The Gift Shop at the DMZ

Maureen Hicks

ISBN 13: 9798989189601

Published by Dancing Trees Press Nov 2023, 2023

About this Item

Neuware - When a Buddhist therapist contracts to counsel soldiers around the world, her ingrained opposition to war stands in the way of happiness. Repelled but curious about military culture, her careful listening to servicemembers and families leads to empathy and understanding for their challenges. In postings from the US to Germany to Korea, serving soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, she learns to respect and serve those enduring trauma. Forced to practice informal counseling, she wonders how she can make an impact. When the too-rare sessions lead to a struggle with depression, she must reach out with letters to friends. Can a deeper study of Buddhism steady her The immersion in military culture grows more savvy, sanguine beliefs - so she might wrest deep meaning from absurdity.

Seller Inventory # 9798989189601

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Gift Shop at the DMZ
• Publisher: Dancing Trees Press Nov 2023
• Publication Date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798989189601
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 216W x 140H x 14D millimeters 216 millimeters width by 140 millimeters height by 14 millimeters depth
• Weight: 318 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Full of dry wit that at times spills over into hilarity, this memoir chronicles the adventures of a liberal, anti-war psychotherapist in a role she never expected to have: offering counseling to military personnel and families. Hang on for a wild ride through Colorado, Kentucky, Washington State, Pennsylvania, Germany, and Korea, with stops at the Gettysburg Battlefield, Washington D.C. war memorials, and German hot springs spas. And naturally, the DMZ. Suddenly immersed in a culture distinctly foreign to her previous life experience, the author is fascinated by the opportunity to observe at close range the military lifestyle and those who choose it. She describes feeling “like a spy, or perhaps an anthropologist.” By describing numerous therapeutic encounters, she provides a compassionate view of the emotional stress on military personnel and their families, caused by the U.S. being on war footing for the past twenty-two years since the 9/11 attack. With her outsider’s perspective, she sees how a military-civilian divide has arisen in this era of an all-volunteer force, and provides insight into the common humanity of those who accept the invitation to be trained as warriors and those who do not.