Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am
Ben is a high school senior with a very specific plan for his future. Given his interests you might think he is planning on going to college in the fall or becoming an actor or even marrying his long time girlfriend. Instead he plans to join the army. His friends and family can't understand why he would want to do something so dangerous as risk his life in an active war zone but Ben is sure about his path.
Once in Iraq Ben becomes part of a unit that goes out on peacekeeping missions to the surrounding area. One day they are deployed on a mission to a small town. The mission is going well but then their armored vehicle drives over a bomb. Ben, outside the vehicle, is hit by shrapnel and thrown by the blast.
He wakes up in the hospital lucky to be alive. However he hasn't escaped completely unscathed. He has suffered a TBI- Traumatic Brain Injury. He no longer knows who he is. He can't speak, write, and make facial expressions. Worst of all he doesn't recognize his family or friends and the doctors say he may never regain his memory.
Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am is based upon the authors own experiences as a young soldier. Ben's struggle to recover and reactions of his loved ones to the idea he may never be the same are very realistic. It may be short- only 148 pages long- this book packs an emotional punch that will make you think.
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