Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: PTSD

The 2022 Semi-Finalists JOURNEY Book Awards for Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction
The Journey Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Journey Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. We will put books about true and inspiring stories to the test and choose the best among them. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

These titles have moved forward in the Short List Journey Non-Fiction entries to the 2022 Journey Book Awards SEMI-FINALISTS. Entries below are now in competition for 2022 Journey Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC23).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 29th, 2023 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the FINALISTS of the 2022 Journey Book Awards novel competition for Overcoming Adversity in Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating the Semi-Finalist authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Sandi Paris – Catching Rain
- Michael Wohl – In Herschel’s Wake
- Ashe and Magdalena Stevens – Lost in Beirut: A True Story of Love, Loss and War
- Norris Comer – Salmon in the Seine: Alaskan Memories of Life, Death, & Everything In-Between
- Laura Whitfield – Untethered: Faith, Failure, and Finding Solid Ground
- Nicholas Chittick – A PRISONER’S FIGHT: The Pandemic as Seen From Inside the Illinois Department of Corrections
- Linda Murphy Marshall – Ivy Lodge: A Memoir of Translation and Discovery
- Kim Fairley – Swimming for My Life
- Kyomi O’Connor – A Sky of Infinite Blue- A Japanese Immigrant’s Search for Home and Self
- Roselle Madrone, Robin Detmer, & Kris Dutter – The Open Book: A Family Memoir of Adventure, Trauma, and Resilience
- D. Terrence Foster, MD – The Stress Book: Forty-Plus Ways to Manage Stress & Enjoy Your Life
- Mark Berridge – A Fraction Stronger
- Joseph G. Krygier with Victor Breitburg – A Rage To Live: Surviving The Holocaust So Hitler Would Not Win
- Donna McCart Welser – Rue’s Butterfly
- Simone Yemm – Stalked by Demons, Guarded by Angels: The Girl with the Eating Disorder
- Philip Lister – A Short Good Life: Her Father Tells Liza’s Story of Facing Death
- M. E. Schuman – The Understory: A Female Environmentalist in the Land of the Midnight Sun
- Meredith O’Brien – Opening The Door: My Journey Through Anorexia To Full Recovery
- Susan Frances Morris – The Sensitive One
- Amelia Zachry – Enough – A Memoir of Mistakes, Mania, and Motherhood
- Carolyn DiPasquale – Reckless Grace: A Mother’s Crash Course in Mental Illness
- Jackie Carol Haines – Pinball, the Stray I Needed
- Mike Coleman – The Way from Me to Us
- Gabriel Bron – The Journey Home: Portraits of Healing
- Catherine Ehrlich – Irma’s Passport: One Woman, Two World Wars, and a Legacy of Courage
- Denise Collins – What Happened to John
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Twitter’s handle is @ChantiReviews

Or click hereto go directly to Chanticleer’s Twitter feed.

Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 JOURNEY Awards is:

Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days

Andrea Wilson Woods

The 2022 JOURNEY Book Awards winners will be announced at CAC23 on April 29, 2023. Save the date for CAC23, scheduled April 27-30, 2023, our 10 year Conference Anniversary!

Submissions for the 2023 JOURNEY Book Awards are open until the end of July. Enter here!

Don’t delay! Enter today!

IN-Person – April 27-30, 2023! Register Today!

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our 11th annual conference and discover why!
January 24, 2023
The 2022 Short List JOURNEY Book Awards for Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction
The Journey Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Journey Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. We will put books about true and inspiring stories to the test and choose the best among them. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

