Odysseus in America : combat trauma and the trials of homecoming / Jonathan Shay ; foreword by Max Cleland and John McCain.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 303-312) and index.

Introduction -- Odysseus among the rich civilians -- Pirate raid: staying in combat mode -- Lotus land: the flight from pain -- Cyclops: the flight from boredom -- Odysseus gets a leg up-- and falls on his face: the workplace -- A peaceful harbor: no safe place -- Witches, goddesses, queens, wives-- dangerous women -- Among the dead: memory and guilt -- What was the sirens' song?: truth as deadly addiction -- Scylla and Charybdis: dangers up, down, and sideways -- The sun god's beef: the blame game -- Above the whirlpool -- Calypso: Odysseus the sexaholic -- Odysseus at home -- Introduction -- From the clinic to the wall -- Lew Puller ain't on the wall -- Introduction -- Preventing psychological and moral injury in military service -- Odysseus as a military leader -- Conclusion -- Appendix I: a pocket guide to Homer's Odyssey -- Appendix II: information resources for Vietnam veterans and their families -- Appendix III: some proposals.