A Long Way Back, by J. Everett Prewitt

MWSA Review
When Anthony Andrews arrived in Vietnam, in June, 1969, he was expecting to accomplish exactly what he had been sent to do by his editor at the Washington Post. As a black reporter embedded with American troops, he was to send home positive stories about the experiences of young black soldiers. But Southeast Asia was about to change his life forever with two unusual events.

When a Chinook helicopter delivered seven soldiers to his base, Anthony was only a casual observer, but what he saw suggested a story that needed to be told. The new arrivals were filthy, their uniforms tattered, their eyes haunted, their bodies showing signs of severe malnutrition. Two were wounded, and—strangest of all-- all of them were black. Anthony watched as they were hustled away with no chance for questions or greetings or interviews. His attempts to learn more about the men and their mission failed to get any information—not even their names.

Shortly thereafter, the commander of the unit to which he had been assigned sent him out to accompany a reconnaissance mission. Without warning, their foray turned into a gun battle. The leader of the squadron failed to appear, enemy troops ambushed the Americans, and Anthony’s escort was killed. Facing North Vietnamese soldiers sneaking up from the rear, Anthony grabbed his unfamiliar gun and killed several of them, thus alerting his squad in time to avoid danger.

Those two events defined the rest of Anthony’ stay in Vietnam. His abrupt introduction to the horrors of jungle warfare left him suffering from what we recognize today as PTSD. He compared the disorder to carrying a snake in one’s pocket. As he tried to deal with his own trauma, his efforts to learn the story behind the seven black soldiers became more and more frustrating. No one would talk about the incident, and the seven men simply disappeared.

Anthony returned home at the end of his tour, still suffering the effects of PTSD and still unable to forget about what he had seen. He watched helplessly as his career, his marriage, and his health collapsed.

In Part II, readers learn the horrific details behind the event Anthony had witnessed. The story of the seven black soldiers is told in gut-wrenching detail, both from the black soldiers’ own point of view and from that of the female Viet Cong guerrilla who pursued them. The descriptions are not for the faint-of heart nor for those unprepared to deal with the effects of unchecked racism and human cruelty.

In Part III, the stories come together, as Anthony manages to work through his personal traumatic experience by finding his seven black soldiers, each of whom shows up carrying his own private “snake.” This is not a pretty story, and despite a somewhat happy conclusion, not everyone will enjoy reading about this particularly dark period in America’s history.
Review by Carolyn Schriber, MWSA Reviewer
 

Synopsis:
When a reporter for the Washington Post sees a group of wounded, half-starved, black troops disembark from a helicopter in Cu Chi during the height of the Vietnam War, he senses a story but receives no cooperation from the army or the soldiers.

The men, mostly noncombat soldiers, are the remnant of a squad sent on an illegal mission to Cambodia as punishment for their participation in a race riot at Cu Chi base camp. Led by a battle-fatigued sergeant, they fall under enemy fire. Their leader inexplicably disappears, leaving the ill-prepared soldiers to fight the jungle and enemy on their own.

Although forced to confront the shock of combat and a deteriorating family life, the reporter pursues the story, hoping to uncover the truth about what happened to those soldiers in the jungle.

An intriguing glimpse into the Vietnam War, A Long Way Back is a tense journey merging the lives of the soldiers and the reporter as they struggle to overcome their fear and face the battles they must fight to survive.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1514129265
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, ePub, Kindle
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 380
 

Sin Eater, by John Schembra

MWSA Review:
Starting in the 18th-century, some northern European cultures believed in a
mysterious figure known as a sin eater, who, by consuming a ritual meal
over the body of a person who had just died, absorbed all the sins of the
deceased, thus allowing his purified soul to escape eternal punishment for
his misdeeds. The practice continued through much of the 19th century,
particularly in Appalachia,  but faded and then disappeared in more modern
times. In John Schembra’s Sin Eater, the author has resurrected the
legends and transformed this shadowy figure into a modern day serial killer
who does not wait for death to provide his clients. This new sin eater
stalks the terminally ill and helpfully releases them from sins and life
simultaneously.

