5 Star Review
Editorial Book Review:
By Marcos Buttler
There aren’t many books that can take the raw chaos of war, the tangled mess of personal identity, and the existential absurdity of human experience, then twist them into something that feels both irreverently punk rock and deeply philosophical. This one does. It’s not just a memoir; it’s a challenge, a deconstruction of the very idea of a hero’s journey. Instead of glorifying combat or suffering, it shreds through illusions with dark humor, biting self-awareness, and a willingness to embrace the absurd.
From the first page, there’s a restless energy to it—an urgency that makes it impossible to settle into a predictable rhythm. It jumps between war stories, philosophical musings, moments of brutal honesty, and reflections that feel like late-night conversations with someone who has seen too much. It’s jarring, but intentionally so. There’s no attempt to romanticize, no clean narrative arc. Instead, it mirrors the chaos of both combat and personal reckoning, pulling the reader into an experience rather than simply recounting one.
What I loved most was its refusal to follow the rules. It doesn’t try to fit neatly into a genre or even make the reader comfortable. Instead, it drags you through wild stories, moments of insight, and deeply human reflections, all while keeping you just off balance enough to make you question your own perspective. There are times when it's deeply funny, like when someone has been through hell and come out on the other side with a smirk. In the next, it's deeply personal, getting through all the noise to say something that sticks with you long after you finish the book.
I feel like the writing is like a conversation—at times heated, at times very personal. It's direct without being preachy, and it's smart without sounding like it's talking over people. There's a wise thread running through the chaos that stays with you in strange ways. Even though the events shared are very intense, what makes them truly powerful is how they become something that everyone can relate to. This isn’t just about war, or survival, or self-discovery—it’s about what it means to be human in a world that rarely makes sense.
This book isn’t for someone looking for a traditional war memoir or a neatly wrapped self-help guide. It’s for those who want to be challenged, who are willing to sit with discomfort and laugh at the absurdity of it all. It’s for readers who appreciate a voice that’s unfiltered, honest, and maybe a little unhinged—in the best possible way. It doesn’t hand you answers, but it makes you ask better questions. And in the end, that’s what makes it exceptional.
About the Author
Ben "Doc" Askins
Doc is no one. He is Banksy’s erudite elder brother, a Deadpool wannabe, and the Shadow of the world’s most interesting man. When artificial intelligence has a fever dream, it dreams of being Doc. He is a son, brother, husband, father, veteran, psycho, therapist, and friend. He is the grinning embodiment of the Duchenne marker, all of his lies are true, and he writes his books with tears in his eyes for you and only you.
Ben Askins (PA-C, MDiv) has an eclectic background with degrees in Outdoor Education, Intercultural Studies, Physician Assistant Studies, and Divinity. He has nearly two decades of experience practicing and teaching wilderness, tactical, and expeditionary medicine in the military. In civilian life, he is a Psychiatric Physician Assistant with an evidence-focused and integrative approach to mental health that includes extensive experience providing ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, medicine management, and spiritual direction. He is certified with the Multidisciplinary Association on Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Ben is a member of the Wilderness Medical Society, the William Blake Society, a National Outdoor Leadership school alum, a veteran of the Global War on Terrorism, and has completed postgraduate training in Neuropsychiatry and Genomics.
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