David J. Morris (1) (1971–)

I think the author hit the perfect point in time to bring light upon this battle, with the survivors still alive and young enough to have precise memories of what happened but also distanced enough to speak clearly without fear of disciplinary, or other kinds, of retribution.

This precise timing is rightly exploited with an exhaustive research of books, articles, oral histories and the numerous interviews conducted by the author with the survivors. The result is a very detailed account of the battle that despite the amount of information that it presents is an easy read.

Another plus for this book is that it reflects poor leadership or other mistakes, as the Saudis multiple blunders or American blue on blue accidents, instead of just being another Fox News toned hagiography of American servicemen.

If anything one could complain about the book being written too much from the point of view of junior officers, the author was one in the Marine Corps at a different time, but all writers have a point of view that they can never escape completely.… (más)

In this important work, Morris traces the history of what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even back into the ancient days. He begins the book with his own experiences with PTSD. He then talks about how PTSD affects the lives of its sufferers. He also discusses the major treatments for PTSD, many of which he has tried out himself. He apparently interviewed quite a few people for the book - at least he claims he did - though those interviews are generally chiseled down into two or three sentence mentions.

One thing that disappointed me is that this is not a book about PTSD in general - it is a book about PTSD in military. PTSD is suffered more by women than by men. Most Americans with PTSD are women who have been raped or beaten or otherwise traumatized during a non-war setting. One review I read said "rape is also discussed extensively." It wasn't. Rape got a side comment every once in a while - generally in the form of a quote from Alice Sebold's memoir. However, most of the research on PTSD, and Morris' own personal experience with PTSD, is military-related, therefore it is understandable that he would focus on military PTSD. Plus, if you actually read the jacket carefully (which I did not), it's pretty clear that this is a book mostly about military PTSD.

The book also tended to wander and get a bit dull at times, but its important content made up for this minor annoyance. In the end, I thought this was a good book that could have been an amazing book if he had taken that extra step to include womens' experiences a little more.

The narrator was great - no complaints there.… (más)

Storm on the Horizon turned out to be an unexpected gem of an account of modern warfare. The author, a Marine himself, is an outstanding researcher and storyteller, and puts the reader right in the middle of the battle in and around Khafji, Saudi Arabia. No extra fluff, no added drama, just he raw recollections of the men who witnessed and participated in thwarting the large mechanized Iraqi raid across the border prior to the Allied invasion of Kuwait in the first Gulf War. An excellent read for any warfare history buff. Four and one-half stars.… (más)