recommended by a fellow reader in the Catherine Project group reading the Iliad when we discussed the uptick in violence and cruelty in books 13-15. Not usually the type of thing I read, but it's an interesting way to look at Achilles.

This book is strong antidotal medicine for those who are prone to generalize about what makes Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) a universal phenomenon among afflicted combat veterans, rather than a conflict-specific condition. The war in Vietnam, like all wars, was universal in this respect: the ways it destroyed lives were as unique as the lives it destroyed. Jonathan Shay explores these specifics by comparing them to the descriptions of combat trauma poetically rendered in Homer's epic of the Trojan War, "The Iliad."

Since the original publication of "Achilles in Vietnam" in 1995, the discipline of traumatology has grown, as has our understanding of the neurological explanations (and therapies) for combat PTSD; however, there yet remains a tremendous amount of insight in this book about the injustices, errors and lingering tragedies of Vietnam as well as the pertinence of antiquity and the lessons it continues to teach us. Of particular interest is the way Shay brings into sharp relief many modern assumptions intrinsic to the moral life of soldiers, including how dehumanization of the enemy, like a biblical view of victory and defeat, is both culturally learned and anathema to the classical worldview.

This is an excellent and enlightening study of the catastrophic consequences of modern warfare.

More than any other, this book and its companion Odysseus in America helped me to fully understand not just what had happened to my son because of war but also why. Not why they went to war but why they had to change to survive it.

Written by veterans themselves and woven by Shay into the Iliad it is beautiful and poignant and heartbreaking. Everyone who loves a veteran or a soldier should read these books

Fascinating insights into the veterans of the Vietnam conflict, a brilliant reading of the Iliad and some clues to the treatment of trauma and PTSD.

Fantastic. Surpasses The Iliad, or the Poem of Force, which is very good, in every way - it's not even in the same ballpark. I'm not typically in the business of telling people what to read, but if you spend any time thinking about war or warriors, professionally or personally, you must read this book. I'm not gonna waste time telling you about it. Just read it.

This author just won a McArthur grant. I'm very curious about this one in the context of narrative therapy for PTSD treatment.

This is such a heavy, hard hitting read.

I don't know if it's essential for a Iliad reader, but it certainly adds to the story.

It also makes one sympathetic to veterans, anyone else who suffers with PTSD, those who are grieving, those suffering the certain kind of injustice that is talked about in the book.

It took me a very long time to read, not because it is a long book, but because it made me think about a lot of things and it's very grim, in a way.

I wish that every American would read a book about combat trauma; there are a lot of them but this is a very good one. As a classic lover I especially liked the tie-in to the Iliad. I came away from this book with a better grasp of the effects of unaddressed trauma especially upon the Vietnam soldiers. And surprisingly I took some comfort in the advice for all survivors of physical and emotional trauma and the realization that I have my own healing work to do. We all need to go beyond the (in my opinion) empty platitude of "Thank you for your service."

An absolutely amazing book that teaches, entertains and saddens all at the same time.

It's half a treatise on the nature and treatment of PTSD and half literary analysis of The Illiad. And by-God, this weird little book pulls it off without the slightest hint of visible effort.

This book is a tour de force of psychological analysis and literary criticism. In it, Dr. Shay blends the Illiad with the heartbreaking words of veterans to develop a theory of post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is caused by a breakdown in themis, the internal sense of "what is right" that allows people to belong to an ordered society. Confronted by the betrayal of their superiors, the deception of the enemy, grief at the deaths of close friends, the privations of the battlefield, and finally the corrosive rage of the berserker state, many soldiers lost an essential part of their humanity. By drawing on both classical literature, and his professional knowledge of the challenges that returning veterans face, Dr. Shay paints a detailed portrait of the human cost of war.

Note: All of these ratings are based on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best.

Writing Quality: 7
Literary criticism and medical nonfiction can be some of the most boring books on the market. Not so with this one. It's written at an accessible level. It is rather dry, befitting its genre, but definitely makes apt comparisons and keeps a good balance between example and explanation.

Setting: 7
Usually nonfiction books don't have a setting, but this one paints such a vivid picture of culture that I consider it a setting. I now understand the ancient Greek culture surrounding the Iliad much better, as well as the horrific culture experienced by Vietnam combat veterans. I can discuss the norms of military hierarchy without ever having experienced it. I do wish there was more of the Iliad for balance, but overall they were both well done.

Characters: 8
This entire book is, in essence, a deep character case study. We delve into the psychology of Achilles and the troubles of Vietnam vets. I never knew what caused such things as the "beserk state," but now felt able to sympathize with the feeling. I was impressed by this character development, especially in a nonfiction book. For confidentiality reasons, the veterans were not named, though this did take away from my understanding (as when Shay tags something like, "the same veteran we met earlier said this). That's the only reason points are docked.

Plot: 7
I am now thoroughly convinced we need better treatment of our troops. So the argument did its job. Since it's a complicated problem, the answer is quite complicated, and I can't state all of its facets here. I'm not sure I could follow a logical path, though, from one argument to the next, which is where the lost points come from.

Enjoyment: 5
I enjoyed the insights I learned with this book. But it's never pleasant to learn about combat.

Structure: 5
This book was highly structured, with many subheadings and such. It made for more focused reading certainly. But the overall book seemed not to have a common goal until the end. That was odd.

Emotional Story: 8
Getting inside the mental mechanisms of our characters means we develop an emotional attachment to them. Since it's not a novel, they don't arc, but it was an impressive emotional attachment all the same.

Hook: 4
While the insights were impressive, it's still as dry as its genre. If you've read a little bit, you can put it down and not care about the rest. But while you're reading it, it does have those impressive insights to keep you going.

All of this averages out to a 6.48/10, which is a 3.2/5, hence the 3-star rating.