Sailor Man.
Del Staecker. 2015. [April] Hellgate Press. 124 Pages. [Source:Bostick email
copy provided by the publisher]First sentence: “I loved him more than I love my mother and father,” she said with a heartfelt sigh that bridges time.
Premise/Plot: From Goodread’s - SAILOR MAN is the illuminating account of James Preston
Nunnally, a teenager who lied about his age to enlist in the Navy, endured
combat service in World War Two’s Pacific Theater, and returned home. What
sets SAILOR MAN apart, making it an invaluable addition to the canon of
World War II, is that it also reveals the lesser known dark side—the
psychological trauma so many of these brave young men experienced as a result
of their repeated encounters with the horror of war—what we now call Post
Traumatic Stress.
My thoughts: This is
a short book. It was something that I
could have read very quickly in a matter of hours I chose to read it over the
course of several days because I wanted to think about and absorb what JP went
through at such a young age. I am
thankful that we recognize PTSD for what it is and try to help our returning
soldiers I wish that it was not something recent but had been happening for
much longer back to JP’s time. I enjoyed
reading the letters the most but appreciate that the author expanded and
explained more about each set of circumstances. This book has made me wonder
just how many other soldiers suffered the same thing and treated it the same
way that JP did. I am truly glad that I
had the chance to read this and hope that more do so.
Rating 8/10
Recommendation: Anyone that likes true stories from WWII.
*I received a digital
review copy for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
courtesy of Bostick Communications. All opinions are my own.*
