Book Review: “Steel Will” by Staff Sgt. (RET) Shilo Harris

Although I’ve taken pretty much a hiatus from reviews this month, when I was asked to review Steel Will, I quickly said “yes” once I realized what the book is about. The men and women of our armed forces are near and dear to my heart. I’m an Afghanistan veteran and former Army-reservist. (My contract just ended last December.) My husband is active-duty Navy, and I’m currently working for the Navy as a civilian.

When I deployed to Kandahar, my job as a photojournalist often took me “outside the wire,” meaning outside the relatively-safe base and into the Afghan communities. Through all the convoys, helo flights, and foot patrols, God kept me safe. There were a couple of times I remember being truly terrified, but for the most part I always had a peace that I wasn’t going to die or be badly hurt. Not everyone is so fortunate. And not all wounds are visible.

Steel Will is the story of Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Shilo Harris. The tagline is “My journey through hell to become the man I was meant to be.”

Harris begins his book by telling about the fateful day in Iraq when his vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device (IED). I didn’t think Harris by any means glorified the gore, but he was descriptive enough that I realized just how horrific his wounds were. I even thought, he shouldn’t be alive.

Chapter two goes back to Harris’ childhood. He describes the events that led up to his enlistment into the Army after 9/11. His father had fought in Vietnam and came back a changed man, for the worse. And back then people didn’t really understand post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) yet. Although Harris grew up surrounded by family strife, drugs, and alcoholism, Harris was blessed to straighten out his life and meet Kathreyn, the woman who became his wife and was responsible for introducing him to the saving grace of Jesus. It’s obvious very quickly that Harris and Katheryn have a loving relationship, and that she’s a strong woman.

Harris’ book tells about many of the men he served with. The stories are both humorous and sad. He also brings to light some of the horrors of war as well as tragic circumstances many Iraqis faced daily.

About halfway through the book, Harris describes in greater detail the day of the ambush, as well as the IED blast itself. More than a third of his body was burned. He lost his ears and several fingers. Harris had a broken back and a fractured collarbone. When his wife Kathreyn arrived at the hospital in Germany, every part of his body except for his toes was bandaged. Kathreyn was told Harris’ chances of survival were 2 percent. Harris and one other Soldier survived the explosion, but three men didn’t make it.

As Harris’ body healed, he struggled with understanding why God had spared him, and not his men. And then he was angry, angry that God had allowed this to happen to him and to his family.

Besides the men Harris served with, he describes the various wounded warriors he met while recovering. It’s incredible what these troops and their families have survived. One phrase stood out to me. Harris writes, “If you ever want to meet a hero, you need to meet my wife.” Their relationship is inspiring. In a day and age where many people focus on what makes themselves happy, Kathreyn exhibited an unusual sacrificial love for her husband.

They did have obstacles to overcome, obviously. And it wasn’t just Shilo’s healing. Kathreyn had to protect and mother Shilo for months on end; she was his nurse for much of the time. So it was difficult for them to adjust their roles back to husband and wife, and lovers.

Over time, Harris became involved in different wounded warrior organizations and programs. He was able to travel around and serve as an encouragement to other warriors, newly wounded. He’s met presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He and his family even participated in ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

I could not put this book down. There were multiple places in the book that had me choked up: the stories of those that didn’t make it, the wounded warriors, the black outs and rages, traumatic brain injuries, the PTSD… These are things that many military families face on a daily basis. I’ve witnessed fellow Soldiers, who I believe suffer from PTSD, self-medicate with alcohol rather than talk about their experiences and feelings to a friend or professional. Harris openly discusses his experiences and journey of healing during a time when many still don’t speak about theirs and don’t ask for help. But they do need help.

The book ends with several pages devoted to the Soldiers who served with Staff Sgt. Shilo Harris and died that day, Feb. 19, 2007, in Iraq. And finally, Harris and his wife have included a comprehensive list of resources to help wounded warriors.

You can find out more info about Shilo Harris at his website www.shiloharris.com, as well as photos, videos, and more resources.

Note: I received a free copy of Steel Will to read and review. The opinions expressed are my own.