These titles have moved forward in the Long List Journey Non-Fiction entries to the 2022 Journey Book Awards SHORT LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2022 Journey Semi-Finalists. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC23).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 29th, 2023 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SEMI-FINALIST of the 2022 Journey Book Awards novel competition for Overcoming Adversity in Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating the ShortList authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Ian Gregory – On Insanity
- Sandi Paris – Catching Rain
- Michael Wohl – In Herschel’s Wake
- Ashe and Magdalena Stevens – Lost in Beirut: A True Story of Love, Loss and War
- Norris Comer – Salmon in the Seine: Alaskan Memories of Life, Death, & Everything In-Between
- Laura Whitfield – Untethered: Faith, Failure, and Finding Solid Ground
- Nicholas Chittick – A PRISONER’S FIGHT: The Pandemic as Seen From Inside the Illinois Department of Corrections
- Linda Murphy Marshall – Ivy Lodge: A Memoir of Translation and Discovery
- Kim Fairley – Swimming for My Life
- Kyomi O’Connor – A Sky of Infinite Blue- A Japanese Immigrant’s Search for Home and Self
- Roselle Madrone, Robin Detmer, & Kris Dutter – The Open Book: A Family Memoir of Adventure, Trauma, and Resilience
- D. Terrence Foster, MD – The Stress Book: Forty-Plus Ways to Manage Stress & Enjoy Your Life
- Mark Berridge – A Fraction Stronger
- Joseph G. Krygier with Victor Breitburg – A Rage To Live: Surviving The Holocaust So Hitler Would Not Win
- Katherine Caire – Accidental Sisters
- Donna McCart Welser – Rue’s Butterfly
- Lyn Barrett – Crazy: Reclaiming Life from the Shadow of Traumatic Memory
- Simone Yemm – Stalked by Demons, Guarded by Angels: The Girl with the Eating Disorder
- Philip Lister – A Short Good Life: Her Father Tells Liza’s Story of Facing Death
- M. E. Schuman – The Understory: A Female Environmentalist in the Land of the Midnight Sun
- Meredith O’Brien – Opening The Door: My Journey Through Anorexia To Full Recovery
- Susan Frances Morris – The Sensitive One
- Stuart Nagero – Truth is Indestructible
- Amelia Zachry – Enough – A Memoir of Mistakes, Mania, and Motherhood
- Carolyn DiPasquale – Reckless Grace: A Mother’s Crash Course in Mental Illness
- Jackie Carol Haines – Pinball, the Stray I Needed
- Benjamin Plumb – The Satisfied Introvert: A Memoir About Finding Safety in an Extroverted World
- Mike Coleman – The Way from Me to Us
- Gabriel Bron – The Journey Home: Portraits of Healing
- Catherine Ehrlich – Irma’s Passport: One Woman, Two World Wars, and a Legacy of Courage
- Melissa Harris – One Pound, Twelve Ounces
- Denise Collins – What Happened to John
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Twitter’s handle is @ChantiReviews

Or click here to go directly to Chanticleer’s Twitter feed.

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 JOURNEY Awards is:

Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days

Andrea Wilson Woods

The 2022 JOURNEY Book Awards winners will be announced at CAC23 on April 29, 2023. Save the date for CAC23, scheduled April 27-30, 2023, our 10 year Conference Anniversary!

Submissions for the 2023 JOURNEY Book Awards are open until the end of July. Enter here!

Don’t delay! Enter today!

IN-Person – April 27-30, 2023! Register Today!

