I'm not usually the biggest fan of non-fiction, but I couldn't put this book down; I finished it in just 2 days! This is the story of a soldier, Staff Sergeant Travis Mills, who became only the fourth American soldier to survive becoming a quadruple amputee. Travis is very matter-of-fact about his story. He tells it like it is, from giving history about his life and time in the military, to the way he felt after his injury, to his mindset that drove him to get better ("never give up, never quit"). He is an engaging storyteller, and doesn't flinch from talking about mistakes he's made and the harder moments in his journey. He doesn't like to call himself a hero, because in his mind he only did what he had to in order to overcame the obstacles that were placed in his way, the same as everybody else.
The book is written in a refreshingly casual style, with Travis telling stories from his own perspective and chiming in about how he felt about different events. He describes unimaginable stories of his time spent in heavy combat in Afghanistan, but also emphasizes the camaraderie he felt with the men he served with and the more light-hearted aspects of deployment (like the drawn out conversations they would have about nothing to try and relieve the intense boredom). He talks about not only the physical challenges he faced but also the intense emotional roadblocks. In his words, the moment that he was told he had no arms or legs hit him just as hard as the original explosion, and it took him a couple days before he could work up the courage to even talk to his wife. I don't want to give too much away, just read the book for yourself! I promise you'll be encouraged and inspired.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
