Doonesbury: The War Within: One More Step at a Time

Wounded Warrior #2

by G.B. Trudeau

Your compassionate portrayal of Lieutenant B.D.'s recovery and struggle . . . has touched our Warrior family and opened the eyes of the rest of the world to the physical, emotional, and personal challenges our soldiers face."

The initial stages of B.D.'s recovery from losing a leg in Iraq were dramatically portrayed in The Long Road Home: One Step at a Time, but his healing journey was far from over. As this powerful sequel shows, the "war within" can be a long and lonely struggle, hardly the life of a "glamorous amputee" imagined by his daughter's jealous classmate. With his coaching job at Walden re-secured and the marathon PT sessions paying off, B.D.'s return to normalcy seems to be progressing well. But those who love him see alarming signs of trouble, namely anger and alcohol.

First there's the punching of an MP. Then there's the daily breakfast of beer, a subject not open for discussion even with a best-intentioned friend like Mike Doonesbury. And "the screaming at night isn't very Christmassy," Boopsie notes. As B.D. admits to his doctor, "I'd rather sleep with my weapon than my wife! How messed up is that?" Messed up enough that our wounded warrior forces himself to begin circling the local Vet Center, where he is gently and skillfully reeled in by a remarkable counselor and fellow Vietnam Vet named Elias. Their sessions together form an extraordinary and moving chronicle of catharsis and coming-to-terms. The words "Welcome home, soldier," are powerful and transformative, and B.D. is fortunate in finally getting to a place where he can hear them.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Fiction, Comic Strips, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Disability

110 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

Garretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip. In 1970, Trudeau's creation of Doonesbury was syndicated by the newly formed Universal Press Syndicate. Today Doonesbury is syndicated to almost 1,400 newspapers worldwide and is accessible online in association with Slate Magazine at doonesbury.com. In 1975, he became the first comic strip artist to win a Pulitzer, traditionally awarded to editorial-page cartoonists. He was also a Pulitzer finalist in 1990. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1977 in the category of Animated Short Film, for A Doonesbury Special, in collaboration with John Hubley and Faith Hubley. A Doonesbury Special eventually won the Cannes Film Festival Jury Special Prize in 1978. Other awards include the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) Newspaper Comic Strip Award in 1994, and the Reuben Award in 1995. He was made a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1993. Wiley Miller, fellow comic-strip artist responsible for Non Sequitur, called Trudeau "far and away the most influential editorial cartoonist in the last 25 years." In addition to his work on Doonesbury, Trudeau has teamed with Elizabeth Swados and written plays, such as Rap Master Ronnie and Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy. In 1988, Trudeau joined forces with director Robert Altman for the HBO miniseries Tanner '88 and the Sundance Channel miniseries sequel Tanner on Tanner in 2004. In 1996, Newsweek and The Washington Post speculated that Trudeau wrote the novel Primary Colors, which was later revealed to have been written by Joe Klein. Trudeau wrote the political sitcom Alpha House, starring John Goodman and Bill Murray. The pilot was produced by Amazon Studios and aired in early 2013. Due to positive response Amazon has picked up Alpha House to develop into a full series.

Reviews

[Jason S. Grabill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed

Having lived this with my spouse I wasn't sure if it would be accurate or fair to the veterans and their families. I was very pleased to that it was and showed how much we've both healed because we were able to laugh at the duties we'd been through. Kudos. I've now read the whole series. It's a good read for anyone wanting to get an idea of what a recovering military family experiences, because it is the whole family going through it.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending felt a bit abrupt but otherwise this is wonderful reading about a soldier with PTSD.

Content note for alcohol abuse.

[Jean Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, some humor, excellent dialog.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scarily accurate portrayal of adjustment after combat and what vets struggle with that gets in their way and helps.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024 bk 113. B. D. is coming to terms with the changes in his life, and a counselor at the local Vet Center helps in this transition. I must say, I am having problems seeing B.D. without his helmet and this book does help make that transition easier. Kudos to all the Vets who seek out help.

[Clark Hallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doonesbury: The War Within: One More Step at a Time by G.B. Trudeau is the second graphic novel in Trudeau’s “Wounded Warrior” three-book series. This is an amazing graphic novel that enables the reader to empathize with B.D., Boobsie and their daughter while they struggle to try to recoup a normal life after B.D. loses one of his legs in an RPG attack in Iraq. The Long Road Home: One Step at a Time, the first book in this series, covered his physical traumas including numerous surgeries. This book reveals a family in chaos due to B.D.’s PTSD. He now lives in constant fear and drinks almost continually. He thinks parked cars are rigged with explosives to kill him and his family. He sleeps with a loaded rifle and shoots up his own garage. Boobsie and his daughter are afraid of him. Unfortunately, he refuses to accept help from his local VA Medical facility. Unlike the first book of the series, Trudeau does not include much humor in this one, although there are some light-hearted segments. He provides a poignant story that is effectively enhanced by his illustrations. It is astounding that a story this powerful was achieved in a graphic novel. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

G.B. Trudeau does it again, bringing humor, wit, and, above all, deep insight into the life of post-war veterans with this sequel to his first installment.

Once again, we follow B.D., who has since returned home to a relatively normal life with a prosthetic leg after being wounded in battle. We learn that though his physical injuries may have healed, the emotional injuries have just started to surface, as B.D. is diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but refuses to acknowledge that he needs help.

The author shows the toll this invisible disorder takes on not only B.D. himself but also his family and brings much needed attention to a highly stigmatized and misunderstood condition. In doing so, Trudeau shows that just as admitting one has a problem is the first step to healing for those afflicted with PTSD, talking about the disorder is the first step to progress for a responsible society in providing care for its soldiers who have given so much.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garry Trudeau's "Doonesbury" strip is among the most prolific and engaging comics in American history. Anything that has run as long as this feature is bound to blow hot and cold at different times. To this reality, Trudeau wisely released two volumes central to the hell of war and the pain of recovery as seen through the experiences of his original character B.D. ("The Long Road Home" and "The War Within".) These collections run the gauntlet from injury to the first steps of rehabilitation with Trudeau's usual humor and thoughtful reflection along the way. While this storyline provided a renewed interest in "Doonesbury," it also accomplished a larger objective in bringing the word "sacrifice" into a war vernacular in which it remains markedly absent. Not bad for what we were hearing in 2005 and downright impressive for a comic strip pushing 40. Classic.

[Lorelei · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't stop laughing -- I wanted to read it all aloud to my family, but wanted to let them read it and enjoy themselves as well. It is clear that G.B. Trudeau hasn't been there, but also clear that he understands as well as anybody possibly can who hasn't walked that path himself.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me this second book in the Wounded Warrior series struck me the hardest. While there is humor, there is also the painful topics that BD must remember but "edit" in order to make his adjustment to coming back home. A very powerful series.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The moving sequel to The Long Road Home.