The Price of Duty by Todd Strasser

Jake Liddell is a war hero. After being badly wounded in a firefight in the Middle East, he returns home to fanfare that he is not sure he deserves. His veteran grandfather, known as the General, praises him for his bravery. The people of his hometown cheer for him and interview him. He's set to get the Silver Star for his courage under fire. But Jake struggles with the idea of war. He struggles with PTSD because of what he saw over there and because of some of the things he had to do over there. His stress and feelings about his experiences seem to cause a rift between he and his longtime girlfriend. Then, when he is approached by a reporter from his old high school, he continues is uncertainty about whether or not her wants to heal up and go back for his next deployment. Sure, he survived the first time, but was what he lost too much for him to bear again?

This is a short read, probably the shortest of our posts so far. However, It does provide a very heavily researched look into the "true" experiences of what soldiers experience. While a work of fiction, it definitely helps the reader understand that REAL WAR is nothing compared to Call of Duty or other video games that we play today. There is real physical, emotional, and psychological pain. Not all wounds are visible. And every person who is thinking about enlisting needs to know this before making his or her decision. I will say the ending of this book left me hopeful. It left me proud of those that have served and those who continue to serve. That said, Price of Duty does raise an awful lot of thought-provoking questions.

-TK

 

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