Official Review: Matter of Time Continue to March
Posted: 28 Dec 2019, 09:21
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Matter of Time Continue to March" by Damon Roberts.]
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
View: on Bookshelves
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.
******
Matter of Time Continue to March
View: on Bookshelves
