This was a really interesting book. It really makes you understand that soldiers and there familys didnt have it easy and that coming home was harder then you would think. This amazing inspiring book really helps you understand that PTSD is really hard not just for the person that has it but the people around him/her. ( )

Eric Walters' wounded is a fascinating book that really expresses the experience of being in war. I really like the plot. It is written like a diary or journal of the main character, Marcus. It expresses the worry of him and his family about their father fighting in Afghanistan. The worries wondering if their father with be coming back alive. Great book filled with lots of anguish.

The characters in this book are very normal and do not stand out very much or have any noticeable talents. The main character in this book is Marcus. He is a mature 15 year- old boy. In this book, after all of the trauma that he has been through. He responds very well and knows to see the best of even the very worst situations. A extremely brave boy. Has the strength of an warrior and the heart of a cupid. As shown from his caring deeds he does for his love, Courtney O'Hearn. She has been in a sad situation after she found out that her father has past away.

Kudos to Eric Walters for broaching a sensitive, yet important topic in this novel. Wounded gives the reader a picture of what life must be like for the families of returning soliders. This makes it an important book to read. We hear about the war in Afghanistan in the news, but seldom do we have an opportunity to see inside the lives of the soldiers. This is different from a movie about war as it deals with the aftermath of war, and how soldiers try to transition to life outside a combat zone.

Given all the positives, the characters are not really all that well developed. Marcus' father is the soldier returning from Afghanistan. He doesn't even have a name. He is Dad or "my father". This enales Walters to stereotype the character, which perhaps was his intention all along. Marcus has moments where we can begin to see him as real. When he finally begins to talk to Courtney, when he confronts his dad.... Megan, the ten year old sister...she is described in terms that make her appear to be much younger.

In all, the topic is important and gives us a window into an issue that for most of us is only something we see on TV. I would have liked a bit more, though. ( )

15 year old Marcus becomes the man of the house when his Special Forces father is posted to Afghanistan.
Wounded, by Eric Walters, does a great job of explaining the quote by Jose Narosky at the beginning of the book; "In war, there are no unwounded soldiers."
Wounded will give you an inside view of life in the military from the family perspective, and how a soldier being sent to another country really affects not just him, but his entire family and those close to them. I don't think I will ever watch a repatriation ceremony the same way again. I will definitely be thinking of the family of that fallen soldier more than before I'd read the book. This would be a great book to read leading up to Remembrance Day. The characters of Marcus, his mom, and his girlfriend Courtney, are very believable, and the dialogue often has a sprinkling of humour which helps prevent the book from becoming too depressing. I definitely recommend it for Canadian children to read. It is suitable for grade four and up, especially if used as a read aloud. ( )