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Book Review: “Undetected” by Dee Henderson

In spite of our move next week and job hunting, I’ve been able to find a few minutes here and there for reading. Amazing, right? I received a copy of Dee Henderson’s new book, Undetected, to review. What’s funny is that after I’d already signed up to review it, my mom called me, all excited about a romance book she’d just read on her Kindle. It was about the U.S. Navy, and since my husband is a sailor, she thought (rightly so), that I’d enjoy this book. Anyway, I figured out pretty quickly that the book my mom was talking about, I’d be reviewing soon!

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Author Dee Henderson is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling Christian author of more than 15 books. Her new book Undetected is a military romance.

Gina Gray, the heroine of Undetected, is a true genius. She went to college at age 14. Gina has an affinity of being able to see simple but profound scientific concepts where everyone else has overlooked it. Her oceanography discoveries have helped keep U.S. Navy submariners like her brother safe.

In spite of her brilliance in science (or perhaps because of it), she has difficulty with relationships. She’s known since she was a little girl that she wanted to get married. Now at 29 she’s having trouble finding a good guy that doesn’t feel insecure or overwhelmed by her intelligence and career.

All of that changes when she visits her brother in Washington state. Now she has two decent men vying for her attention. Both would make wonderful husbands, and she’s left wondering which one she should marry, or maybe neither.

Mark Bishop is turning 41. A widower and submarine commander, he’s ready to share his life with someone again. Daniel Field is about Gina’s age. He loves the water and is a sonarman on a submarine. Both of them help Gina during trying times.

During all of this emotional turmoil, Gina makes new discoveries for the Navy; discoveries that can both save and take lives; discoveries that make her a national security asset. As the book rises to a climax, Gina is able to use her skills to solve an international crisis and stave off the threat of war.

Christian themes are woven throughout the stories as the characters learn to trust God and lean on Him. Henderson also gives her readers a couple of glimpses of another story line, from her book Unspoken.

I was impressed with the research Henderson obviously conducted to write this book. Since I’m not familiar with the submariner culture, I couldn’t verify that it’s accurate, but it sounds realistic. Even the scientific “discoveries” that her character Gina made actually sound real. Henderson also did a good job of explaining Navy terminology. Overall, it’s a solid read.

You can find the first chapter of the book online here. Purchase Undetected on Amazon (affiliate link below), also at Barnes & Nobles, and Lifeway Christian Bookstores. Undetected is available in several formats: hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audio.

What are some of your favorite types of books to read?

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Book Review: Spirit of Lost Angels

Spirit of Lost Angels Cover
About:

Spirit of Lost Angels tells the story of a peasant girl named Victoire Charpentier. The daughter of the local village midwife and healer, she learned to read in the hopes of bettering her station. After her parents were murdered – her mother by the villagers and her father by a nobleman – she leaves her town for Paris. Through a series of misadventures, she finds herself widowed, estranged from her children, and a revolutionary.

My Thoughts:

First, this book has no grammatical errors. Well, there may have been some typos, but if so…there were so few, they didn’t stand out to me. I’m not an expert on the French Revolution, but the background information in this book fits the little that I do know. The book seems well-researched. I found the historical aspects fascinating, but it’s a sad book. It was a time of violence, debauchery, extreme poverty, injustice, and superstition. However the story was speckled here and there with people doing the right things- characters showing kindness amidst the wrong in the world.

I didn’t always relate to the character, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t often empathize with her plight. There were a lot of things that happened in this book that saddened and angered me, but they also made me thankful for my own life.

To me, the story’s only negative aspect is that the plot seems contrived. A peasant girl of no consequence learns to read, becomes the maid of an impoverished noblewoman, and ends up a wealthy woman. It’s not a likely story, but that doesn’t make it less entertaining.

When it comes down to it, if you like historical fiction and/or are interested in the French Revolution time period, I recommend Spirit of Lost Angels (keeping in mind that it’s not a light-hearted read). Currently, you can purchase the Kindle version on Amazon for $3.99 (affiliate link):

Do you like historical fiction? Who’s your favorite author?

Note: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. The opinions expressed above are my own, and you may disagree!

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