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our 11th annual conference and discover why!
January 10, 2023
The 2022 Long List JOURNEY Book Awards for Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction
The Journey Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Journey Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. We will put books about true and inspiring stories to the test and choose the best among them. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2022 Journey Non-Fiction entries to the 2022 Journey Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2022 Journey Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalist positions. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC23).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 29th, 2023 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2022 Journey Book Awards novel competition for Overcoming Adversity in Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating the Long List authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Ian Gregory – On Insanity
- Sandi Paris – Catching Rain
- Michael Wohl – In Herschel’s Wake
- Ashe and Magdalena Stevens – Lost in Beirut: A True Story of Love, Loss and War
- Norris Comer – Salmon in the Seine: Alaskan Memories of Life, Death, & Everything In-Between
- Laura Whitfield – Untethered: Faith, Failure, and Finding Solid Ground
- Nicholas Chittick – A PRISONER’S FIGHT: The Pandemic as Seen From Inside the Illinois Department of Corrections
- Linda Murphy Marshall – Ivy Lodge: A Memoir of Translation and Discovery
- C.J. Hudson – Destiny Lives on Fairhaven Street
- Kim Fairley – Swimming for My Life
- Kyomi O’Connor – A Sky of Infinite Blue- A Japanese Immigrant’s Search for Home and Self
- Carter Obasohan – Notes From Out West
- Roselle Madrone, Robin Detmer, & Kris Dutter – The Open Book: A Family Memoir of Adventure, Trauma, and Resilience
- D. Terrence Foster, MD – The Stress Book: Forty-Plus Ways to Manage Stress & Enjoy Your Life
- Mark Berridge – A Fraction Stronger
- Joseph G. Krygier with Victor Breitburg – A Rage To Live: Surviving The Holocaust So Hitler Would Not Win
- Katherine Caire – Accidental Sisters
- Donna McCart Welser – Rue’s Butterfly
- Lyn Barrett – Crazy: Reclaiming Life from the Shadow of Traumatic Memory
- Simone Yemm – Stalked by Demons, Guarded by Angels: The Girl with the Eating Disorder
- Philip Lister – A Short Good Life: Her Father Tells Liza’s Story of Facing Death
- Tina Scott – The Forbidden Fruit: A True Story of Sex, Drugs, and the Afterlife
- M. E. Schuman – The Understory: A Female Environmentalist in the Land of the Midnight Sun
- Meredith O’Brien – Opening The Door: My Journey Through Anorexia To Full Recovery
- Susan Frances Morris – The Sensitive One
- Stuart Nagero – Truth is Indestructible
- Amelia Zachry – Enough – A Memoir of Mistakes, Mania, and Motherhood
- Carolyn DiPasquale – Reckless Grace: A Mother’s Crash Course in Mental Illness
- Jackie Carol Haines – Pinball, the Stray I Needed
- Benjamin Plumb – The Satisfied Introvert: A Memoir About Finding Safety in an Extroverted World
- Mike Coleman – The Way from Me to Us
- Linda Kolsky – Heavenly Hindsights: How One Mother Found Meaning in her Life After the Death of Her Child
- Gabriel Bron – The Journey Home: Portraits of Healing
- Catherine Ehrlich – Irma’s Passport: One Woman, Two World Wars, and a Legacy of Courage
- Melissa Harris – One Pound, Twelve Ounces
- Denise Collins – What Happened to John
- Lynette Ingram – Flares from a Fallout Shelter
- Linda Lee Henderson – Wake Up Mom!
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Twitter’s handle is @ChantiReviews

Or click here to go directly to Chanticleer’s Twitter feed.

Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 JOURNEY Awards is:

Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days

Andrea Wilson Woods

The 2022 JOURNEY Book Awards winners will be announced at CAC23 on April 29, 2023. Save the date for CAC23, scheduled April 27-30, 2023, our 10 year Conference Anniversary!

Submissions for the 2023 JOURNEY Book Awards are open until the end of July. Enter here!

Don’t delay! Enter today!

IN-Person – April 27-30, 2023! Register Today!

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our 11th annual conference and discover why!
December 6, 2022
The JOURNEY 2021 CIBA WINNERS for Overcoming Adversity Non-Fiction
The Journey Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Journey Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. We will put books about true and inspiring stories to the test and choose the best among them. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

The 2021 JOURNEY Book Awards First Place Category Winners and the JOURNEY Grand Prize Winner were announced by Cami Ostman on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at the Hotel Bellwether and broadcast via ZOOM webinar.

This is the OFFICIAL 2021 LIST of the JOURNEY BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the JOURNEY Grand Prize Winner.

Join us in celebrating the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
- Rosie McMahan – Fortunate Daughter: A Memoir of Reconciliation
- Rosemary Keevil – The Art of Losing It: A Memoir of Grief and Addiction
- Andrea Wilson Woods – Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days
- Heather Haldeman – Kids and Cocktails Don’t Mix: A Memoir
- Kathleen Lockyer – The Broken Wing Dance — Love, loss, trauma and how nature led me back to my wild self
- C.L. Olsen – The Home for Friendless Children
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 JOURNEY Awards is:

Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days

Andrea Wilson Woods

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews. FB rules — not ours.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Twitter’s handle is @ChantiReviews

Or click here to go directly to Chanticleer’s Twitter feed.

The 2022 JOURNEY Book Awards winners will be announced at CAC23 on April 29, 2023. Save the date for CAC23, scheduled April 27-30, 2023, our 10 year Conference Anniversary!

Submissions for the 2022 JOURNEY Book Awards are open until the end of August. Enter here!

Don’t delay! Enter today!

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in August. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. We thank you for participating in the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards!
July 9, 2022
PAUSE by Sara Stamey – Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Family Fiction, Literary Fiction
Sara Stamey’s Pause features a hero who defies gravity, a scintillating setting, and a lovely backdrop for this riveting story.

This story is about women: strong, weak, abused, cherished, divorced, cancer survivors, mothers, sisters, friends, frenemies. It is a book about survival and hope, about getting back to self to reemerge into a life worth living.

