Ron Capps's debut memoir is an incisive look at the cost of combat and peacekeeping missions, and the limits of extreme violence humans can tolerate when they're powerless to stop it. Seriously Not All Right is also a harrowing and ultimately redemptive look at Capps's climb out of the post-traumatic stress disorder pit and what he did to help others once he succeeded.
Capps served as a military intelligence officer in Iraq and Afghanistan before becoming a civilian foreign service observer in hot spots like Kosovo and Darfur. In the latter role, Capps performed his duties admirably and professionally, but wartime memories manifested themselves at the worst moments, resulting in his admission that he was "seriously not all right" before he sought help. Capps's emotional breakdown felt imminent; he tried to balance desk work while old movies of genocidal horror spooled out in his head. Capps's meandering and sometimes unsuccessful attempts to get aid bear witness to both the challenges combat veterans face in obtaining the support they need and the many dedicated helpers bound by bureaucratic obstacles and limited resources. Eventually, Capps took his method for battling depression and shared it with others; he created the Veterans Writing Project to give voice and solace to fellow veterans.
In addition, Capps's diagnosis of what is awry with American statecraft and military intervention is spot on, the learned wisdom of one who has been there and done that. This is a well-written, timely memoir, with scene after vivid scene that lingers, that provides a possible healing path for veterans. --Donald Powell, freelance writer