Aftershock
The Untold Story of Surviving Peace
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- $26.99
Publisher Description
Over the last decade, we have sent thousands of people to fight on our behalf. But what happens when these soldiers come back home, having lost their friends and killed their enemies, having seen and done things that have no place in civilian life? In Aftershock, Matthew Green tells the story of our veterans' journey from the frontline of combat to the reality of return.
Through wide-ranging interviews with former combatants -- including a Royal Marine sniper and a former operator in the SAS - as well as serving personnel and their families, physicians, therapists, and psychiatrists, Aftershock looks beyond the headline-grabbing statistics and the labels of post-traumatic stress disorder to get to the heart of today's post-conflict experience. Green asks what lessons have been learned from past wars, and explores the range of help currently available, from traditional talking cures to cutting-edge scientific therapies. As today's battle-scarred troops begin to lay their weapons down, Aftershock is a hard-hitting account of the hidden cost of conflict. And its message is one that has profound implications, not just for the military, but for anyone with an interest in how we experience trauma and survive.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder remains a criminally misunderstood subject. Aftershock takes an unflinching look at soldiers’ post-conflict lives back home. Mathew Green, a former foreign correspondent who spent two years conducting interviews for this book, paints a brutal and intricate picture of the sacrifices made by thousands of young men, as well as the experiences gained. The struggles these ex-soldiers face as civilians—unemployment, alcoholism, violence—are humanised, and Green refuses to gloss over the often tragic conclusions. He delves deep into the history of PTSD and emerges with rational conclusions about how we might better understand the hidden costs and grim ramifications of war.
