The Ghosts and Bones of Troy

Wars and the men who fight them do not change. The technology, the tactics, the weaponry may differ, but the consequences remain constant. Reading Cooperman's The Ghosts and Bones of Troy reminded me of a classic study of the deeply personal effects of war, Dr. Jonathan Shay's Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character. Both Achilles and Odysseus are examples of how the stresses of war undo a hero's character and how innocent lives are ruined because of these combat experiences. This book is a finely conceived and well-executed study suggesting that PTSD has been with us as long as there have been wars and will remain with us so long as we chose to fight. Is there a path to redemption? Read this book and find out.

-Alan Catlin, poetry and reviews editor Misfit Magazine

Like a soldier back from the horrors of Afghanistan or Vietnam slammed around from A to Z with PTSD, Odysseus has returned from Troy, unable to resume a "normal" life in Robert Cooperman's sweeping reconsideration of the "hero" after his 20 years of war and wandering. Combining the aura of the magic of Greek mythology-the curses and blessings of ancient verse-with the real horror of war and violence, The Ghosts and Bones of Troy forces the reader to re-think quaint terms like "fame" and "honor." As Axia, the woman whom Odysseus rescues and nurtures in his redemption, notes: "that glory's but a mist, that all men fade / from the tales that poets sing..."

-Charles Rammelkamp, author of Time Is on My Side (yes it is)

In The Ghosts And Bones Of Troy, we meet an Odysseus who returns home, and this victorious moment doesn't turn out as he may have liked. This book is a reflection on journey and expectation, how the journey changes us and we may not realize that this is happening. Cooperman not only helps us to re-imagine Homer but to re-imagine our own journeys-and the surprises they bring.

-Kenneth Pobo, author of nine books of poetry, the most recent being Dindi Expecting Snow