When the sin eater murders a chemistry professor on the grounds of a small
college, Sarah, an over-qualified campus policewoman, and Nico, a
socially-inept young history professor, team up to hunt down the
black-cloaked figure who threatens their school and community. If you
prefer your mysteries to tell a straight-forward story without too many
confusing dead ends and false leads, you’ll like this quick and easy read.
And if you prefer your police procedurals with a twist of romance and more
than a whiff of the supernatural, you may find this little book the perfect
way to spend a cold winter’s night.
By Carolyn Schriber, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
The shocking murder of a professor at San Donorio State College brings the city police to investigate, with Campus Police Officer Sarah Ferris as the college liaison. Sarah's friend, Nico Guardino, a history professor at the college, gets drawn into helping and while Nico and Sarah struggle to find the murderer, the killing continues. As Nico is inexorably drawn deeper and deeper into the investigation, he begins getting flashes of visions and deep feelings of dread that he knows are somehow connected to the murderer. He feels the connection becoming stronger, but how and why remains unknown. His visions and feelings are becoming more and more disturbing as the investigation progresses... 

Author: John Schembra
ISBN/ASIN: 978-1925191929 ASIN # B01M0TWRHH
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, ePub, Kindle
Genre(s): Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 200

The War Within, the Story of Josef, by Patricia Walkow

 MWSA Review

The War Within, The Story of Josef: A young man's wartime journey through cruelty and kindness, hatred and love, despair and hope.

Patricia Walkow expertly weaves a biography into a book that reads like a classic novel. In The War Within, the Story of Josef, we meet Walkow’s father-in-law during his time as a slave laborer for the Third Reich. Conscripted in his native Poland in 1939, Josef works first in construction on roads in the vicinity of the concentration camps. He’s then shipped to Germany to work in a factory. There, a deadly accident with a barrel incapacitates him severely enough that he cannot work. He will be executed by his captors when they discover his injury.

In defiance of the rules, Willie Mirz, a German ambulance driver, arranges for Josef to receive medical care by a German doctor and recover in a German home for a long enough time that Josef begins to fall into love with a German girl. This is a side to Nazi Germany that is rarely reported. Josef struggles not only with the amputation of his leg, but also with the concept of receiving aid from compassionate Germans at a time and place where they could be imprisoned or worse for helping him.

As Josef adjusts to losing a leg and grows to appreciate and understand his benefactors, he asks the question, “Heart to heart, are there any enemies?” It’s a profound and deeply philosophical question for a young enslaved Pole to ask. And it truly is the heart of this well-written and insightful book. Other threads that make up the warp and woof of this remarkable story are the themes of determination, courage, hope, fear, despair, love, joy, and new beginnings.

Meticulously researched and skillfully written, this novel begs us to depart from what we think we know and open our hearts to what can be. Josef Walkow and Willie Mirz have shown us the way. Patricia Walkow has faithfully recorded it. What will be our response as we make our choices throughout our lives?

By Betsy Beard, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
The War Within, the Story of Josef, is a creative nonfiction biography of Josef, a teenage Christian Polish slave laborer, forced to work in Nazi Germany during World War II. The setting is Nazi Germany, French Occupied Germany after the end of World War II, and New York City. The span of years for the story is 1943-1954. Josef was a real person, and experienced all of the events in the story. At the outset of the story, Josef awakens after his left leg was amputated due to an accident in the factory where he worked in Southern Germany. A talented mechanic, even at his young age, Josef has a natural ability to understand, repair and fabricate machinery. Because of his usefulness, his life is spared, although slave laborers are normally considered expendable, and when injured, are summarily executed. German citizens are prohibited from helping slave laborers. Yet, Willie, a German ambulance driver only a few years older than Josef, saves Josef's life by taking him to the hospital and allowing him to recuperate in his own home. Willie lives with his mother, Sonya, a loyal German. Through the course of his recuperation, Josef fights his hatred of the Germans; Sonya roils with emotion as she comes to see the injured boy as a human being, rather than an enemy, and Willie questions his own motivations for helping the young Pole. Ella, a young German girl who is a cook and maid in a nearby house, befriends Josef. She struggles with her own mother's decision to remove her from school, forcing her to work as a servant. Josef and Ella fall in love and keep their love a secret through the war. When the war ends, they remain in French-occupied Germany, marry, and start a family.

