Clint Van Winkle has invited us into his life and into his nightmares. He'll be sitting in a bar sharing "normal" life with us but when the news comes on; the ghosts come out - and not just the dead ones.
The writing flows so smoothly between current events, nightmares and memories that it took awhile to get use to it. One minute we're sitting in the living room drinking a beer and the next paragraph we're sitting in Iraq. It happened that fast for him, it happens that fast for us.
This book taught me to be angry. If a minority of our Vets are treated this way, the whole system needs to be taken out and shot.
"Even the Jade Clinic's waiting room seemed inhospitable and cold. The staff's apathy fit right in with the surroundings and they seemed as if they had been specifically handpicked to dole out subpar service. Disheartening isn't a strong enough word to describe what I felt as I watched my fellow veterans being ignored.*"
He mentions some good people in the system but as a whole it leaves a lot to be desired.
This book also taught me appreciation. I've always thought of the military as a group, almost a single body where the feet are very important but still a single body. Now I know it is individuals. The military is made up of people that have the roughest job ever.
Is there a happy ending? Can there ever be a happy ending for a Marine with PTSD? I cried and I laughed and cried some more. Once the story sucked me in it was finished the next day.
Read it. Think about it. show more Share with your friends. Thank a Vet.
content warning: very realistic war memories
*pg 86 of the Advance Readers' Edition show less
The writing flows so smoothly between current events, nightmares and memories that it took awhile to get use to it. One minute we're sitting in the living room drinking a beer and the next paragraph we're sitting in Iraq. It happened that fast for him, it happens that fast for us.
This book taught me to be angry. If a minority of our Vets are treated this way, the whole system needs to be taken out and shot.
"Even the Jade Clinic's waiting room seemed inhospitable and cold. The staff's apathy fit right in with the surroundings and they seemed as if they had been specifically handpicked to dole out subpar service. Disheartening isn't a strong enough word to describe what I felt as I watched my fellow veterans being ignored.*"
He mentions some good people in the system but as a whole it leaves a lot to be desired.
This book also taught me appreciation. I've always thought of the military as a group, almost a single body where the feet are very important but still a single body. Now I know it is individuals. The military is made up of people that have the roughest job ever.
Is there a happy ending? Can there ever be a happy ending for a Marine with PTSD? I cried and I laughed and cried some more. Once the story sucked me in it was finished the next day.
Read it. Think about it. show more Share with your friends. Thank a Vet.
content warning: very realistic war memories
*pg 86 of the Advance Readers' Edition show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
As a book reviewer for Thomas Nelson I had the opportunity to review Lucado’s newest book titled Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear.
First off, this book doesn't use the same Bible translation that I use. Was it a problem? NO. There wasn't an age range listed but I would have liked my children to read it so maybe 12 & up. You read it, then share with your family but be warned, they may not give it back.
Max Lucado can see the profound in the mundane. For example, he writes of sitting by the pool at a hotel while writing and watching two girls with their father.
"A father and his two small daughters are at play. He's in the water; they jump into his arms. Let me restate that: one jumps; the other ponders. The dry one gleefully watches her sister leap. She dances up and down as the other splashes. But when her dad invites her to do the same, she shakes her head and backs away."
I would see a family playing, he sees a "living parable!" and relates it to us ignoring our faith. As we sit there watching, we're urging the girl to jump. Her father will catch her and she'll have fun. What we don't see is us, standing there, being too cautious because we're fearful. Where is our faith in our Father? Jump, He won't let us down.
Max Lucado takes each of our fears, relates it to the 'real' world, walks us through them, gives us scriptures to hold on to, and brings us out the other side with a stronger faith and the tools to live without fear.
Each of the chapters has a discussion show more guide at the end of the book. Each discussion guide is divided into three sections: Examining Fear, Exposing Fear and Battling Fear. Read through this book, just as you would a novel then go through it again with notepad and Bible. Get out your highlighter and really read this book. You'll be glad you did. show less
First off, this book doesn't use the same Bible translation that I use. Was it a problem? NO. There wasn't an age range listed but I would have liked my children to read it so maybe 12 & up. You read it, then share with your family but be warned, they may not give it back.
Max Lucado can see the profound in the mundane. For example, he writes of sitting by the pool at a hotel while writing and watching two girls with their father.
"A father and his two small daughters are at play. He's in the water; they jump into his arms. Let me restate that: one jumps; the other ponders. The dry one gleefully watches her sister leap. She dances up and down as the other splashes. But when her dad invites her to do the same, she shakes her head and backs away."
I would see a family playing, he sees a "living parable!" and relates it to us ignoring our faith. As we sit there watching, we're urging the girl to jump. Her father will catch her and she'll have fun. What we don't see is us, standing there, being too cautious because we're fearful. Where is our faith in our Father? Jump, He won't let us down.
Max Lucado takes each of our fears, relates it to the 'real' world, walks us through them, gives us scriptures to hold on to, and brings us out the other side with a stronger faith and the tools to live without fear.
Each of the chapters has a discussion show more guide at the end of the book. Each discussion guide is divided into three sections: Examining Fear, Exposing Fear and Battling Fear. Read through this book, just as you would a novel then go through it again with notepad and Bible. Get out your highlighter and really read this book. You'll be glad you did. show less