Authors! with Sebastian Junger

Join us for Authors! with Sebastian Junger to hear how a near-fatal health emergency led to this powerful reflection on death - and what might follow.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A near-fatal health emergency leads to this powerful reflection on death—and what might follow—by the bestselling author of Tribe and The Perfect Storm.

For years as an award-winning war reporter, Sebastian Junger traveled to many front lines and frequently put his life at risk. And yet the closest he ever came to death was the summer of 2020 while spending a quiet afternoon at the New England home he shared with his wife and two young children. Crippled by abdominal pain, Junger was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Once there, he began slipping away. As blackness encroached, he was visited by his dead father, inviting Junger to join him. “It’s okay,” his father said. “There’s nothing to be scared of. I’ll take care of you.” That was the last thing Junger remembered until he came to the next day when he was told he had suffered a ruptured aneurysm that he should not have survived.

This experience spurred Junger—a confirmed atheist raised by his physicist father to respect the empirical—to undertake a scientific, philosophical, and deeply personal examination of mortality and what happens after we die. How do we begin to process the brutal fact that any of us might perish unexpectedly on what begins as an ordinary day? How do we grapple with phenomena that science may be unable to explain? And what happens to a person, emotionally and spiritually, when forced to reckon with such existential questions?

In My Time of Dying is part medical drama, part searing autobiography, and part rational inquiry into the ultimate unknowable mystery.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sebastian Junger is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of THE PERFECT STORM, FIRE, A DEATH IN BELMONT, WAR, TRIBE, FREEDOM and IN MY TIME OF DYING. As an award-winning journalist, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a special correspondent at ABC News, he has covered major international news stories around the world, and has received both a National Magazine Award and a Peabody Award. Junger is also a documentary filmmaker whose debut film "Restrepo", a feature-length documentary (co-directed with Tim Hetherington), was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

Sebastian Junger is the founder and director of Vets Town Hall.

Junger has also written for magazines including Harper's, The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, Outside and Men's Journal. His reporting on Afghanistan in 2000, profiling Northern Alliance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud, who was assassinated just days before 9/11, became the subject of the National Geographic documentary "Into the Forbidden Zone," and introduced America to the Afghan resistance fighting the Taliban.

He lives in New York City and Cape Cod.

ABOUT THE PRESENTATION:

At each program, authors speak for about forty-five minutes, followed by a short question and answer session. A paperback copy of the book is included with the purchase of your ticket.

FAQs:

Can tickets be purchased by phone? No, tickets can be purchased online through Eventbrite only.

What are my parking options at the event? The facility has a free parking garage. The garage entrance is located on Adams St.

What time do the doors open? General admission seating starts at 6:30 p.m.

Are there assigned seats? No. Seating is general admission, but the purchase of a ticket does guarantee you a seat.

Is handicapped seating available? Handicapped seating is available. For special seating arrangements, please call 419.259.5199 at least one week prior to the event.

Will an American Sign Language Interpreter be provided for the event? We are happy to provide an ASL Interpreter for the event - if you require this service, please contact us at 419.259.5199 at least two weeks before the event so arrangements can be made.

What can/can't I bring to the event? Please do not bring outside food/beverages. There is no video recording or flash photography allowed.

Will the author hold a book signing after the talk? After the program, the author will be available for a limited book signing and/or photo opportunities.

Where can I contact the organizer with any questions? Call the Library at 419.259.5200.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event? Yes, tickets will be scanned at the door. If you choose to utilize your mobile device, tickets can be scanned via your Eventbrite email receipt. Note: Screenshots/captures of the ticket receipt cannot be scanned. Please have your device with the ticket receipt open and available for scanning at entry.

Can I get my book if I don’t attend the event? Books may only be obtained at the event. If you are unable to attend, you may have someone else pick it up at the event, but they must have your ticket in hard copy or on their device.

What is the refund policy? Tickets will be refunded only if the event is canceled.

Host or Publisher Toledo Lucas County Public Library