{"product_id":"book-fwsd","title":"Odysseus in America","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn this ambitious follow-up to \u003ci\u003eAchilles in Vietnam,\u003c\/i\u003e Dr. Jonathan Shay uses the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey,\u003c\/i\u003e the story of a soldier's homecoming, to illuminate the pitfalls that trap many veterans on the road back to civilian life.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeamlessly combining important psychological work and brilliant literary interpretation with an impassioned plea to renovate American military institutions, Shay deepens our understanding of both the combat veteran's experience and one of the world's greatest classics.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eAchilles in Vietnam\u003c\/i\u003e, Dr. Jonathan Shay used the story of the\u003ci\u003e Iliad\u003c\/i\u003e as a prism through which to examine how ancient and modern wars have battered the psychology of the men who fight. Now he turns his attention to the\u003ci\u003e Odyssey\u003c\/i\u003e, the story of a soldier's homecoming, to illuminate the real problems faced by combat veterans reentering civilian society.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Odyssey\u003c\/i\u003e, Shay argues, offers explicit portrayals of behavior common among returning soldiers in our own culture: danger-seeking, womanizing, explosive violence, drug abuse, visitation by the dead, obsession, vagrancy and homelessness. Supporting his reading with examples from his fifteen-year practice treating Vietnam veterans, Shay shows how Odysseus's mistrustfulness, his lies, and his constant need to conceal his thoughts and emotions foreshadow the experiences of many of today's veterans. He also explains how veterans recover and advocates changes to American military practice that will protect future servicemen and servicewomen while increasing their fighting power. Throughout, Homer strengthens our understanding of what a combat veteran must overcome to return to and flourish in civilian life, just as the heartbreaking stories of the veterans Shay treats give us a new understanding of one of the world's greatest classics.","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster Audio","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49346819031344,"sku":"BDfwsd","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":49346819064112,"sku":"10fwsd","price":39.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/fwsd-Square-cover.jpg?v=1773697752","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-fwsd","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}