Meet Lindsey, a fifty-two-year-old divorced woman going through menopause, living alone with her two cats, and worrying about her 1 and ¾ breasts. Readers will be hooked from the very beginning with the first of many poignant and funny journal entries. Here is Lindsey’s reality: a middle-aged woman suffering hot flashes that sear her skin and cause spells of nausea, who suffers PTSD from an abusive spouse.

Lindsey never thought of herself as a victim, though.

The fact that she walked on eggshells around Nick becomes a reflection of Lindsey’s parents’ relationship. Her father’s abuse of the mother and the mother’s frailty combined with her refusal to accept help and get out of the situation leave Lindsey feeling helpless and trigger her PTSD.

A certifiable mess, Lindsey seeks out an old flame, Newman. And at least for her, the flame ignites, and Lindsey finds herself falling in love. Newman, however, never opens up to her or becomes more available than a part-time lover. When she meets Damon, she is torn between being treated like a queen by a man ten years younger than her or as a booty-call by Newman.

Stamey weaves these issues and more into her novel, giving her protagonist a chance to try on life again after surviving cancer and divorce.

Lindsey’s spiritual awakening occurs as she works as a medical transcriber at a local hospital. While typing up a rush job on an emergency case, she discovers that a friend’s son was admitted with head trauma. The doctor who did the neurosurgery regularly botches the surgery, either killing his patients or leaving them vegetables. She informs the parents of her fears about this doctor while launching a full-scale lawsuit against the hospital that knowingly kept this doctor on staff and destroyed their son’s chances for recovery.

She gets fired for breach of confidentiality and finds herself unemployed, but her original plan to pursue environmental writing, essays, articles, and books after graduating from college beckons. She finds her first topic while riding through a park slated to become a hospital parking lot. She submits her essay about endangered owls living in the trees there; the piece is published and becomes instrumental in saving the space. The paper’s editor recognizes her talent and approaches her with another project with an environmental theme, and Lindsey agrees. A new career blossoms for her, which builds her up instead of tearing her apart.

Stamey develops Lindsey as a woman who won’t succeed until she takes charge and stands up for herself and her dreams.

Lindsey must learn to heal and move beyond cancer, the divorce, and the PTSD of the abuse. Readers will adore Lindsey for all of it. Powerfully written with melodic imagery, Stamey draws her readers in. Be prepared to cry, laugh, and cheer for Linsey as she finally takes the leap of faith necessary to begin believing in herself.

Stamey’s Pacific Northwest backdrop is captured in her skillfully crafted narrative. Readers are with Lindsey on the rapids, riding bikes through a maple forest, or walking beside a salmon-filled stream. We sit with her looking out over the Pacific Ocean at sunset and watching eagles as they hunt along the shore. Stamey’s brush strokes are deft, and her palette is rich as she creates this story’s world.

Stamey’s Pause is a riveting tale of one woman’s exploration to discover herself in a world where she has been dominated and controlled. She learns to take back control and finds herself whole and healed.

Pause is beautiful and thought-provoking and comes highly recommended. This title won 1st Place in the 2020 CIBA Somerset Book Awards for Contemporary and Literary Fiction.
March 4, 2022
A CROWDED HEART by Andrea McKenzie Raine – Literary, Historical Fiction, Veteran/PTSD

Willis Hancocks survives fighting in Western Europe during World War II but faces continuing battles of the mind at war’s end in Andrea McKenzie Raine’s poignant study of the plight of the former soldier in her historical novel, A Crowded Heart.

Willis decides to remain in London rather than return to his native Canada where his parents and sister live near Vancouver. Eager to put the war behind him, he marries Ellie, an intelligent young woman who has studied art at Cambridge University. Her affluent parents approve of Willis, and her father offers to finance his new son-in-law’s study of law at Cambridge. The newlyweds’ future could not look rosier.

This is, however, the story of a man who is haunted by the terrors of the battlefield. Life cannot proceed smoothly for someone who wakes from sleep in terror, who is plagued by survivor guilt, anxiety, and depression. Willis struggles to find his footing but repeatedly fails as he fights personal battles with alcohol, infidelity, and deception.

Admittedly, these are poor weapons of choice to face the daily struggle of postwar life, and although he has periods of relative calm and sobriety, his sins and regrets continue to multiply. He recognizes his inadequacies as a husband and a father of two sons, one born out of wedlock to a mistress. Although Willis manages to earn his degree in law and launch a practice with his war buddy, Sam, he is never victorious at achieving inner peace.

