Achilles in Vietnam Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character (Paperback)

From the Publisher: In this strikingly original and groundbreaking book, Dr. Shay examines the psychological devastation of war by comparing the soldiers of Homer's Iliad with Vietnam veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Although the Iliad was written twenty-seven centuries ago it has much to teach about combat trauma, as do the more recent, compelling voices and experiences of Vietnam vets.Using vivid narratives of Vietnam veterans afflicted with posttraumatic stress disorder, his own discoveries in treating these men, and the profound poetic truths of the Iliad, Shay reveals the devastating effects of catastrophic war experiences on the minds and spirits of soldiers.In this strikingly original and groundbreaking book, Dr. Shay examines the psychological devastation of war by comparing the soldiers of Homer's Iliad with Vietnam veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Although the Iliad was written twenty-seven centuries ago it has much to teach about combat trauma, as do the more recent, compelling voices and experiences of Vietnam vets.