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MWSA Review
Lieutenant Anthony Doinel has never been very brave. That’s why he joined the Navy, actually. If there was one job where he could address and overcome his personal cowardice, it would have to be flying jets for the US Navy. Or so he thought. After flight school (but no jets), training, deployments, and a shore tour, Doinel is left wondering whether or not he will ever accept who he is and what is in store for him in life. Now what?
Most books about Navy aviators are action packed, both in the air and on the ground. This book is different. It’s not about the training or the job or the girls (though all of those play a part), it’s about one young man’s journey to find himself and conquer his demons. The author does a great job of portraying a junior officer’s life in the Navy, from OCS to flight training to deployment, and along the way develops a character that through experience and introspection grows and learns more of what he is about. I particularly liked Anthony’s inner conversations after some particular event or happening; they reminded me of dealing with some of my own demons when I was a junior officer.
Written from the point of view of someone who knows, this book will be interesting to anyone who wears Navy gold wings (pilot or NFO), and also anyone who “grew up” and learned about themselves in the Navy.
Review by Rob Ballister (March 2021)
Author's Synopsis
A FEW DAYS IN THE NAVY is a tale of misadventure on land, at sea, and in the air. The story follows Anthony Doinel, a cowardly and insecure young man who desires to be anything but. Deciding to join the cut-throat world of military aviation in the footsteps of his lineage, he desperately seeks the crucible of combat to wash himself of his less than courageous nature. As his naval service grinds forward, themes of cowardice, identity, and belonging are examined as Anthony learns just how far reality can diverge from expectations in the twenty-first century military.
ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-55571-999-9
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction
Number of Pages: 200