Veteran's Day: Reading Group

Theme: the Veteran Experience

List of Books for 2021-22 Reading Group:

• Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger  - This book is a critical look at post-traumatic stress disorder and the many challenges today’s returning veterans face in modern society. However, the argument made in the book might not be what you expect.
• Billy Lynn’s Long Half-time Walk by Ben fountain - Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, this book has been described as “The Catch-22 of the Iraq War,” a satire set in Texas, highlighting the national disconnect between the war at   home and the war abroad.
• eBook War Flower: My Life after Iraq by Brooke King - An honest and raw account from Saint Leo University’s own is an example of being a woman in recent military service and combat and the effects in post-service life. Ultimately, in motherhood, King notes that shreds of wartime trauma being absorbed by those around her. 
• Redeployment by Phil Klay - A 2014 National Book Award winner is made up of twelve stories written by a former U.S. Marine in Iraq. The wide array of stories includes navigating post-service relationships, attending college after being discharged, and moral injury.
• Fire and Forget by Roy Scranton, editor and Matt Gallagher, editor - This collection of stories was assembled as part of post-combat healing exercises. This collection is significant as many of the stories make little reference to service and concentrate on life after the military.
• EAT THE APPLE by Matt Young - This selection highlights a phenomenon that is widely misunderstood in the non-veteran community. One may be proud of the aspect of their service while simultaneously being horrified by their military service.  

Facilitator: Dr. Ernest McClees  

Please email Dr. McClees at ernest.mcclees@saintleo.edu for more information about meeting dates and times for this reading group.