'At War with Yourself: A Comic about Post-Traumatic Stress and the Military' by Samuel Williams is a personal story of PTSD told in a comic book form.

When cartoonist Samuel Williams meets Matt through their daughters, he finds that Matt has suffered from PTSD. To shed light on the issue, and with Matt's permission, their conversation is set to panel form. It's enlightening. Matt was a soldier and through the things he saw, he developed PTSD. It manifests in looking for exits when he enters a coffee shop or smells certain things. It's also explained that what triggers one person may or may not trigger someone else who experienced the same thing. The brain science is lightly touched upon.

It's a good recounting of a personal experience. The comic book format is unusual, but makes the story accessible. The art isn't the best I've ever seen, but the story benefits from the style. I'm glad I read Matt's story. It helps me understand more about people around me that have told me they have some form of PTSD.

I received a review copy of this comic book from Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Singing Dragon, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this comic book.

Short, quick overview about PTSD and the military. I wish it was more imaginative and in depth but it’s a great first start when learning about PTSD.

Waaaay too short and not as much about PTSD as one would have thought. It was about one conversation with a guy and less about PTSD in general

Brief but helpful look at PTSD as experienced by a former military person. #graphicmedicine

Samuel C. Williams is a UK-based illustrator and comic artist who decides, with his friend Matt's permission and approval, to make a graphic novel about Matt's experiences with PTSD. As he and Matt walk, Matt talks about things like his PTSD symptoms, the way his military training has played into some of those symptoms, his triggers, and the way therapy helped him understand what was going on with him and learn practical calming mechanisms. His wife also briefly talks about Matt's sometimes very violent dreams.

This was very short and felt like the first part of what should have been a longer work. I'd have liked to see more discussion about Matt's experiences with therapy and how it helped him. That said, I really liked his explanation of triggers and how it took him a while to understand them:

"The triggers were not entirely obvious. I would break down and feel the emotions and trauma of an event without understanding why or what they were related to."

He'd react to certain situations in ways he didn't really think about or realize, at the time, were a problem - for example, driving somewhere with his wife, thinking he was being followed, and automatically trying to lose the tail without explaining to his wife the real reason behind his sudden wrong turn.

The volume ends with a list of organizations in the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia that can help people with PTSD. I could see this graphic novel potentially being helpful for someone who hasn't yet made the connection between their actions and emotions and the possibility that they might have PTSD. I still wish it had devoted a little more time to Matt's experiences with getting treatment.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

This graphic novel does a great job at illustrating how traumatic events can lead to PTSD, especially in folks who have served in the military. The book goes through the process of one man's journey from what he would experience before being diagnosed with PTSD to how he's now able to handle it with the proper help.

I don't take this subject lightly since I know folks who suffer from PTSD from all backgrounds: military, EMT, or certain experiences in general. This is a good read to pick up just to become familiar with PTSD.

This comic gives a basic understanding of what it means to have PTSD. I liked the way the artist has embedded the information into a conversation, instead of laying it out as a fact sheet or a descriptive paragraph. If you want a good, quick introduction to PTSD, I'd recommend this book.

Note: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher. This review is my personal opinion and has not been influenced by anyone.