Title: From Brokenness to Atonement, Faith, Hope, and Love: A Vietnam War Sniper’s Journey and a Psychiatrist’s Bibliotherapy
Author: Hani Raoul Khouzam
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 9798885403962
Pages: 210
Genre: Biography / Psychology
Reviewed by: Lily Amanda
Pacific Book Review
In From Brokenness to Atonement, Faith, Hope, and Love: A Vietnam War Sniper’s Journey and a Psychiatrist’s Bibliotherapy, doctor and psychiatrist, Hani Raoul Khouzam, describes the difficult process of recovery of one of his patients Mr. L from severe self-hatred and hopelessness.
Mr. L was used to situations that made him feel resentful and angry, having experienced trauma as a child from living in a crowded, state-run orphanage in New Hampshire, before he was placed in an orphanage run by Catholic Carmelite nuns. On his eighteenth birthday, he experienced these feelings once more after learning he had been chosen to enlist in the military. Despite this, he went ahead to serve his country with unwavering dedication. Not long afterward, he gave in to an unbearable sense of guilt and shame as well as a deep-seated sense of self-hatred after being duped into carrying out a horrible deed by jealous co-workers.
He was receiving treatment after sustaining a left-side facial bruise and a left-eye laceration from a motorbike accident when the author of this compelling story met him. Mr. L seemed disappointed that he had not died after the accident, and the author would later discover that he had been through horrific experiences while serving in Vietnam, which more than explained his disappointment.
In spite of loss, PTSD, hopelessness, despair – love, faith, and hope can all be restored, as this moving story’s author masterfully illustrates. He also shows how doctors can learn a lot from their patients if they treat them like open books. From my perspective as a reader, the author’s explanation of God’s unwavering grace in the face of ultimate disappointment stands out above his excellent description of how the human spirit can overcome suffering, brokenness, and misfortune.
There are countless opportunities to achieve a deeper connection with the essence of humanity and faith in God as shown through the incredible experiences found in From Brokenness to Atonement, Faith, Hope, and Love: A Vietnam War Sniper’s Journey and a Psychiatrist’s Bibliotherapy. Hani Raoul Khouzam is no doubt a quintessential voice in America today. His genre-arching work will certainly inform, educate, and impact many generations.
