5 Survivors

November 15, 2011

Stecker (community & family medicine, Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Ctr., Dartmouth Medical Sch.) explains the suffering and decision-making processes of people with post-traumatic stress disorder in an effort to help friends and families understand their loved ones' struggles and pain. Readers hear from a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, a victim of childhood sexual abuse, and three veterans of war who talk about their lives before the trauma, the trauma itself, their symptoms, and their path to recovery. Their personal accounts about seeing good friends blown up in Iraq, digging through debris under a scorching New Orleans sun, and being drugged and raped make these stories, which people usually hear only on the news, hit tragically home. Some victims have coped with emotional trauma by isolating themselves, while others with physical injuries rely on pain medication. All wonder whether they'll ever be normal again, and Stecker's answer is a qualified "maybe." VERDICT Through this wrenching, compelling book, Stecker offers hope and shows readers a path toward understanding and healing.--Deborah Bigelow, Leonia P.L., NJ

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