Author: Patricia Walkow
ISBN/ASIN: 978-1519181015
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Genre(s): Biography
Number of Pages: 357

They Called Me Doc, by Larry C Miller

MWSA Review
Larry Miller's THEY CALLED ME DOC is an honest, intimate look into what has to be one of the hardest jobs in the military; that of a combat corpsman among infantry Marines in combat.

Miller does an excellent job of setting the story, providing a history lesson at the beginning of many of the major stages of the book so the reader understands the background.  When that is established, he goes full bore into the meat of his experiences, and pulls no punches.  He draws the reader in almost to the point where the reader can smell the smoke and the blood.  It's a vivid accounting of war, including the positives of lives saved, and the agony of those lost, told from the point of view of someone right there in either case.  Along the way, there are also anecdotes and stories of camaraderie that any vet will immediately recognize, regardless of when they served.

Hospital corpsman, grunts, or anyone who enjoys military memoirs will find this a worthwhile read, and those unfamiliar with corpsmen will gain a great understanding of those who were called ""Doc."

Review by Rob Ballister, MWSA Awards Director and Reviewer

Author's Synopsis
I have waited for over 45 years to tell this story, initially because I just wanted to forget the war and get on with making a living and raising a family. The other reason is that 45 years ago the American fighting man was not held in very high esteem and no one was ready to hear anything good about the Vietnam War or the men who fought and died there. This book is less about me and more about the sacrifice, incredible hardships, and heroic actions displayed by the Marine Grunts that I had the privilege to treat during battles on the DMZ. This is really their story.

Author: Larry C Miller
ISBN-13: 9781530012510, ISBN-10: 1530012511
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Memoir
Number of Pages: 292

The Honor Was Mine: A Look Inside the Struggles of Military Veterans, by Elizabeth Heaney

MWSA Review
“The Honor Was Mine: A Look Inside the Struggles of Military Veterans” by Elizabeth Heaney, is a thought-provoking, occasionally humorous and incredibly moving memoir.  A civilian therapist for many years, Ms. Heaney decides a change is needed in her life.  She leaves her well-established practice, her home, her friends and signs up as a contract civilian counselor with the Department of Defense.  The author begins work in a program begun after the onset of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to provide strictly confidential counseling on military bases.  She starts with little knowledge of the military; and her baptism by fire provides for some interesting scenarios.  Gradually, she is able to adapt and reaches out to soldiers and spouses in need—often in creative and ingenious ways.

The many moving stories describing her encounters with specific soldiers and spouses are heart-wrenching.  What solace do you give soldiers leaving their families for a year-long deployment?  What comfort can you provide the spouses and families of those left behind?  What psychological/emotional challenges do soldiers face after being in a war zone for a year—perhaps losing comrades, fighting an unconventional or unseen enemy and living with adrenaline rush 24/7?  What fears lurk in the minds of those family members who cannot share the nightmares and horrors of war?  How can a family survive and prosper when they seriously question whether they and their returning hero can ever return to some sense of normalcy?   Can the wounds, both physical and mental, heal?  Sometimes there are answers…sometimes not.  Each case, each story is unique.  And, what toll does secondary PTSD have on those providing the counseling?

Ms. Heaney tries her best to answer these and many other questions with honesty and professionalism.  She struggles to educate herself on the military world and to help the soldiers feel at ease with her enough to share their burden.  Along the way, she has her eyes opened to the courage, honor and dedication exhibited by our warriors.   