Raine wisely expands the narrative of the novel to reveal the wide net of war. Willis is not the only victim; the people in his life experience the after-shocks of fighting as well. Ellie is a dutiful wife but she is alone in her marriage, painting in secret because she can’t share her work with her emotionally remote, often absent husband. Willis spends years away from his family in Canada, neglecting them, and returns only when summoned after his mother’s death. He doesn’t engage with either of his sons and arranges to abandon the younger one altogether. It’s clear that the war will leave its mark on the next generation as well.

The ending of the novel is not surprising, but it is powerful and deeply affecting. One is left thinking of all the soldiers who escape death but are nonetheless robbed of their lives. Standing beside them are loving, distraught family members and friends, people who fervently hope for a cure – some miracle that will return traumatized veterans to their former selves. Not to give up on those who have already given up on themselves is the challenge. Raine reminds us that doing so requires a full heart, indeed, a crowded heart.

July 17, 2017
STANDBY for BROADCAST by Kari Rhyan – Memoir, Wartime Nursing, PTSD

Childhood demons and combat wounds cause one Navy nurse to examine her life in Standby for Broadcast, a moving and turbulent memoir by Kari Rhyan.

Rhyan served nearly twenty years in the US Navy as a nurse, her final deployment taking place in Afghanistan to a medical unit run by the British where Rhyan upheld her duties to aid others, while inwardly feeling unprotected and helpless. After witnessing the many tragedies of war, primary among them multiple amputations, she comes home scarred in mind. Her trauma becomes so obvious that she is sent to a special private unit.

It is at this private unit, The Willows, where Rhyan is overseen by a compassionate counselor, Riza, who enjoins her to attend AA meetings. Rhyan refuses, feeling that “acceptance” is not the answer for her rational hatred of warfare. But she cannot dodge the assignment of writing a chronicle of her war experience to be read aloud to fellow patients at sessions in “The War Room.”

Her memories of Afghanistan soon become jumbled with her childhood recollections of abuse by her addicted mother and sexual aggression by another family member, and with her current, difficult life as a gay mother. Because fellow patients were deployed as soldiers, Rhyan feels her suffering is not as authentic as theirs, but Riza continues to push her to write, to remember and describe, at the least, a single day. Finally, she is able to bleed out her agonized story of observing and treating pitifully wounded war victims, including a child, burned nearly to the bone. Ultimately, her treatment at The Willows leads her to separate from her alcoholic mother and find a new life outside the military.

Rhyan writes with vivid emotion, leaving nothing out in her determination to make her story known and understood. Not a soldier, still she and her fellow medical personnel must find inner stores of courage and battlefield humor in order to take on the daily task of assisting young soldiers so badly torn apart that it would seem death more likely and perhaps the most desirable outcome.

Throughout her recollections, which are liberally peppered with appropriate profanity and shocking imagery and at times exhibit a frantic desperation, Rhyan quotes great writers and philosophers on the subject of war. Through Riza’s voice, in a dramatic scene, she reminds us that warriors in ancient times were never allowed to return home because of the madness that war caused…so wars had to be continuous, to keep those who waged it occupied and out of sight. Rhyan shows us their madness close-up, with its many results, as she has seen and lived it: the nightmares, paranoia, violence, self-medication, self-hatred.

The conclusion to Rhyan’s hard work on herself at The Willows is what seems for now like a restful, if not entirely peaceful existence, in closeness with her child and the spouse who remained faithful and understanding throughout her long ordeal.

Rhyan’s memoir is frank, insightful, and a powerful reminder of the toil taken by those who wrestle with the fallout of the carnage of war. She also reminds us of the resiliency of the human spirit and the power of hope.

July 8, 2017
The EDGE of FARALLON by Peter Skinner – Literary, Thriller/Suspense

Sam came to Jade Cove to kill someone. The question is who.

A mountain lion refuses to leave Big Sur’s ferocious coast while a family on the brink of foreclosure clings to their land. But the real danger might not be what Lulu Willis or her uncle Angus expects. Enter Sam a man with a checkered past, a significant stint in the military, and, at present, marred with PTSD and alcoholism. Lulu suspects that Sam is there to kill her ailing uncle and she will do anything to stop him, even if it means killing Sam. However, as the wind continues to shift along the coast, it becomes apparent that Lulu’s volatility and past issues might bring everyone, including Sam, further to Farallon’s edges.

