death – Ria Warner

Title: The Eagle on My Arm: How the Wilderness and Birds of Prey Saved a Vietnam Veteran’s Life
Author: Dava Guerin, and Terry Bivens
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Length: 200 Pages
Publish Date: 2020
Tags/Triggers: Mental Health, Military Service, Suicidal Ideation, Physical Injury, Sexual Assault, Depression, Animal Death, Death

For months I have anticipated the release of “The Eagle on My Arm”. I was excited to write a post about this book and bibliotherapy benefits of it. What makes this book so difficult for me to write about is how close to home it hits for me. Actually, it is home for me.

“The Eagle on My Arm” is the memoir of my mentor, Patrick Bradley. Patrick is a Vietnam Veteran with severe PTSD. When he first returned from war however PTSD was not well understood and he was just labeled as aggressive and troubled. Fortunately one of the practitioners at Walter Reed was an advocate for those soldiers who were “damaged goods” and pushed for Patrick to be given an opportunity to reintegrate into the civilian world.

Going directly into the public again was not possible, so instead he spent years in the wilderness studying bald eagles. This time in the wild helped him become grounded and develop coping skills. The impact nature had on his journey to healing wouldn’t be fully appreciated however until years later when his son, Skylar, returned from war with his own demons. Patrick did the only thing he knew of to help his son and got him working with birds. It didn’t take long for Patrick to realize just how powerful reconnecting with nature can be.

This book follows his story and includes part of mine. We hope that through sharing our stories and battles it will help reduce the stigma related to mental health and encourage others to seek treatment as well. It also serves as a preface to our next chapter, where we will be opening an ecotherapy center making services increasingly accessible to those with depression, anxiety, trauma-related disorders and other mental illnesses and disabilities because we believe no one should have to face their demons alone.

Title: The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose

Author: Chris Wilson

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Length: 414 Pages

Publish Date: 2019

Tags/Triggers: abuse, addiction, alcohol, bullying, cancer, child abuse, death, domestic violence, drugs, emotional abuse, incarceration, murder, physical abuse, rape, self-harm, terminal illness, violence

Growing up in Chris Wilson witnessed things no child should ever see. His mother was brutalized and descended into addiction. The neighborhood around him became a war zone and he saw people he loved gunned down. After a while he felt like he choices were fight or die. Then one night he did just that and ended up with a life sentence for murder.

He was very fortunate to be placed at the prison in Patuxent where the youth inmates were housed separate from the adults. Patuxent also had unique opportunities for offenders to participate in educational programs and counseling. Access to this program allowed Chris is being to heal and formulate his master plan. This master plan answered his burning question, “What’s your endgame?” Even behind bars with a life sentence all people wonder why they are here, on this planet.

Chris’s plan began as a bucket list filled with experiences such as “grow a big-ass beard” and attending a bull fight. As he continued to heal and learn his plan evolved and became much more purposeful. Even before he could see light at the end of the tunnel he found light in his life through purpose. He worked incredibly hard without the promise of external pay off just “positive delusions”. His hard work eventually did lead to the opportunity of reward and turned his delusions to reality.

With the support of caring people around him he managed to get his sentence reduced. He was one of the few to reap rehabilatative benefits from his time in prison. When he earned his release he continued to work hard and give back. He has devoted his life outside to helping keep others out. He has developed systems and supports to improve the culture of the neighborhoods that traditionally acting as pathways to prison.

The Master Plan: My Journey from Life i n Prison to a Life of Purpose was an amazing read that was hard to set down. It is a stark reminder of the deep deficits that plague our country. There are huge inequalities that must be addressed and Chris Wilson is working to do just that. His actions should not end with him but should rather act to inspire and influence others to make positive changes.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases of the items linked in my post.

Tag: death

Bibliotherapy: The Eagle on My Arm

Bibliotherapy- The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose