No Place to Hide: A Brain Surgeon’s Long Journey Home from the Iraq War

The horrors of war are told in conversational, blunt fashion by neurosurgeon Warren, who relates memories of his year caring for patients in war-torn Iraq. Warren, who had mastered the art of hiding behind a surgical mask, decides to leave his medical practice, his ministry as a church worship leader, and his failing marriage and children to seek answers as a doctor in an Air Force hospital near the front. His troubles pale in comparison to the shattered lives, supply shortages, and suffering he encounters at war. In a well-written narrative, mixed with actual email reports he sent home, Warren transports the reader to the battle zone and shares his thoughts, raw emotions, opinions on America’s involvement in Iraq, and lessons learned during his tour of duty. Most poignant are the heart-wrenching stories of injured children and the agonizing decisions he must make about which victims to save and which ones he can’t. Warren’s war experiences bring him closer to God, provide insight into his own character flaws, and don’t leave him, even after he returns home to address the problems he left behind. Agent: Dan Raines, Creative Trust. (May)