Ben Bright is the star of his senior class in high school –
a good student, the lead role in his high school play, and a longtime
girlfriend named Ariela whom he plans to marry. All of his friends are going
away to college next year, but Ben has other plans. He enlists in the army,
much to his family and friends’ dismay. His parents don’t understand, his best
friend, Niko, is angry with him, and Ariela is afraid he won’t come back. Ben
explains to them that he feels a deep need to give back and help support and
protect his country, and he reassures them that he won’t be going overseas.
Those who care about him reluctantly support Ben, but things
change and he is sent overseas, to Iraq.
The phone call they have all been dreading finally comes: Ben has suffered a
severe brain trauma in an explosion, and doctors are unsure what his prognosis
might be.
The rest of the novel follows both Ben and his family and
friends as they all try to support Ben with his new challenges, as he slowly
recovers in the hospital. He doesn’t remember any of them nor his old life nor
even who he is. Ben’s journey back to life is a slow and tedious one, and his
friends and family members each react differently, as he struggles with his
daily challenges.
This is a very brief novel – only 148 pages – about an
important topic that is rarely covered in teen/YA fiction, young people in the
military and the long road to recovery for those with brain injuries. I liked
that this book showed all sides of a complicated issue: readers see Ben’s
determination to do the right thing and support his country but also the crazy
randomness of violence in war and the difficulties for soldiers returning home
injured or incomplete.
Ironically, I chose to read this novel now because I was
looking for something brief, but it felt a bit too brief to me. I wished there
was a little more. I think that tells you something about the story. It was well
told and compelling, with very realistic characters that I came to care about.
I’m glad I read it, and I still think about it.