A Very Powerful Book!

Sometimes war books are difficult for me to get into, but TOUGH AS THEY COME was not one of these books.  This was a hard to put down book.  It chronicles the life of Travis Mills.  Travis is only 1 of 5 wounded veterans who is a surviving quadruple amputee among all of the veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  He was injured in an IED explosion.  His unit was assigned the task of clearing a field and his unit missed one.

Mills has endured many surgeries and remains active and passionate about life.  He is a motivational speaker who drives own car, participates in sports such as running, cycling and skiing; he is also an active promoter of programs to rehabilitate others.  He also started the Travis Mills Foundation which benefits and assists wounded and injured veterans.

His story seems surreal.  His attitude is what stands out.  He speaks about the choices he makes, the choice to be angry or happy, the choice to live life or die.  He speaks about living and using humor as a coping mechanism.

The first 2/3 of the book chronicles his life before and during the war, while the final 1/3 of the book looks at his life since his injuries occurred.  Overall, this is a moving and powerful book about one man’s attitude in the face of some of the worst adversity one can imagine.

I would highly recommend this book.

I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an open and honest review.