A Bounty of Books

Night Driving: A Story of Faith in the Dark by Addie Zierman is the story of the author's two week car trip with her two young sons from Minnesota to Florida and back. Zierman interweaves the events of her trip with her internal struggle of a period of darkness in her faith.

This is Zierman's second memoir. Her first, When We Were on Fire (which I reviewed here) recounts her journey out of the Christian culture bubble from adolescence to adulthood. Night Driving picks up a couple of years later when Zierman finds herself once again sinking into darkness and trying to escape. She can no longer "feel" God and is desperate to avoid the pit she previously fell into. Her solution is to literally escape the dreary winter of Minnesota in exchange for the sunny beaches of Florida, and hope that at the same time her spirit escapes the winter it finds itself in.

Night Driving is just as readable as Zierman's first book. While I didn't find myself personally relating to this one quite as much as I did the first, I still found a familiar story with elements that resonated. It can be a struggle for those who were brought up to believe faith was all about feeling to not get discouraged and depressed with the feelings disappear. It's not only something one learns to deal with as one matures in their faith, but is also something that often requires a deliberate frame of reference mind shift. Zierman's journey through this shift is honest and encouraging for any who may find themselves in the same position.

I would recommend Night Driving to anyone who may find themselves in a "winter" in their faith. It would also be helpful for anyone who doesn't understand how discouraging that can look and feel. Zierman's honesty allows the reader to take what they can, and leave the rest. There is no pretense to wade through. Night Driving is another great addition to the collection of the millennial memoir.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

The Invisible Front: Love and Loss in an Era of Endless War by Yochi Dreazen is the story of a military family who experienced two unimaginable losses in less than a year. Both of their sons died, one by his own hand and one in combat. The response by the military community, and the community as a whole was so different, that it further added to the family's grief. This led to the parents' crusade to end the stigma associated with mental illness within the military community and improve the systems available to the untold number of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD.

Major General Mark Graham and his wife Carol's fight to change and improve such an entrenched culture, and sprawling bueracrcy, as that of the United States Army is inspiring. If they didn't have such a personal motivation, I don't know that they would have been able to keep fighting. I'm glad they did though. The changes General Graham was able to make at Ft. Carson that have since been adopted at bases throughout the United States have probably saved countless lives. The suicide epidemic the military is facing is not likely to go away any time soon. The emotional wounds that lead to suicide cast a shadow much longer than that of deployment or the year immediately following one's return from combat. We as a country must do a better job of supporting our returning soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines.

While the content of this book was difficult to read, the quality of the writing and the flow of the pace make The Invisible Front an engaging, fast paced read. I couldn't put it down. I felt as though I was in the narrative at times. At others, I found myself having a hard time not skipping ahead to find out what happened next. Dreazen did an excellent job of telling the story in a way that connects the reader to the characters, without adding his own bias. It's clear that he views the mental health system in the military as broken and ineffective, especially in the early years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; however, I don't consider that a bias in this case, as the majority of rational people would feel the same way.

The Invisible Front is thoroughly researched, extremely well-written, and covers such an important topic. I recommend this book to pretty much anyone. Everyone has been touched by mental illness whether directly or indirectly. The message of this book is that there is hope and there is help, but it often involves a fight to receive it. The fight is worth it, and must be fought by advocates of those who need the help, not just those in trouble. The stigma must be thrown aside, and the problem dealt with directly. Regardless of our feelings about the politics of war, we owe those who have fought on our behalf at least that much.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255