Guilt

You’ve probably heard that once a book is written, it no longer belongs to the writer. It belongs to the readers.

I’ve found that to be true with both “It’s a Black White Thing” and now “Home of the Brave”, which a few people have read in advance of the Jan. 26 publication. Readers have helped me understand what I was getting at and opened up whole new perspectives that make me want to keep writing. I’m mortified  when readers find typos, but I suppose someone needs to find them so they can be corrected.

Tenly Williams, who founded Civic Syrup to foster community engagement, invited me to be interviewed on her podcast. Then she gave my book a deep, sympathetic read. During the interview, she mentioned that guilt was a recurring topic of the book. I hadn’t thought about that. She’s right. Veterans struggle with survivor’s guilt. Those who have not fought sometimes find guilt keeps them from connecting with those who did. But guilt can also spur self-awareness and compassion, which are other themes of the book.

Tenly also found a few typos. I will have to get corrected in the next edition.

You can hear my conversation with Tenly and her partner Brandy Whalen here:

https://soundcloud.com/user-101150823