From the publisher: In this strikingly original and groundbreaking book, Dr. Shay examines the psychological devastation of war by comparing the soldiers of Homer's Iliad with Vietnam veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Although the Iliad was written twenty-seven centuries ago it has much to teach about combat trauma, as do the more recent, compelling voices and experiences of Vietnam vets.

PART I: Betrayal of "What's right" -- Shrinkage of the social and moral horizon -- Grief at the death of a special comrade -- Guilt and wrongful substitution -- Berserk -- PART II: Dishonoring the enemy -- What Homer left out -- Soldiers' luck and God's will -- Reclaiming the Iliad's gods as a metaphor of social power -- PART III: The breaking points of moral existence: what breaks? -- Healing and tragedy -- Conclusion.