Still the Monkey

By Alivia C. Tagliaferri

After nearly 40 years of struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the Vietnam War, Dennis Michael's life intersects with that of Andrew Taylor, a young Marine who lost both legs fighting in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0978841735
• ISBN13: 9780978841737
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Ironcutter Media Llc
• Length: 316 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

A poignant and powerful novel

Author Alivia C. Tagliaferri became inspired to write Still the Monkey: What Happens to Warriors After War after she visited the Walter Reed Medical Center in the summer of 2003, and saw firsthand the casualties of the War on Terror. Her later interview with a former Marine and Vietnam Veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder helped cement her determination to express the devastating toll of war. Still the Monkey is a historical fiction novel about a Vietnam veteran plagued with pain and sickness, and his fateful meeting with an Iraq veteran who lost both his legs. For ten days inside the walls of Walter Reed's Monologue House, the two of them begin a painful yet ultimately cathartic progression toward healing and learning to live again, one day at a time. A poignant and powerful novel, written out of the deepest respect and admiration for the men and women who put their lives on the line for the sake of their nation.

A Wake Up Call...

"Still the Monkey" is a portal to the experiences and emotions of Dennis Michaels, a soldier who had to face unimaginable horrors in Vietnam. In order to survive, he had to shut the human part of him down. He became a different person...reborn. The innocence and feelings of safety were long gone. Although I have never experienced any war situation first hand, or even second hand, I was captivated by this novel. "Still the Monkey" speaks to anyone who has gone through an extreme life-changing trauma and continues to carry the "monkey on his back". This book is a loud wake-up call to all of us who are content to change the channel when we see any unpleasant images or stories on the news. It is because of our soldiers that we do not live in war torn neighborhoods, but are able to sit safely in our living rooms. I recommend this book to anyone who has experienced, or knows someone who has experienced war or other traumatic events and is searching for healing.

Do we want to know the real cost of war?

I came of age during the Viet Nam war and this book brought back painful memories of that period of our country's history. We send boys (and now girls) to war unprepared for the real cost and not knowing the reasons they are sent as our sacrifices. PTSD is devastating and has too often been ignored. My father lost his right arm from the invasion of France during WW II and never got over the experience till his death at age 84. We are repeating the Viet Nam experience in Iraq. Do we know the real cost? Read this book before you answer.

Excellent novel on PTSD

I loved this book! It was very easy to read and it captured the reader's attention from the beginning. I found myself looking for any free moment during the day to read so I could hurry up and finish it. The author really did her research and it shows. I highly recommend this book.

Excellent Book on Combat and PTSD!

The captivating book "Still the Monkey" gives the most vivid descriptions of the severe physical and mental trauma experienced by soldiers in heavy combat that I have seen in a long time. Although the book is a novel, I had difficulty reading it as such. In part, this is because the Viet Nam combat experiences of the fictional Marine "Dennis" are based on those of a real Marine who was there for nine nasty months in 1967. In that brief "lifetime", or "pre-birth", the Marine saw too much, did too much, felt too much, lost too much, and suffered for 40 years thereafter from what is now termed Post Traumatic Stress Disorer (PTSD). And in part this novel felt so "real" due to Ms. Tagliaferri's very detailed and wide ranging research into all aspects of the Viet Nam war. She has become quite knowledgable about the weapons, the tactics, the jargon, the organizations and military designations of the fighting units, and the historical background of some of the decisions made in Washington by the Big Shots that (in my opinion) seriously and tragicaly mismanaged the War. Ms. Tagliaferri's background in history has served her very well. We have all seen or read stories about Iraqi War veterans who have been maimed for life by terrible "multitrauma" wounds, many of them very serious head wounds, and we are hearing now of serious problems with their treatment (or lack thereof) after they have served their country and recieved their Purple Hearts and more than their "fair share" of PTSD. Most of us shake our heads, say "How sad", wonder briefly what PTSD really is, why some soldiers get it and some don't. Then we very quickly return to our normal happy lives. But Ms. Tagliaferri has been to Walter Reed, has observed the badly wounded, has seen the "thousand yard stares" in their blank eyes. We "innocents" need to read the story she tells so well in "Still the Monkey". The book is much more than a gripping combat novel and psychodrama. It provides a dramatic, well thought out, and well written connection between the stresses of combat and PTSD. This is the main purpose of the book, to give readers a chance to learn something about the experience of combat and how it can deeply change their loved ones for the rest of their lives. There are many books on PTSD, and many books on combat, but I know of no other than connects the two in such a dramatic and sensible and easily readable way. Ms. Tagliaferri deserves a "HOO-rah" for "Still the Monkey".