I am reviewing books through the Blogging for Books program in an effort to support my community’s Little Free Library, thus the addition of book reviews outside of the usual sexual health topics to Your Sexy Librarian postings. After being reviewed, the book gets stamped “Always a Gift, Never for Sale” and placed into a Little Free Library for others to enjoy.
My latest book selection is Tough as They Come by retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne, and coauthored with Marcus Brotherton, which was released on October 27, 2016. The foreword is written by American actor and veteran advocate Gary Sinise.
The cover of Tough as They Come states, “Thousands have been wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five have survived quadruple amputee injuries. This is one soldier’s story.”
This description is essentially why I choose this book to review. I work in the medical field and was hoping SSG Mills’ personal story would help me find new motivation for helping my patients through their disease diagnosis and subsequent progression. This book certainly delivered motivation, by the truckload.
Tough as They Come has been the best book I have reviewed thus far through the Blogging for Books program. “Best” in the sense of wanting to read the entire book without putting it down. I read every word on every page and did not want to be distracted in the process, which I cannot say about my previous book review choices.
SSG Mills’ story is written from the heart and is humorous and gritty, even when recounting his darkest days after having survived an IED explosion, which resulted in the loss of all four of his limbs. SSG Mills’ strength of character and his ability to continue to lead stayed with him as he healed from his injuries.
The book was a quick read as the writing style was more conversational, like sitting down and discussing life over coffee with a friend. SSG Mills and Brotherton has made it easy for non-military people to understand the dynamics and the brotherhood of being enlisted in the military, without making those people feel ignorant.
The back cover text is in an easy-to-read font and includes the book summary along with just two endorsements of the book. Those two endorsements are all are that is needed as they get to the point quickly. A ringing endorsement from Mike Rowe, of television fame, states “… Read it. I promise you’ll feel better about whatever ails you.”
I recommend everyone read this book because there is a take-away message for each one of us in SSG Travis Mills’ story.
Whether it be, “As a leader, I couldn’t throw my helmet down and complain that things weren’t fair. You have to make the best of it. You have to keep going. You’ve got to be tough as they come.” or “… We all have our unique challenges to go through. The point is that you can keep going. You can choose to never give up. You can choose to never quit.”
Living out his personal mantra to “never quit,” SSG Mills now works as a motivational speaker and resides with his wife and daughter in Maine. In 2013, he founded the nonprofit Travis Mills Foundation to help other wounded veterans and their families.
Brotherton, born in British Columbia and now residing with his family in Washington State, has authored or coauthored more than 25 books and actively blogs about how to lead well in both professional and personal aspects.
Sinise is an American actor and director. He is part of the music group Lt. Dan Band, whose name came from the Forrest Gump character Sinise portrayed. Sinise is an advocate for veterans and the founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving and supporting American military veterans.
Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.
XOXO,
