At the Va

At the VA offers an unflinching and deeply humane portrait of combat veterans--primarily from the Vietnam era--as they seek care within Veterans Affairs hospitals. These imagistic, lyrical pieces focus not on the battlefield but on its aftermath.

Author H. Lee Barnes, a veteran himself, addresses familiar wounds such as PTSD, moral injury, and survivor's guilt while also bringing attention to underexamined experiences, including those of women veterans who have survived sexual assault. The collection honors sacrifice without sentimentality and resilience without oversimplifying the challenges veterans face.

At its center is a quiet irony: the VA can be frustrating and imperfect, yet to be there at all is to have survived. In that tension, Barnes finds a measured sense of hope that will resonate with readers who understand any type of trauma and recovery. Thoughtful and timely, At the VA asks what we owe our veterans long after their service ends.