Named by Esquire as one of the Best Nonfiction Books of the Year: Chanel Miller’s Know My Name meets Cheryl Strayed’s Wild and Anthony Swofford’s Jarhead in this powerful literary memoir of a young soldier driven to prove herself in a man’s world. Raised by powerful women in a restrictive, sheltered Christian community in New England, Ryan Dostie never imagined herself on the front lines of a … New England, Ryan Dostie never imagined herself on the front lines of a war halfway around the world. But then a conversation with an Army recruiter in her high-school cafeteria changes the course of her life. Hired as a linguist, she quickly has to find a space for herself in the testosterone-filled world of the Army barracks, and has been holding her own until the unthinkable happens: she is raped by a fellow soldier.
iveting story of one woman’s extraordinary journey to prove her worth, physically and mentally, in a world where the odds are stacked against her.more
TRIGGER WARNING – Rape issues and self harm.
The first chapter did it for me, like Ryan Dostie, the drink that lured her to her bed, lured me into reading more… I wanted more of this. You know, as I grew to know more about “what really goes on in an army behind closed doors” that blaze feel of admiration for men in the army I have, changed. Yes, it burst my bubble, yes, it left me broken, yes it has changed me for ever, completely and utterly. Here is a woman, yes a woman …. female, who wanted to do her own thing, who gets violated and raped. It left me sad, it left me annoyed.
.
Have you ever heard the words “guilty until proven innocent”? …. because for me, as the story moves towards the “interrogation” part, this is what it felt like. The army, as the author describes it, or rather the men, are female haters, probably because the author is an invasion into their society where only men dare tread, they feel threatened, so their coward way out is to taunt, tease and humiliate.
I wouldn’t say I particularly “liked” this book, as it opens a gash, a wound, the truth, of what can and has happened and probably has happened in other male dominated places with woman in it.
As I read along more, it struck me, that really the author was a total emotional wreck and really needed counselling, but due to the nature of her case, if she asked for it, I would very much doubt she would have got it.
.
.
Quote I enjoyed
Let me explain here, I didn’t really enjoy it, but, I couldn’t believe I read it!
“Do you really want to ruin this guy’s life”
I mean, come on!! Seriously? I gaped with my mouth wide open when I read this.
….. and gruelling and grotesque in places.
“When I put my hand on his jaw, you know, to open it, it just … came off in my hand.”
.
.
Well that was the beginning of the memoir, we readers then fall out of line and discover the first 11 years of the authors life, which includes some sort of religious cult (my eyes roll up to the celing and I groan)…. and her life leading onto how she managed to get into the army in the first place.
The author goes on to explain how she ended up in the army in the first place, what her solider mates were like and describes certain combat scenarios with us ….. I thought though that the doctor gave good advice saying not to go drinking for 9 months when she was having medical issues, but I thought it was quite silly of her not to take the advice …. it was obvious to me then, that alcohol was going to become the enemy of war.
The author puts herself on the line (no pun intended) to tell a story that is true, this book SHOULD BE used as a documentary series. No, you won’t get any hot lips Houlihan here, this ones more of a tough cookie to crack open, although during her years she lacked confidence, but I would say thats more to do with not being wise, even the author admits she was naive.
This, and many more memoirs Ive read before, have the same purpose, to reveal to anyone interested that life is not full of a bed of roses, there are thorns, but without thorns, where would we be? Thorns, although may break us, they also makes us too.
This is definitely not an airy fairy book, oh no, not a chance, not pretty, pretty, but gritty gritty, not like icecream and waves on a beach, but more like a gritty sand on a rough sea…. it may even give you sea sickness, or if that sea is icy cold, like ice cream … brain freeze.
Note To Oneself – strong, language applies (R18).
This was a DNF – Stopped at Chapter – rage against the machine – p229.
Why? I know I don’t have to explain myself, but this was too much out of my comfort zone to handle, it’s an extremely powerful book, too much for me to handle.
Recommendation
Pick this book up if you are into memoirs, especially if you are interested in the army, or used to be in the army, or even if you are writing about the army. A good one if you are wanting combat battle scenes, as you wont be disappointed, they are ugly!
TRIGGER WARNING – Rape issues and self harm.
The first chapter did it for me, like Ryan Dostie, the drink that lured her to her bed, lured me into reading more… I wanted more of this. You know, as I grew to know more about “what really goes on in an army behind closed doors” that blaze feel of admiration for men in the army I have, changed. Yes, it burst my bubble, yes, it left me broken, yes it has changed me for ever, completely and utterly. Here is a woman, yes a woman …. female, who wanted to do her own thing, who gets violated and raped. It left me sad, it left me annoyed.
.
Have you ever heard the words “guilty until proven innocent”? …. because for me, as the story moves towards the “interrogation” part, this is what it felt like. The army, as the author describes it, or rather the men, are female haters, probably because the author is an invasion into their society where only men dare tread, they feel threatened, so their coward way out is to taunt, tease and humiliate.
I wouldn’t say I particularly “liked” this book, as it opens a gash, a wound, the truth, of what can and has happened and probably has happened in other male dominated places with woman in it.
As I read along more, it struck me, that really the author was a total emotional wreck and really needed counselling, but due to the nature of her case, if she asked for it, I would very much doubt she would have got it.
.
.
Quote I enjoyed
Let me explain here, I didn’t really enjoy it, but, I couldn’t believe I read it!
“Do you really want to ruin this guy’s life”
I mean, come on!! Seriously? I gaped with my mouth wide open when I read this.
….. and gruelling and grotesque in places.
“When I put my hand on his jaw, you know, to open it, it just … came off in my hand.”
.
.
Well that was the beginning of the memoir, we readers then fall out of line and discover the first 11 years of the authors life, which includes some sort of religious cult (my eyes roll up to the celing and I groan)…. and her life leading onto how she managed to get into the army in the first place.
The author goes on to explain how she ended up in the army in the first place, what her solider mates were like and describes certain combat scenarios with us ….. I thought though that the doctor gave good advice saying not to go drinking for 9 months when she was having medical issues, but I thought it was quite silly of her not to take the advice …. it was obvious to me then, that alcohol was going to become the enemy of war.
The author puts herself on the line (no pun intended) to tell a story that is true, this book SHOULD BE used as a documentary series. No, you won’t get any hot lips Houlihan here, this ones more of a tough cookie to crack open, although during her years she lacked confidence, but I would say thats more to do with not being wise, even the author admits she was naive.
This, and many more memoirs Ive read before, have the same purpose, to reveal to anyone interested that life is not full of a bed of roses, there are thorns, but without thorns, where would we be? Thorns, although may break us, they also makes us too.
This is definitely not an airy fairy book, oh no, not a chance, not pretty, pretty, but gritty gritty, not like icecream and waves on a beach, but more like a gritty sand on a rough sea…. it may even give you sea sickness, or if that sea is icy cold, like ice cream … brain freeze.
Note To Oneself – strong, language applies (R18).
This was a DNF – Stopped at Chapter – rage against the machine – p229.
Why? I know I don’t have to explain myself, but this was too much out of my comfort zone to handle, it’s an extremely powerful book, too much for me to handle.
Recommendation
Pick this book up if you are into memoirs, especially if you are interested in the army, or used to be in the army, or even if you are writing about the army. A good one if you are wanting combat battle scenes, as you wont be disappointed, they are ugly!