The Invisible Front: Love and Loss in an Era of Endless War

Dreazen, deputy editor of Foreign Policy, offers up an often painful family story involving recently retired U.S. Army General Mark Graham, his wife, Carol, and their sons, Jeff and Kevin—both of whom served in the military. Kevin, the high-achieving middle child who suffered from depression, hung himself in 2003. Less than a year later, Jeff was killed in action while serving as an Army officer in Iraq. After Kevin’s suicide the Grahams devoted themselves to making the Army more responsive to mental illness within its ranks. Dreazen makes a convincing case that Mark Graham’s persistence in working on suicide prevention, PTSD treatment, and other issues put a premature end to his military career when he was he was passed over for a third star. Since Mark Graham’s retirement in 2012, he and his wife have devoted themselves to working for organizations dedicated to military suicide prevention. In telling this story, Dreazen leans heavily on the hundreds of hours of interviews he conducted with the Grahams and their friends and family. The result is a journalistic tale that shines a revealing—and a disturbing—light on the ongoing emotional legacy of America’s two most recent wars. Agent: Gary Morris, David Black Literary Agency. (Oct.)