A new book dealing with PTSD is written by Sooke resident Chris Linford.

New books with a Sooke connection

Pirjo Raits reviews books which may be of interest to Sooke and area readers

A small collection of books with a connection to Sooke or ones of interest to those in Sooke. Two of the books, The Gold Will Speak for Itself and Warrior Rising are written by local authors.  Warrior Rising deals with PTSD.

The Gold Will Speak for Itself

Peter Leech and Leechtown

Victoria’s Goldrush

Author: Dr. Patrick Perry Lydon

110 pages, softcover

Lydon Shore Publishing

 

Fascinated with gold-panning and the men who toiled in the gold fields, author Patrick Perry Lydon has researched and put together a compilation of stories, images and old archival material on Leechtown.

Gold was found in what was to be named Leechtown in 1864, bringing Sooke into the gold rush, which was happening in remote and sometimes unaccessible places across what was to become the province of British Columbia.

Lydon says his purpose in writing this book was to illuminate and bring to light the facts about this great discovery. He spent his time in B.C. Archives delving into the life of the man called Peter Leech, whom the gold mining town was named after. He has mined the best information available. He introduces all of the major characters associated with the gold rush into his book leaving a fascinating trail for readers to follow.

The Gold Will Speak For Itself is a well-researched documentation of the times and the ensuing gold rush.

In July 2014, major events will celebrate the 150th anniversary of finding gold at Leechtown. The Gold Will Speak for Itself is available at the Sooke Region Museum.

Dr. Lydon has a placer claim on Loss Creek, not far from Leechtown and has held positions on various societies including the Victoria Lapidairy and Mineral Society.

Juan de Fuca’s Strait

Voyages in the Waterway of Forgotten Dream

Author: Barry Gough

287 pages, softcover

Harbour Publishing

 

Barry Gough states it clearly in the preface to his latest book, Juan de Fuca’s Strait, that it is a story about a man who believed that he had discovered the strait that carries his name, and it is an account of how mariners in the age of sail pursued rumors to make their discoveries.

Mariners were warned that the strait was “liable to all those sudden vicissitudes of weather common to high northern latitudes…” and caution and vigilance of the navigator was called for.

Gough offers a timeline starting in 1592 of Juan de Fuca’s voyage to the strait. Pirates, traders, Spaniards and links to China are all included in this well-written and informative book. It is not a history book but rather a fascinating story of ships, mariners, exploration and the people who lived and died on the oceans.

It brings the Spanish into our waters and paints a picture of life before borders and colonies in the Northwest. Juan de Fuca’s Strait is an in-depth look ay the catalyst for centuries of dreaming that inspired the hunt for the illusive and fabled Northwest Passage.

The cast of characters include James Cook, Martin Frobisher, Francis Drake, George Vancouver and Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, among others. It’s a sea venture tied up with piracy, political loyalty and betrayal — all the makings of a fine read.

Juan de Fuca’s Strait is available at most major bookstores.

 

Warrior Rising

A Soldier’s Journey to PTSD and Back

Author: L. Col. Chris Linford

Friesen Press

384 pages, softcover

L. Col. Chris Linford served 25 years in the Canadian Forces Health Services. His tours took him to the Gulf War, Rwanda and Afghanistan as a Nursing Officer where he witnessed many horrendous situations in cultures so different from his own.

What he saw and experienced in these war-torn countries sent him on a journey to his own personal hell. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a medical disorder often misunderstood and hidden. Much of what the military sees and experiences on tours is often put in a box and on a mental shelf and hidden until such a time as one can cope with the memories. Some boxes never leave the shelf. It is reported that 158,000 Vietnam War vets have committed suicide, which represents three times the number the U.S. recorded as killed in action from that war from 1965-1975.

Linford hid his rising discomfort and anxiety but it caught up with him when he wasn’t looking. It affected his sleep, relationships, concentration, self-confidence and honesty. There are a lot of other symptoms as well. PTSD threatened to destroy all he found important in his life and it would have if not for his own recognition that he needed help. Embarrassment and fear leads many to deny the fact that they are suffering from PTSD. He worked his way out of it with the help of professionals. He says that without the incredible care and attention from the CF Health Services Clinic (Pacific) in Victoria without them he does not feel he would have survived.

Linford considers himself a PTSD survivor but he still has to manage it from day to day. He learned a new “warrior mentality” which allows him to cope and move forward.

When he first considered writing a book his doctor said, “This book isn’t about you anymore Chris, it’s about who this book could help.”

Linford believes that being open about this injury would eventually help eradicate the stigma and misinformation about PTSD.

About the author:

Sooke resident L. Co. Chris Linford commanded medical units and sub units providing support to CF combat operations. Executive Officer to the US Navy led Role 3 Combat Surgical Hospital in Kandahar Afghanistan.

Linford is currently on a cross-Canada speaking tour. For more information contact: Chris@aWarriorRising.com.

Just Posted

Economic inequality, immigration still need work in Victoria: Prosperity index

Housing, environmental health factors show improvements in 2019: report

Victoria City Councillor Laurel Collins wins federal NDP nomination

Collins will run for Victoria in the upcoming federal election

WATCH: Soon-to-be guide dogs take part in the Amazing Puppy Race

10 puppies training to be guide dogs took part in a social Easter egg hunt

Long weekend starts with series of crashes

The long weekend traffic pile up is starting with a series of… Continue reading

Victoria church bells toll in solidarity with Notre Dame Cathedral after devastating fire

Churches around the globe ring bells to honour iconic Paris cathedral

B.C. senior sentenced for sexually abusing special-needs granddaughter

73-year-old Cortes Island man will go to jail for three years

Howe Sound Queen sailing toward retirement

Vessel now up for auction ends regular runs between Crofton and Vesuvius at the beginning of June

Should B.C. lower speed limits on side roads to 30 km/h?

Vancouver city councillor wants to decrease speed limits along neighbourhood side roads

Lawsuit eyed over union-only raise for B.C. community care workers

‘Low-wage redress’ leaves 17,000 employees out, employers say

Landlord of alleged Okanagan shooter recounts deadly day

Tony Friesen was working in one of the units of his Penticton building when he heard shots

Foreign national arrested in connection to thefts at YVR

A woman, 60, is being held in police custody as Richmond RCMP investigate

Police pursue pesky porker on Vancouver Island

‘This was allegedly not the pig’s first escape’

Westjet tries again to dismiss proposed class-action lawsuit alleging discrimination

Former flight attendant claims airline broke contractual promise to create harassment-free workplace

Most Read
https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/entertainment/new-books-with-a-sooke-connection/
www.sookenewsmirror.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2019-18
140815
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:IWQC6EK2BOVH65PWTBZMNG3RAH7MNCI2
<urn:uuid:eb94419f-39c4-44dc-abb3-b46a40159dbe>
2019-04-19T02:34:41Z
35.203.155.45
text/html
sha1:MDENIILEVKEGTLS2H726JE7AILWLHVTS
<urn:uuid:7ce4acc3-6013-4ef5-a3ca-329adad503bf>
https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/entertainment/new-books-with-a-sooke-connection/
response
<urn:uuid:8ca12464-3202-4550-abce-0df9956190e0>
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2019-18
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for April 2019
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-43-187-176.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.15 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.1-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: http://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/