In Soldier from War Returning, historian Thomas Childers shatters that myth. Interweaving the intimate stories of three families - including his own - he reveals the true cost of the war. Alcoholism, homelessness, and unemployment were rampant, leading to domestic violence and a skyrocketing divorce rate. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were diagnosed with psychoneurotic disorders (now known as PTSD). Though many veterans bounced back, others were haunted for decades afterward; some never fully recovered. Novelistic in its telling and impeccably researched, Childers' book is a stark reminder that the price of war is unimaginably high, and the toll can stretch across generations.