Official Review: Matter of Time Continue to March

Cecilia_L · Post by **Cecilia_L** » 28 Dec 2019, 09:21

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Matter of Time Continue to March" by Damon Roberts.]

3 out of 4 stars

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In Matter of Time: Continue to March, Damon Roberts poignantly shares his challenging journey of attempting to transition back into his previous life after serving in the military during Operation Iraqi Freedom. As an Army Reserve stop-loss soldier, Roberts explains not feeling appreciated for his service to the country. He examines his diagnosis of PTSD, pattern of self-medicating, and the progression of pressure and circumstances that resulted in his time in prison after committing a crime. With candor and honesty, Roberts describes how he began to rebuild his life by focusing on renewing his faith in God during incarceration. Ultimately, he chronicles his story of finding healing and desires to provide encouragement to veterans and those returning to society through his reflections and poems.

This first-person narrative is 146 pages, and Roberts describes his life as a coach, social worker, father, and soldier before, during, and after serving in Iraq. He details how his initial denial about being an alcoholic, lack of coping skills, and building resentment escalated to a "why me" mentality. "My heart hardened, and my moral compass was broken."

What I liked most about the book was that Roberts took responsibility for his wrong choices but didn't allow them to define him. Despite feeling that his nickname, Matter of Time, had previously been self-fulfilled in "a negative manner," Roberts also referred to the nickname as he described his subsequent success: "I believed that my success happened in a 'matter of time,' by God's grace and mercy." He explained that he named youth programs and basketball teams after the nickname to further honor God's blessings despite his past mistakes.

The book was professionally edited with few grammatical errors. However, I disliked the distracting watermarks displayed diagonally across every page of the PDF I read, including the photographs. Also, the photo gallery at the end of the book didn't include any captions or accompanying information, and several of the images were blurred. Unfortunately, it detracted more than it added to the book.

Overall, I rate Matter of Time 3 out of 4 stars. The watermarks appear to be removed in the Amazon sample, but as the photo gallery is part of the book, I can't overlook its unprofessional presentation. I recommend it to readers who appreciate transformative memoirs, veterans, and returning citizens. It will also be helpful to those seeking treatment or being treated for PTSD and substance or alcohol abuse. The book includes scriptures, and Roberts frequently refers to God, so it will probably not appeal to atheists. It is intended for mature audiences as it does contain profanity.

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Matter of Time Continue to March
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Kanda_theGreat · Post by **Kanda_theGreat** » 31 Dec 2019, 06:42

Memoirs from war veterans attempt to shade more light into the lives of soldiers. As Dolly Parton put it in her "Ballad of the Green Beret" , what the soldiers do is so discreet that at times they never get the recognition they deserve. I therefore sympathised with the protagonist in his lamentation.
Thank you for the wonderful review.

Cecilia_L · Post by **Cecilia_L** » 31 Dec 2019, 13:19

Kanda_theGreat wrote: ↑31 Dec 2019, 06:42 Memoirs from war veterans attempt to shade more light into the lives of soldiers. As Dolly Parton put it in her "Ballad of the Green Beret" , what the soldiers do is so discreet that at times they never get the recognition they deserve. I therefore sympathised with the protagonist in his lamentation.
Thank you for the wonderful review.

Thanks for sharing. I appreciate your comment.

Aniza Butt · Post by **Aniza Butt** » 01 Jan 2020, 08:37

Memoirs ain't my thing so would pass this one. Hope the memoir readers like it.
Thanks for a nice review Cecilia ☺.

Cecilia_L · Post by **Cecilia_L** » 01 Jan 2020, 14:37

Aniza Butt wrote: ↑01 Jan 2020, 08:37 Memoirs ain't my thing so would pass this one. Hope the memoir readers like it.
Thanks for a nice review Cecilia ☺.

Thanks for your comment.

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 01 Jan 2020, 21:41

It seems that many soldiers find it cathartic to write about their experiences. It is an emotional escape for them and can help others going through the same dilemma. I think books like this can help civilians appreciate how much soldiers sacrifice to serve and protect our freedoms. Thanks for the excellent review!

Cecilia_L · Post by **Cecilia_L** » 02 Jan 2020, 17:19

kdstrack wrote: ↑01 Jan 2020, 21:41 It seems that many soldiers find it cathartic to write about their experiences. It is an emotional escape for them and can help others going through the same dilemma. I think books like this can help civilians appreciate how much soldiers sacrifice to serve and protect our freedoms. Thanks for the excellent review!

That's an excellent point. Thanks for sharing and for your kind words!