Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character - Softcover

Jon Spayde The Utne Reader ...eloquent, disturbing, and original... Thomas E. Neven Marine Corps Gazette Shay's astute analysis of the human psyche and his inventive linking of his patients' symptoms to the actions of the characters in Homer's classic story make this book well worth reading for anyone who would lead troops in both peace and war. Herbert Mitgang The New York Times A transcendent literary adventure. His compassionate book deserves a place in the lasting literature of the Vietnam War.

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.