Soft Spots: A Marine's Memoir of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Had to read this book for my college courses about 10 years ago. I really enjoyed the book and apparently when the college assigned the book also had an agreement with the author to come and talk about it, answer questions, and sign copies. I work in mental health and wanted to reference this book when talking about PTSD and I didn’t want my autographed copy to be outside of my library at home so I bought another. Hope you’re reading this Clint and I hope you’re doing well, thank you for sharing your story.

PTSD is a life sentence that consumes your life energy to deal with it. We've seen the stereotypes on film: the Vietnam-era Vet, the "shell-shocked" WWII Vet, and now we find ourselves swamped with a tide of new Vets from the Middle East campaigns. Clint Van Winkle shows us his own personal hell that returned with him to the States. It's uncomfortable on many levels. Some of the details are graphic, but sometimes the less-graphic ones are more appalling. Your heart will stick in your throat when he tells of the actions he lived through and the way those moments come back to interfere with his here-and-now. This book should definitely be required reading for high school and beyond, to educate those generations coming of age to the grim realities and legacy of what it means to be a soldier in time of war.

I studied Van Winkle's memoir as part of a project I did to earn my master of humanities degree and read it more than once. As a former Marine, I understand the struggles Van Winkle experiences with alcohol and finding stability in life after the Corps. The lifestyle of drinking and spending endless hours in VFW halls is all too familiar and true. I would have given Soft Spots a "5" star rating if it were more fluid to read. There are some passages that require slightly more eye muscle to turn the page. But, overall, one will come away with a better understanding of a struggling Marine's life after the Corps and the characteristics seen in most recovery narratives.

An illuminating first-person account of the Iraq War and PTSD. Van Winkle successfully merges experiences from his post-war life with memories of the war. The resulting scenes can be disorienting at times, but that is likely the point. Unfortunately, Van Winkle's personal progression with the disorder is spotty at times. For example, in the second chapter, Van Winkle depicts a scene in which he verbally abused his then-girlfriend, an event that seems to signal a major strain in their relationship. Yet somehow, 150 pages later, the two are married and moving to Wales to begin graduate school with little explanation of how their relationship healed. Read Soft Spots to understand what it's like to suffer from PTSD, but don't expect a fully composed personal memoir.

I read the book for a psych class and am grateful to have been assigned this book. It was hard to read and not connect with Clint or Sgt. Van Winkle, his mates, and the price that was extracted from them for their service. I would recommend this book to anyone, it's written in such a way that you can feel his inner battle pulling him in so many directions. The clarity with which he describes his feelings and the confusion they cause him are heart wrenching at times but the result is a book that gives the reader a greater understanding for what it is these soldiers need help unburdening themselves from.

I was told to read this book by a coworker and Marine. So I jumped right into it. Great book with great details.But I was very disapointed on how it ended. It felt like it just stopped, he didnt let you know how he is doing or how his wife is, or if he ever got a job.. It just seems to me that it didnt have a good conclusion

We all assume that war is hell on everybody involved, but most of us aren't aware of what the battle environment can do to a U.S. Marine's psyche. Clint Van Winkle tells his war story--and after-war story of post-traumatic syndrome--in a very interesting and unusual writing style that combines his realistic wartime experience with his imagined traumas after he returns home. This book teaches us, and is worth reading.

Thanks to Van Winkle for writing this book. I've read several other books by recent veterans of the war in Iraq. I valued this book for several reasons: it provides insight into a soldiers experience during the war and how it impacted him AFTER he returned home. VW vividly interweaves stories from his wartime experience with his post-war life which helps the reader understand the effect of PTSD. It is a creative style that had a real impact on this reader.