As a playwright, Skinner (The Bells of Moses Henry, White Buffalo) uses words and dialogue in an undoubtedly poetic way. The dialogue, in particular, is intricately varied—snappy one minute and lyrical the next. It provides each character with their own unique thumbprint, with each fighting a different set of demons. Angus’s dementia, Sam’s grapple with humanity, and Lulu’s struggle toward forgiveness all tie together in a tangled mosaic that makes any type of resolution seem improbable.

In addition, Skinner’s skillful use of imagery and metaphor gives both his characters and setting a delicious complexity. This is especially true in the descriptions of local flora and fauna, including “wandering micro-plates,” “tide pools ripe with purpose,” “a Steller’s Jay with deep blue feathers” and even a “phalanx of rusty mailboxes.” Readers will completely immerse themselves in these textures, especially since Skinner reintroduces plot threads with just enough variance to keep readers guessing.

From a suspense standpoint, Skinner includes just enough detail to keep readers intrigued, while not revealing too many clues at once. This sprinkling of detail ratchets up the tension and makes it impossible for the reader to put the book down. And while the language and implications can become a bit esoteric at times, the twists and turns, shifting points of view, and varying textures will keep readers engaged.

With traces of Gothic flare, Peter Skinner’s The Edge of Farallon is a brilliantly dark and satisfying read, exposing truths about family, life, and death. A story for those looking for complex character development, unique imagery, and a breathless plot.

Additional Note from Reviewer: Those interested in the dialogue might also think about reading the play version, available on Skinner’s website.

June 3, 2017
THREE GROUND BREAKING RESOURCES that HONOR and SUPPORT VETERANS and THEIR FAMILIES
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Veterans Day Post

Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s military veterans and active military members for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good of the United States of America.

Honoring those who are serving, have served, and those who have fallen while in military service is a tradition here at Chanticleer Reviews.

Some statistics regarding U. S. Veterans*:
- 22 veterans, on average, commit suicide every day.
- The suicide rate for younger veterans (18 -29) is 7 times higher than their civilian peers.
- The rate of suicide among veterans is 21 percent higher than the rest of the country.
- The suicide rate of among female veterans is a 140 percent higher than their civilian peers.
- No one knows how many military spouses and families members commit suicide.
- There are 18.8 million veterans living in the United States.
- 3.8 million of these veterans are disabled (2014).
- U.S. military is the world’s second largest (China’s army is the largest) and troops are deployed across the globe.
- It is believed that 45 percent of all veterans who served in the Middle East are disabled.
Three Ground-breaking Books

Here are three ground breaking books that we have reviewed that may be a valuable resource to those who have served or who have loved ones who have served in the US military or are family members of military veterans.

Merry Christmas and a Happy PTSD by Christopher Oelerich, author & Vietnam Veteran

“A very personal, no-holds-barred yet ultimately empowering discussion of PTSD and its effects on those who suffer from it.” – CBR

The book has been written in a ‘How To’ format for combat soldiers which is reflected in examples and language.

“I went away to war one person and came back another, and in my wildest dreams would never have chosen to be the one who came back…I was a twenty year old Warrant Officer Helicopter Pilot fresh out of flight school when I arrived in South Vietnam in May of 1969 and was assigned to B Troop 7/17 Air Cav in Pleiku. I joined the Scout Platoon and spent my entire tour as a Scout Pilot in the Central Highlands, and in that time saw my friends killed, captured, wounded and lose their minds. “

Life on Base: Quantico Cave by Tom and Nancy Wise

Life On Base is a is a riveting portrayal of the lives of children (who call themselves “military brats”) whose parents serve in the armed forces.

“As the child of a United States Marine, I grew up in ways most American’s will never have the opportunity to experience.

The difference is in the details. We looked both ways before crossing a tank path in the woods and collected spent bullet casings in the long abandoned trenches.We waved to the MP’s, not the police, and our parents shopped at the commissary and PX, not the grocery store and department store. When playing sports, we stopped mid-stride at the sound of the evening trumpet call and stood at attention while the flag was retired. Then there was the rare time out as a helicopter landed in the middle of the ball field.”

A fun post for Military Brats: 25 Signs that you grew up as a military brat.

