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Product Description
Quill & Quire
Captain Ray Wiss is a hero. An emergency-room physician in his late forties, Wiss has twice volunteered to leave his practice and family to participate in four-month rotations on Canadian Forces’ forward operating bases in Afghanistan’s dangerous Kandahar province.
Written during Wiss’s second rotation, A Line in the Sand, like 2009’s FOB Doc, takes the form of a diary. Brief entries record Wiss’s daily reflections on his work and the varied lives of our soldiers, our Afghan allies, and the civilians for whom both fight.
For interested Canadians, there is now a wealth of diverse first-hand accounts of the war in Afghanistan, providing great insight into the professionalism and extraordinary heroism of those we have put in harm’s way and the trying conditions under which they fight. Readers who enjoy the frisson of such recollections, or admirers of FOB Doc looking for more of the author’s candid, casual style, will enjoy A Line in the Sand.
While there is no doubt that Wiss is a hero, like all heroes he is flawed. Though candour is something to be admired in a diarist recording his truth, the reader’s opinions be damned, Wiss often strays from frank honesty to cringe-inducing bravado in the entries illustrating his status as combat veteran and warrior. Further, his rather disingenuous position that the long-term solution in Afghanistan is educating the locals in the value of liberal thought bears shades of mission civilisatrice, a position unbecoming of a self-proclaimed social justice activist.
Wiss’s goal is to bring the battlefields of Panjwayi, Zhari, Arghandab, and Shah Wali Khot to the Canadian national consciousness. This is a challenge, given a public mostly disengaged from the war and a federal government seemingly intent on keeping it that way. But perhaps it will be heroes such as Wiss who finally surmount these hurdles.
Review
"For interested Canadians, there is now a wealth of diverse first-hand accounts of the war in Afghanistan...Readers who enjoy the frisson of such recollections, or admirers of FOB Doc looking for more of the author's candid, casual style, will enjoy A Line in the Sand." (Quill & Quire 20100715)
"Thanks to Ray Wiss, we have the chance to understand what Canadian troops experience on Afghanistan's front lines, and why what they're doing is worth it. Canadians should be very proud of our men and women in uniform, and of the extraordinary job that they are doing." (Stephen Harper 20100715)
"With A Line in the Sand, Ray Wiss has given us a moving and personal account of his second tour of duty as a doctor with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan...This is a book for anyone who cares about the human face of mankind's oldest activity. Highly recommended reading!" (Bruce Cockburn 20100715)
"This is a gripping, heartbreaking and inspiring book. It's about ordinary Afghans and ordinary Canadian soldiers whose humbling, everyday bravery will take your breath away...The Afghanistan in the pages of this book is the one that matters." (Terry Glavin )
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Line in the Sand - A Worthy 2nd book from Captain Wiss,
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This review is from: Line In The Sand, A (Hardcover)
This is Dr. Wiss' second book. The first details his decision to re-enlist in the military and deploy as an MD to Afghanistan. The second "diary" tells the story of his decision to return for a second tour. It echoes the Canadian sentiment that the reasons for the mission are controversial. While Dr. Wiss is still completely committed to the mission and the Canadian Forces work in Afghanistan, his own difficulties leaving his young family for a second time and his thoughts on the changes in Afghanistan parallel this controversy. Dr. Wiss was exposed more to, and sought out local Afghani's more on this mission. The stories he tells are of the Afghani people. When I read this book, I felt that I was privileged to get a window into the lives of human beings that otherwise would be unknown to me. Whether you support the CF mission in Afghanistan or not, it is well worth the read. This is Dr. Wiss' belief: We are privileged to live in a country where dissenting opinions are allowed. Our responsibility is to be informed and engage in active debate on such issues. This is what makes our country great, in stark contrast to the Afghani people.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lines of Vision,
By
This review is from: Line In The Sand, A (Hardcover)
Dr. Ray Wiss' keen and bold lines of vision are not found in the regular news media, so anyone reading this book will end up with a far more balanced and informed view of why Canada has been fighting "the good fight" against the Taliban, and what the challenges are for Afghanistan, with Canadian and Coalition Forces help, to prevail over the atavistic, depraved and psychopathic Taliban terrorists. These are not just challenges of Afghanistan's independent military security-- but challenges of self-governance, modern infrastructure and education necessary for democracy to flourish in Afghanistan.Captain Wiss, is not only a compassionate Canadian Forces medical surgeon and officer, but also a tough infantryman --so he knows not only of the realities of the camp emergency operating room, the bravery of medics in the field, but also the demanding life of a combat soldier. He takes us along on his adventure on his second deployment to Afghanistan. Through his almost daily diary entries, spanning from May 31st to September 27, 2009, he gives us unique perspectives on the contributions that remarkable Canadian men and women warriors are making to bring a better life and future to the people of Afghanistan. This richly illustrated book is not only about Canadian warriors in combat, but also those in every kind of support role and line of duty. It is about the Afghan people and culture that Captain Wiss and other Canadian warriors have come to know through their humanitarian-military mission This book would be of great interest not only to Canadians, but also to American, British, and other Coalition nation readers, who are interested in a much better understanding the war in Afghanistan-- and what is at stake there-- than is typically offered by politicians and newscasters. The reader will also gain a better understanding the basis for the psychological wounds --post-traumatic stress, survivor guilt, grief, and other tolls returning warriors experience. If one has not yet read Dr. Wiss' earlier, and equally gripping "FOB Doc," then I heartily recommend that too. Captain Wiss, through this compelling work, has ensured that the high professionalism, discipline, dedication and sacrifices of Canadian warriors in Afghanistan will long be remembered.
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
line in the sand,
By
This review is from: Line In The Sand, A (Hardcover)
Having read Dr. Wiss' 1st book I was anxious to read his second and was not disappionted.
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