreciation of these realities as a result of this book.'

-- Stephen Loosley * The Australian *

'Written with admirable balance, insight, and imagination, The Cost of War deserves a wide audience ... Garton details the ongoing contest within Australian society over the meaning of warfare and individual sacrifice ... It is a provocative, insightful, and highly recommended study.'

-- Robert J. McMahon * Journal of American History *

'The Cost of War is a masterful book, a tour de force written by
a scholar of the highest order ... This is a book that speaks to Australia. Garton's material is superbly organised, clearly written, insightful and wise.
He writes with great understanding and compassion for the servicemen and
women who fought and died for Australia, while not shying away from
difficult, at times, darker aspects.'

-- Braham Dabscheck * The Newtown Review of Books *

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