Achilles in Vietnam
Book description
An original and groundbreaking book that examines the psychological devastation of war by comparing the soldiers of Homer’s Iliad with Vietnam veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
In this moving, dazzlingly creative book, Dr. Shay examines the psychological devastation of war by comparing the soldiers of Homer’s Iliad with Vietnam…
Why read it?
1 author picked Achilles in Vietnam as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
In a world torn by wars, Jonathan Shay offers a stunning cross-fertilization of the Homeric universe of the Iliad with the experiences of today’s soldiers on the battlefield.
Shay, a psychiatrist with a long experience of treating Vietnam veterans and a profound knowledge of Homer, achieves a remarkable double feat; he shows how the Iliad’s accounts of the battlefield provide unique insights into the experiences of today’s warriors and also how these experiences offer a profound understanding of the metamorphosis of Achilles from noble and generous hero into a demented killing machine.
He identifies the betrayal of "What is Right"…
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