Two hours! That's how long it took for the truce to be broken. Two hours! That's all, before the crackle of firecrackers and celebratory shouts of revelry suddenly returned to automatic weapons-fire and the din of war. The Chinese New Year began as a sham. A trick; or, if you will, "Monkeyshine".
Two days! Those first two days of Tet '68 marked the end to one man's war; yet, the beginning of a wasted lifetime of conflict searching for answers to "what happened?".
One hour! For you, the reader, to witness the answer during this first counseling session of an aging combat veteran finally driven to seek help.
The Year of the Monkeyshine, by J. David Jaax, uses fact, fiction, and flashback, with a touch of dark humor thrown in, to compel the reader to commit to this journey of understanding the consequences of conscripted trauma. Experience the “past” becoming the “present” as you witness “effect” morphing to “cause”, in a flash. A gift of perception to those who need it most, the families and friends of those afflicted; they too, lost in the shadow of this disorder. Equally involved, equally consumed, and equally confused. Yet, ever faithful.
A dose of reality. No monkeyshine!
