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4.55 AVERAGE
4.55 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Reading Invisible Storm by Jason Kander was a fascinating journey to try and understand how PTSD can affect everyone around the person that has experienced the trauma and not just the person with PTSD. I really appreciated Diana Kander's additions to the book in helping understand how a spouse or partner can also be affected and in just how that plays out in day to day life.
Reading through this book the explanations on how Jason came to the military and exactly what he did while he was in Afghanistan. The military position that he held has proven to be just as important as any other position in the army, even though he was not on the 'front line' so to speak, he was still doing his part to help those that were on the front line. The way he used his military experience to assist him with his political campaigning was interesting to read as well. He definitely has a relentlessness to him that helped him to be a good politician, but those attributes as he writes in the book also helped him to hide his PTSD. Reading the book kept me wondering on how he was functioning in the day to day with so little sleep . . .
His writing about how he approached therapy and how he was finally able to get through to the VA and get treatment was powerful and I sincerely hope that other people will seek help in the same way. This first person account of mental health is desperately needed to help normalize the stigma of mental issues and that it is ok to seek treatment/help for your mental health just as you would for any other sort of health issue.
As I said before Diana's words really helped to understand how she was affected by his mental health/PTSD. You can tell through both of their writings that they have a strong marriage and that they truly love & respect each other. Which is super important when you are going through the sort of issues they went through for the last 3 years.
After reading this book, I spent a few days with a retired Army Chaplain who returned from Iraq a year ago and you could tell that he had some serious mental health issues and that he was hiding. Having read this book before meeting him, helped me to have more understanding and compassion for more of what he is not saying, than what he is saying.
Thank you for writing this book. It is important work and the words matter a great deal to others out there that don't even realize what they are dealing with. Hopefully someone in their life will help them recognize their suffering and urge them to seek help. Invisible Storm just might be the catalyst that someone in their world has read and will convince them to read as well.
Reading through this book the explanations on how Jason came to the military and exactly what he did while he was in Afghanistan. The military position that he held has proven to be just as important as any other position in the army, even though he was not on the 'front line' so to speak, he was still doing his part to help those that were on the front line. The way he used his military experience to assist him with his political campaigning was interesting to read as well. He definitely has a relentlessness to him that helped him to be a good politician, but those attributes as he writes in the book also helped him to hide his PTSD. Reading the book kept me wondering on how he was functioning in the day to day with so little sleep . . .
His writing about how he approached therapy and how he was finally able to get through to the VA and get treatment was powerful and I sincerely hope that other people will seek help in the same way. This first person account of mental health is desperately needed to help normalize the stigma of mental issues and that it is ok to seek treatment/help for your mental health just as you would for any other sort of health issue.
As I said before Diana's words really helped to understand how she was affected by his mental health/PTSD. You can tell through both of their writings that they have a strong marriage and that they truly love & respect each other. Which is super important when you are going through the sort of issues they went through for the last 3 years.
After reading this book, I spent a few days with a retired Army Chaplain who returned from Iraq a year ago and you could tell that he had some serious mental health issues and that he was hiding. Having read this book before meeting him, helped me to have more understanding and compassion for more of what he is not saying, than what he is saying.
Thank you for writing this book. It is important work and the words matter a great deal to others out there that don't even realize what they are dealing with. Hopefully someone in their life will help them recognize their suffering and urge them to seek help. Invisible Storm just might be the catalyst that someone in their world has read and will convince them to read as well.
Jason Kander was the Democratic Party's rising star until he suddenly stopped and fell out of the limelight. This is not a story of failure though, this is a story of how asking for help saved his life.
I first "discovered" Jason Kander like many others through the Majority 54 podcast. His soothing voice and confidence felt very much like a young Obama and he very clearly cared for people in this nation and helping others. I was riveted by every Podcast episode and often prompted family and friends to listen. But then, after season 1, he was gone. This book is the story of his mental health battle and how he dealt with it which included dropping out of the limelight to take time to heal for himself.
As a military spouse, I was already piqued with interest at this book but knowing that the author himself decided to contribute all of his royalties to combat veteran suicide and homelessness, I was 100% onboard and decided to preorder. Through Jason's amazing team, I was able to receive an advanced reader copy and let me tell you. This book. did.not.disappoint. I laughed; I cried ugly tears; I walked away with hope for soldiers and for America. This book is really fascinating to hear the interworking's of a political campaign, war stories from soldiers, and how mental health touches so many and affects so many differently. I especially loved hearing Diana Kander's side (the author's wife) and how PTSD affected her as well. As JK states "Mental health is physical health and physical health is mental health."
