That's probably what would have happened with this one. If my co-worker had only recommended it and not handed it to me, then I likely never would have read it. It's not that I don't like reading about American heroes, I do. But I already have a to-read book shelf that is slightly bowed in the middle, and a Kindle to-read shelf that is currently taking up quite a few swipes to get to the next book. Sometimes reading becomes an exercise in getting to the next book rather than actually enjoying the book I'm reading.
In the first line, I mention that the book will likely not reach much of its intended audience. So let me explain. My co-worker, the Air Force vet, and me, another Air Force vet are not the intended audience of this book. Howard Schultz is the CEO of Starbucks. He's got a lot of money and therefore a bit of influence and he had almost no exposure to veterans and their issues/causes. He talks in the introduction about how he finally woke up to the reality that men and women in uniform make every day sacrifices and he, as an "average" American citizen has no exposure to that.
The figures he quotes are sobering. Only 1% of Americans have served or are serving in the military. And only 5% of American have an immediate family member who has served or is serving. To say our modern day citizen is disconnected from the military and its volunteer members is an understatement. What this book sets out to do is provide a series of vignettes that tell the tales of unparalleled bravery in wartime and then of unparalleled commitment to those veterans after they return home.
But here's the reality. I'm an Air Force vet, I get it. I know what went on overseas during my deployment, and I've been lucky to serve with some truly great and selfless heroes. And I was given the book to read by a retired Air Force Master Sergeant who also served his share of deployments. So the two of us - we're not the target audience of the book. Schultz isn't speaking to us. Yet, the stories told in the book, the still meant something to me.
The stories told by Schultz are recent. They recount bravery and heroism during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are startlingly recent. I served in Baghdad in 2006-2007 and for some reason, my brain has shut off after that time. I've moved on to law school and a law career. And here we are, eight years later, and it still feels, in many respects, like I just got home. And then I read these stories, of veterans coming home in 2012, 2013 and its like I never left, but I'm so far removed from them too.
The part of the book I found really enlightening were in the second half. The stories of veterans working on Team Rubicon and TAPS who are helping veterans, their families and disaster victims here in the United States. And it sort of woke me up to all the good people do every day. Veterans do have so much to give, and so much training and experience to share. It reminded me of the very first job I got during law school, fresh out of the Air Force, where the hiring manager at the law firm told me that if I was scheduled to work from 10-2 on a certain day, I should be there from 10-2. This didn't make sense to me. Of course if I was scheduled to work 10-2 I would show up. Of course I would work those hours. But this was not the Air Force, and people don't always treat their job like a service.
There are so many great lessons and stories in these vignettes. But I just don't know beyond the war buffs and the deeply patriotic, who might be picking this book up besides me and my fellow veterans. No need to tell us how great some of the people who served were. We already know.
Perhaps if you haven't served, make it your goal to read this for Veterans Day, Memorial Day or Fourth of July. Make it the one patriotic thing you do this year.
3.5/5 Stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment