des· ert ˈde-zərt. Synonyms of desert. 1. : arid land with usually sparse vegetation. especially : such land having a very warm climate and receiving less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of sporadic rainfall annually. 2. : an area of water apparently devoid of life. 3. : a desolate or forbidding area.

In a new book, The Deserters, journalist Charles Glass tells the stories of three very different men whose lives dramatize how the strain of war can push a soldier to the breaking point — and how.