A Bounty of Books

Tough As They Come by SSG Travis Mills is the autobiography of one modern soldier who sustained and overcame catastrophic injuries while serving in Afghanistan. Part of the famous 82nd Airborne Division, Staff Sergeant Mills was six weeks into his third tour of duty when he triggered an IED. The explosion left him a quadruple amputee as he became the fourth such survivor of the war on terror.

SSG Mills' story is a pretty typical one until his injury. He recounts growing up a star football player in small town America. He enlisted after feeling aimless and unfulfilled during his short time in college. He met and married his wife in a whirlwind romance between his first and second tours, and they had a baby girl between his second and third tours.

The first three quarters of so of Tough As They Come is about SSG Mills' life before his injury. It includes amusing anecdotes from his childhood and stories about his experiences during his first two tours. As an infantryman and a paratrooper he saw a lot of action and served his second tour in the remotest, barest regions of Afghanistan. His personality comes through the description of his life. Its obvious he looks at things positively and uses humor to deal with tough things. He loves hard, works hard, and play hard. All of these things would come into play during the recovery from his injuries.

It's obvious SSG Mills doesn't view himself has a hero, though he is, just as are all the other men and women who have served our country. His tenacity and spirit are great examples for anyone facing adversity. Tough As They Come is easy to read as it feels like one is just listening to an entertaining storyteller. It's well written and appropriately paced. The excerpts of his wife's journals and other recollections from people in his life add a unique flavor that give credibility to Mills' character and personality.

I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in stories about overcoming adversity. Those interested in the stories of soldiers or the war on terror should also read this book.

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

Fearless by Eric Blehm is the story of a daredevil, crack addict teen who became a member of the top special forces group in the United States military. Through God's grace, Adam Brown was able to become a husband, father, and special forces operator who gave the ultimate sacrifice for his brothers-in-arms.

Eric Blehm had unparallelled access to Adam Brown's friends and family, as well as primary source documents such as military records, court documents, and letters. This is obvious in his recounting of Brown's life, as he is able to make the reader feel as though he/she knew Brown personally. Fearless seems almost like a novel because of the easy flow with which it reads. The raw honesty of Brown's failures and struggles make it easy to relate to Adam, as well as to root for him. Knowing that his life will be cut short in an act of sacrifice for those he served with made each triumph Brown experienced that much more poignant.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Fearless and getting to peek into Adam Brown's life. Blehm treats his life with respect and balance, something I think Brown would have appreciated. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in biographies, special forces, or the power of God's grace in the life of one who is willing to surrender to Him.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers as part of their Blogging for Books book review bloggers program. 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