Wounded Warrior, Wounded Wife by Barbara McNally

A ground-breaking initiative, Wounded Warrior, Wounded Wife, by Barbara McNally, offers advice and hope to those who are trying to understand and cope with war’s many aftershocks.

“The critical issues surrounding post-traumatic stress among America’s wounded warriors is expanded here to include the challenges and concerns of military wives and families.

Barbara McNally was working as a physical therapist when she watched helplessly as a man jumped off a bridge to his death. Feeling involved in his tragedy, she learned he was a wounded veteran. The experience spurred her to find out more about PTS and its effects on those who have participated in war. Gradually her attention focused on the plight of the wives of these wounded military survivors.”

If you have a moment, take time to watch this video that offers an intimate look into the chaotic and demanding lives of military spouses as they adjust to living with mentally and physically injured combat veterans. Please feel free to share.

2015’s Veterans Day post features Three Top-Rated Thrillers by Authors Who Have Served Their Country These page-turning thriller novels with unlikely heroes that make for great reads –all authored by Veterans!

With Appreciation and Gratitude to Veterans and those men and women who are Actively Serving. THANK YOU!

*Sources: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, American Community Survey 2015, United States Census Bureau, Just a Note from the blog post author, Kiffer Brown:

I have too many memories from my childhood (Vietnam War era) dreading the sight of the roving green car that delivers death notifications. These official cars seem to be always circling the base housing neighborhoods. All of us kids would be secretly praying that it wouldn’t stop at our place. Yes, military brats have a very different childhood from the “civvies” – for sure.

Thank you for taking the time to read my annual Veterans Day blog post. Semper Fi!

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My big brother Tony and his eldest daughter, Tammy.

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My dad, big brother and me.

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Lt Billy Wayne Flynn

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November 10, 2016
WOUNDED WARRIOR, WOUNDED WIFE: NOT JUST SURVIVING, BUT THRIVING – by Barbara McNally — a ground-breaking initiative

The critical issues surrounding post-traumatic stress among America’s wounded warriors is expanded here to include the challenges and concerns of military wives and families.

Barbara McNally was working as a physical therapist when she watched helplessly as a man jumped off a bridge to his death. Feeling involved in his tragedy, she learned he was a wounded veteran. The experience spurred her to find out more about PTS and its effects on those who have participated in war.

Gradually her attention focused on the plight of the wives of these wounded military survivors. This led to the creation of the Barbara McNally Foundation, dedicated to developing helpful strategies for those women she calls Fighters, who may never have been in the military, never been outside the US, but who struggle to bring a depressed, angry, and/or physically debilitated veteran back to a semblance of normal functioning, back to the role of parent, partner and lover.

Her treatment plan, called SPA (Support, Purpose, Appreciation) brings these women together for a day or two of pampering—relaxation, massage, and a chance to talk with others in their same situation. For some, a SPA retreat is their first day away from the caregiver role in months or even years since their wounded partner returned.

As women were able to vent with one another in the SPA atmosphere, their stories surfaced, some with happy endings, others still unresolved. These stories comprise much of McNally’s book, grouped in terms of the different ways that PTS can present itself: anger, coldness, and guilt are major emotional signs; in cases of physical injury, there are the pains and fears associated with prosthetic limbs, and the agonizingly slow recovery from traumatic brain injury. One wife had to deal with her husband’s increasing bouts of anger that grew into an alcohol addiction and finally into a suicide attempt. Another recounts waking up as her husband tried to strangle her, though he denied it later. Some stories highlight women’s efforts to recoup a sensual, satisfying sex life with a husband who, for physical or psychological reasons, does not feel able.

The author says that the most important aspect of SPA is “self-care.” While the returned warrior may be offered various therapies, caregivers rarely have this choice, yet they need and indeed deserve time and attention for themselves. She also urges women to consider their options—to pursue their own careers, to leave or stay in a violent situation—objectively, without guilt.

Along with the stories, McNally has assembled a substantial appendix offering lists of governmental, nonprofit and charitable agencies that help wounded warriors. There is also a study guide with questions relating to phases of PTS, making this book an excellent educational resource for individuals or groups. The author’s sincere wish is that the information she has gathered will be useful to the “wounded wives” and “hidden helpers” of those who have been injured mentally or physically while serving in the military.

A ground-breaking initiative, Wounded Warrior, Wounded Wife, by Barbara McNally, offers advice and hope to those who are trying to understand and cope with war’s many aftershocks.

October 26, 2016