Ben has it all in high school. He gets good grades and is great at acting and can see an acting career ahead of him. He has a great girlfriend Ariela, a best friend Niko, and a great family including his autistic brother Chris.
Needless to say everyone is surprised when Ben announces he has enlisted in the Army assuring them that he will only be in the reserves and will not have to fight. Ben ends up in Iraq and not long after he arrives his convoy drives over an I.E.D. and the explosion leaves him in a coma with serious brain damage.
Ben is in the coma for two months and when he wakes up he can’t remember anything. His healing process is slow and creates a lot of stress on his family and his girlfriend. His best friend Niko spends all of his time with Ben’s family and his girlfriend finds solace in friends from college while trying to retain Ben in her thoughts and memories.
Ben’s recovery is slow as we watch his parents get closer to divorce and his autistic brother Chis trying to find order in his life again. This story shows how war can affect not just the soldier but the whole family. 148 pages Ages 14 and up
Recommended by: Joleen Waltman, Librarian, Idaho USA
