Books
Silvestri is the author of two books. Both draw from interview-based research. Her first book, Friended at the Front won a major award in 2016 for pioneering cultural approaches to the study of social media. Her most recent book, Peace by Peace, tells eight stories of ordinary people working to make the world a better place. Check out the “Engage” tab for live recorded interview footage from two of the eight people featured in the book, Peace by Peace.
Eight stories about extraordinary action carried out by ordinary people
When you want to effect positive change against structural and systemic problems, where do you begin? In Peace by Peace, Lisa Silvestri uses interview-based storytelling to explore the catalytic moments that led ordinary people to address social, political, and economic issues in their communities ranging from the West Bank to West Baltimore. The source of their audacity is practical wisdom, an Ancient Greek virtue that Silvestri revives for twenty-first century application.
In the face of challenges like environmental exploitation, global conflict, and ongoing fights for social justice, Peace by Peace offers deeply informed insight into how we can move past debilitating cynicism to create actionable change.
Early Praise for Peace by Peace
“I love everything about this truly engaging, hopeful, and powerful monograph. I like that it is so different, timely, and feels compelling in terms of the need for HOPE right now.”
“What a great project -- we need more books like these, especially in challenging times like, well, the entire 21st century really. I can't wait for this book to be finished so I can devour it.”
“I think we could all use this book right now.”
Praise for Friended at the Front
"In the end, this book is a must-read for soldiers, scholars, policymakers, and citizens who would like to gain insight into the impact of social media in contemporary conflict and how the lines between the home front and the war front are becoming ever more blurred." —H-Net Review
"Offers a comprehensive analysis of the role that social media play in the lives of an often-overlooked population: the US military, both deployed and domestic. The book is accessible to even novice social media enthusiasts yet deep enough to command the attention of advanced scholars." —Choice
“Friended at the Front: Social Media in the American War Zone is an engaging and innovative account that should draw the attention of anyone interested in the study of the experiences of warriors. With new technologies such as Facebook and email, historians and others should recognize the dramatic changes ongoing on how we gather the impressions of the soldiers including visual ones. This book is a timely and important one." —Kyle Longley, author of The Morenci Marines: A Tale of Small Town America and the Vietnam War
"An accessible, original, and important analysis of how social media help members of the military express themselves and stay connected to friends, family, and each other during difficult and self-defining times. Silvestri’s approach is current and fresh and her interpretations sharp and thought-provoking. . . . A truly unique and valuable book." —Zizi Papacharissi, author of A Private Sphere: Democracy in a Digital Age
"As Silvestri demonstrates, technology has indeed blurred the distinctions between the front lines and the home front in contemporary warfare. Her example of the Marines storing their digital cameras in their extra grenade pouches is a powerful reminder of the revolution that has occurred technologically, which in turn has spurred communications and social changes that Silvestri adeptly illuminates. . . . Timely, insightful, and provocative, her book is a significant contribution to our understanding of social media, 21st-century war, and the dynamic relationship between the two." —William A. Taylor, ex-Marine Corps officer and author of Every Citizen a Soldier: The Campaign for Universal Military Training after World War II
"A fascinating analysis of the intense use of social media by Marines who are facing stress, comradery and isolation. The author sheds new light on this important but generally overlooked topic and places it within a larger cultural and critical context. Her findings have significance both for social policy and social science." —James E. Katz, author of Magic in the Air: Mobile Communication and the Transformation of Social Life
“Silvestri’s fascinating study is at the front- both literally and metaphorically- of research on the way that new media is redefining relationships in the twenty-first century. Using extensive ethnographic data from interviews, Facebook, and YouTube, the author illustrates how Marines ‘on the ground’ are reshaping traditional boundaries between civilian and military, war and the home-front, one status update at a time.” -Paula Holmes-Eber, author of Culture in Conflict: Irregular Warfare, Culture Policy, and the Marine Corps
Winner: James W. Carey Media Research Award
For most of us, clicking “like” on social media has become fairly routine. For a Marine, clicking “like” from the battlefield lets his social network know he’s alive. This is the first time in the history of modern warfare that US troops have direct, instantaneous connection to civilian life back home. Lisa Ellen Silvestri’s Friended at the Front documents the revolutionary change in the way we communicate across fronts. Social media, Silvestri contends, changes what it’s like to be at war.