Look at the U.S.A.: A Diary of War and Home is a monumental retrospective by Peter van Agtmael, documenting the major fault lines that have defined the United States since 2001. Moving beyond traditional war reporting, the book functions as a deeply personal memoir that explores the “seductive nature of conflict” and its profound impact on the American psyche. Spanning nearly twenty years, the narrative traces Van Agtmael’s journey from the front lines of Iraq in 2006 and the battle of Mosul in 2017 to the domestic turmoil of the Trump era, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the January 6th Capitol riot. Through 186 color and black-and-white illustrations, the work exposes the disconnect between the soldiers fighting abroad and the families, wounded veterans, and political discord at home. It is a damning yet moving critique of nationalism, militarism, and the human cost of empire.
