The Blue Cascade

A Memoir of Life after War

By: Mike Scotti

Narrated by: Mike Scotti

In this searing and beautifully written memoir, Marine Lieutenant and CNN Op-Ed contributor Mike Scotti charts a course from the front lines of Iraq back home to New York, showing how sometimes the hardest battle is the one after the war.

Sometimes the hardest battle is the one after the war. As one of the soldiers on the front line of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Lieutenant Scotti was taught that weakness is what gets you killed: no hesitation, focus your energies on your objective, and complete the mission. Upon returning from war, Scotti approached his new life the same way. He ignored the creeping depression and numbness he called "The Blue Cascade" and charged ahead toward his goal to get an MBA, secure a high-paying finance job, and retire young and rich.

But he was being eaten away inside, and scenes of drunken emotion and raging violence were becoming more and more frequent. Years after returning from active combat, he eventually found himself contemplating suicide. Through a series of powerful events, Scotti was ultimately able to find a path to healing and begin his journey back to life, finally emerging with the following wisdom for fellow sufferers of post-traumatic stress:It's ok if you are not ok.

Thank you making me realize

I never served and I have a family member that did. He seemed fine when he first came back but went done hill and now we barely speak. This book made me think of the sacrifices our military went through. We can not forget and we cannot give up on them. They did not give up on us.
Awesome book! Told in a great format! About to watch movie and reach out to brother with a new outlook.

survival skills.

I enjoyed getting a better understanding of contemporary vets. I also enjoyed learning his coping skills to recover from his depression and ptsd. I believe this to be very a very brave book that will help many people beyond just those serving in the military. most importantly it was very entertaining reading.