Jonathan Shay is a Boston-area psychiatrist whose patients are Vietnam combat veterans with severe, chronic post-traumatic stress disorder in the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic. He is also on the faculty of Tufts Medical School. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
"[A] fresh take on a literary classic." -Library Journal "A
brilliant successor to Shay's groundbreaking Achilles in Vietnam."
-Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Why They Kill and
The Making of the Atomic Bomb "Should be read by anyone interested
in the effects of combat on troops, or in the meaning of Homer's
works -- and by everyone who wants to better understand today's
United States. Buy it, read it, and make your friends read it."
-Thomas E. Ricks, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Making the
Corps "Just as the Iliad and Odyssey complement each other
perfectly, so also Odysseus in America is a most worthy companion
to Achilles in Vietnam. Dr. Shay has given his readers a true
American Odyssey." -Gregory Nagy, Professor of Classical Greek
Literature at Harvard University, and Director of Harvard's Center
for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C. "Provocative thinking and
clarity of style on the page are Jonathan Shay's consistent
hallmarks. Even those who disagree with his conclusions will find
his work of profound value. This is a moral, insightful,
stimulating book." -Ralph Peters, author of Beyond Terror and
Fighting for the Future Vibrant
Shay, a psychiatrist in the Department of Veteran Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Boston, has worked with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Vietnam veterans for many years. In his first book, Achilles in Vietnam, Shay explored the stresses and psychological injuries caused by armed combat, using the insight of Homer's Iliad. That book was warmly received in both the medical and the military professions. In the first third of the new book, Shay uses Odysseus's epic journey to explore the stresses faced by veterans who return home, still scarred by their intense experiences. In Shay's interpretation, Odysseus experienced nearly all of the symptoms he has observed in returned veterans of modern wars fearfulness, inability to trust or be close to anyone, emotional outbursts, violence, criminal activity, sexual adventurism, and so forth. Clearly, Homer understood and appreciated what war really meant to the participants. The second section deals with healing techniques. The third contains Shay's suggested measures for prevention of such long-lasting injuries. Whether or not one agrees with Shay's prescriptive measures, this is a mandatory purchase for any library serving the military or their families, or where medical professionals deal with any kind of stress-related disorder. It is also a fresh take on a literary classic. Highly recommended. Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KS Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
"[A] fresh take on a literary classic." -Library Journal
"A brilliant successor to Shay's groundbreaking Achilles in
Vietnam." -Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of
Why They Kill and The Making of the Atomic Bomb "Should be read by
anyone interested in the effects of combat on troops, or in the
meaning of Homer's works -- and by everyone who wants to better
understand today's United States. Buy it, read it, and make your
friends read it." -Thomas E. Ricks, Pulitzer Prize winner and
author of Making the Corps "Just as the Iliad and
Odyssey complement each other perfectly, so also Odysseus in
America is a most worthy companion to Achilles in Vietnam. Dr. Shay
has given his readers a true American Odyssey." -Gregory Nagy,
Professor of Classical Greek Literature at Harvard University, and
Director of Harvard's Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington,
D.C. "Provocative thinking and clarity of style on the page are
Jonathan Shay's consistent hallmarks. Even those who disagree with
his conclusions will find his work of profound value. This is a
moral, insightful, stimulating book." -Ralph Peters, author of
Beyond Terror and Fighting for the Future
Vibrant
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