This book is well written.  As the spouse of a 20-year veteran and a caseworker for the American Red Cross, many of these stories hit home for me.  I was brought to tears at several points in the book—a soldier trying to come to grips with his buddy’s death; a young private holding his child for the first time; the care a fallen soldier’s possessions receive; the excitement of a small child seeing her father after a year; the heartbreak of a marriage that didn’t survive the overwhelming stress of repeated deployments.  I could feel each soldier and/or spouse’s pain and anxiety through her words.  

Before reading the book, I was unaware that such a program existed.  I am grateful to know about it now.   This book should be mandatory reading for military and civilian alike, and will definitely appeal to those in and outside of the service. 
Review by Sandi Cowper, MWSA Reviewer
 

Author's Synopsis
The Honor Was Mine by Elizabeth Heaney The Honor Was Mine carries readers into the lives and hearts of combat veterans who face the daunting task of finding their way back home. Elizabeth Heaney, a psychotherapist with thirty years of experience, arrives at her first military base with no previous exposure to the military, and no grasp of military culture. Gone are her comfortable counseling offices with polished wood floors and soft lighting; she now works in cement block rooms and motor pools, in hallways and parking lots. Her ignorance of the military leads her to address an officer by the wrong rank, mistakenly stand in a restricted area, and has her head spinning during acronym-filled chats with soldiers. Counseling sessions are also different than anything she is used to. Unlike her private-practice clients who arrived to sessions eager to share, Heaney discovers that the warriors’ reticence and pride make vulnerable conversations tenuous and difficult. She must learn to listen differently and inquire more carefully as she feels her way into their world. Paul tells her he’s been home for five days and isn’t sure how to talk to his wife: a year-long deployment doing solitary work left him more comfortable with silence. A staff sergeant meticulously prepares a dress uniform for his buddy’s funeral and speaks in hushed tones about the fine soldier he was. Deborah, a commander’s wife, sits on a park bench and talks about going to eighty-seven memorial services. These conversations introduce Heaney to the astounding burdens soldiers carry as they return from combat. One turning point comes as she speaks with SGT Devereaux. They stand in his cluttered, closet-like office, and he begins by joking about his struggles with PTSD. As Heaney gently invites him to say more, Devereaux becomes skittish and begins to stammer. Then he tells the story of his goofy, gregarious nineteen-year-old friend who went out on a mission and never came back. Devereaux’s voice fails him as his eyes fill with tears; in the silence, Heaney begins to fully realize how much pain is hidden in the hearts of our warriors. Over the years, Heaney speaks with privates and commanders, infantrymen and engineers, soldiers fresh out of boot camp, weary warriors who’d been deployed numerous times, and service members from every branch of the military. She helps them bridge the gap between war and home, working with those who have battles scenes burned into their memory, who fight debilitating battles within themselves, and who fear their hearts and psyches may be broken forever. Increasingly, Heaney becomes overwhelmed and scared as she realizes the steadiness she must maintain in order to listen to what the warriors need to say. As she returns to her temporary housing each night, the image of having spent her day “catching hearts falling through the air” haunts her. Eventually, she must come to terms – or not - with how the depth of the soldiers’ needs will never be met within the parameters of her job, which instruct her to help veterans with “short-term daily living skills.” Moving back and forth between the soldiers’ stories—told in their own words—and her own story of change, Heaney plays the roles of observer and helper, outsider and intimate. The Honor Was Mine gives readers an opportunity to sit next to her and hear the intimate accounts, not of what happens in war but of the heart wounds that fester but too often remain unspoken and unheard. Until now. The Honor Was Mine shows readers why the phrase “Thank you for your service” is not enough to bridge the divide between war and home. A deeper listening and larger compassion is necessary if our service members are ever going to truly come home.    

Author: Elizabeth Heaney
ISBN/ASIN: 978-1503935747
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Audiobook, Kindle
Genre(s): Creative Nonfiction, Memoir
Number of Pages: 286