Bussel, a B-17 crewman just turned 20, was shot down over Germany in the spring of 1944. He spent the rest of the war as a POW and returned home suffering from what is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the cases of POWs, the major cause of PTSD was the helplessness of their situation, aggravated by privation. For Bussel, the costs of PTSD were alcoholism, a broken marriage, claustrophobia, and a constant struggle with nightmares. He fought back by becoming involved in organizations helping PTSD sufferers and eventually by writing this eloquent book, which is full of information and quite devoid of self-pity. It is hard to think of a better recent book on the POW experience from the inside, and it is also a notable addition to the PTSD literature for lay readers and helping professionals. --Roland Green

“One of the Greatest Generation writes affectingly of a long life spent wrestling with post-traumatic stress disorder. An honest account of matters once considered embarrassing—and much more common than civilians might realize, as a new generation of veterans is discovering. (Kirkus Reviews)”

“A tremendously valuable account. Norman Bussel’s story is even more important today than it was back then. (James Patterson, #1 New York Times-bestselling author)”

“An important book. Norman Bussel has performed one of the most vital, and most painful, acts of war—which is to remember. (Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers and Blood and Thunder)”