Wounded Warrior, Wounded Wife: Not Just Surviving, but Thriving

Physical therapist and debut author McNally, writing in heart-wrenching detail, outlines the bitter joy that comes with being a wife of a wounded military service member. Each of the book’s selected stories illustrates phases of the recovery process from the perspective of a veteran’s wife. The author frankly discusses anger, traumatic brain injuries, suicide, and other issues. Challenges with sexuality fill a deeply honest chapter. McNally cites findings that post-9/11 military caregivers are more likely to be young (more than 40% are between 18 and 30), veterans of military service themselves, working, and without a support network. “With little warning and almost no training, these women have learned to serve their families as full-time caregivers while their partners try to recover from broken bones, lost limbs, severe head injuries, and other unspeakable assaults on their bodies and beings,” she writes. McNally describes becoming aware of this issue after witnessing a veteran’s suicide. Along with her own insights, she also shares the sage advice of a number of mental health professionals, meant as a lifeline to caregivers struggling to understand their loved ones’ issues. After more than a decade of Americans fighting battles on multiple fronts, this is a deeply necessary and poignant offering. (BookLife)