Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Intimate, intense tale of soldier healing from brain injury.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Everyone expects high school senior Ben Bright to pursue his passion for theater in college, but he shocks his family and friends by enlisting in the Army Reserves. After he suffers a traumatic brain injury in Iraq, he is flown back to the States, where his parents, his autistic brother, his fiancee and his best friend all struggle to help him put back together the scattered pieces of his shattered identity.
Is It Any Good?
SOMEBODY, PLEASE TELL ME WHO I AM is a very intimate, intense chronicle of one young man's rehabilitation after a catastrophic war injury. The central event -- Ben Bright's recovery -- is presented from a number of intriguing angles, and the authors show how Ben's search for identity affects his parents' marriage, his fiancee's ideas of commitment, and his autistic younger brother's search for connection. Short and to the point, Somebody, Please Tell Me... addresses its serious subject with truth and grace.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the reasons why someone might choose to serve his or her country before going off to college. What might be the benefits of such a decision? The drawbacks?
Why do you think the authors chose to depict the main character's little brother as autistic? What are some of the challenges in caring for someone with autism?
Why do you think the war in Iraq has produced a large number of veterans with traumatic brain injuries? What could be done to prevent such injuries?
How does this book compare with other war stories you might have read or seen in the movies or on TV?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Genre : Contemporary Fiction
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster
- Publication date : February 7, 2012
- Number of pages : 160
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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