10/10 recommend this book!
I first "discovered" Jason Kander like many others through the Majority 54 podcast. His soothing voice and confidence felt very much like a young Obama and he very clearly cared for people in this nation and helping others. I was riveted by every Podcast episode and often prompted family and friends to listen. But then, after season 1, he was gone. This book is the story of his mental health battle and how he dealt with it which included dropping out of the limelight to take time to heal for himself.
As a military spouse, I was already piqued with interest at this book but knowing that the author himself decided to contribute all of his royalties to combat veteran suicide and homelessness, I was 100% onboard and decided to preorder. Through Jason's amazing team, I was able to receive an advanced reader copy and let me tell you. This book. did.not.disappoint. I laughed; I cried ugly tears; I walked away with hope for soldiers and for America. This book is really fascinating to hear the interworking's of a political campaign, war stories from soldiers, and how mental health touches so many and affects so many differently. I especially loved hearing Diana Kander's side (the author's wife) and how PTSD affected her as well. As JK states "Mental health is physical health and physical health is mental health."
10/10 recommend this book!
I heard Jason Kander on NPR, maybe, or an episode of the Pantsuit Politics podcast. He caught my attention though I'd never heard of him before, and I promptly bought this book. It was a captivating read, and truly well done. This book will expand your compassion and strengthen your will to ensure that quality mental health care is a national (global) priority. Read this book, thank a veteran, and be tender toward your own wounded parts. Post-traumatic growth is possible.
I don’t exactly remember how I stumbled across Jason Kander on social media a couple years ago, but it has made me a better person—a more critical thinker. I don’t agree with all of Jason’s politics, but we agree on the fundamentals. The rest is just democracy.
Jason, Afghanistan veteran, once a rising star of Democrat politics, suddenly quits a race he was destined to win to face his PTSD. Publicly admitting he was struggling mentally more then 10 years home and that he would seek treatment. Transcriptions of his mental evaluation are included. Unfortunately, Jason passed for PTSD with flying colors. Full of powerful quotes and antidotes. It reminds me not to judge, we never know what someone has faced. And a necessary reminder of what veterans truly sacrifice.
There is no off switch when you return from a war and we have not given men and women adequate tools to overcome the brutality of war. Jason adds an extra layer to his story, his wife Diana’s perspective, and what it did to her and their family. Read this book. Give it to a friend. Spread the word that if you are struggling, veteran or not, you are worthy of help. Also, I hope Jason runs again and if I can vote for him I would happily do so.
Jason, Afghanistan veteran, once a rising star of Democrat politics, suddenly quits a race he was destined to win to face his PTSD. Publicly admitting he was struggling mentally more then 10 years home and that he would seek treatment. Transcriptions of his mental evaluation are included. Unfortunately, Jason passed for PTSD with flying colors. Full of powerful quotes and antidotes. It reminds me not to judge, we never know what someone has faced. And a necessary reminder of what veterans truly sacrifice.
There is no off switch when you return from a war and we have not given men and women adequate tools to overcome the brutality of war. Jason adds an extra layer to his story, his wife Diana’s perspective, and what it did to her and their family. Read this book. Give it to a friend. Spread the word that if you are struggling, veteran or not, you are worthy of help. Also, I hope Jason runs again and if I can vote for him I would happily do so.
Picked this up because I was lucky enough to see Kander speak at a work event this year and found him very insightful and refreshing to listen to. His book is no different. He lays his story out in a way that is structurally very compelling - you're sort of guided down this spiral he's experiencing over time with flashbacks to things that happened while he was deployed to Afghanistan to add context where it matters. While we can't all relate to being in a war, we can all relate to experiencing our own varieties of trauma. Kander clearly illustrates the idea that getting help for yourself is not an act of selfishness, but rather something that positively impacts everyone around you. (Related - Diana deserves a Nobel prize.)
Selfishly, I'd love for him to run for office again, especially after reading this. But if even he doesn't, I hope he keeps writing about his experiences.
Selfishly, I'd love for him to run for office again, especially after reading this. But if even he doesn't, I hope he keeps writing about his experiences.
inspiring
medium-paced
I'm not sure what I can say about this book that hasn't already been said. Invisible Storm is, arguably, the most human portrayal of electoral politics to date -- there's no sugarcoating of any experience. Any reader will appreciate this book's candor and humility.
dark
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
A refreshingly candid memoir about quitting politics and mental health advocacy for veterans.