Located among pristine woodlands in the Ryerson historic home in Riverwoods, Il., Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods promotes the importance of nature for nurturing personal and community wellbeing, cultivating creativity, and inspiring learning.
April 22 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Initiatives
At Ease: Art and Nature for VeteransAt Ease Book Club – Where the Light Enters: A Soldier’s Journey
Announcing a book club for Veterans and members of the military community with local author and Veteran Leland Austin Gagnebin, focused on his book Where the Light Enters: A Soldier’s Journey.
From an idyllic childhood to the brutal realities of war, join Leland as he guides you through the struggles in the jungles of the A Shau Valley and rugged Annamite Mountains during the Vietnam War—and experience how, decades later, he journeyed back to this source of troubling dreams and PTSD in search of peace and closure. And found it.
As Veterans and military community members, we will explore Veteran stories and how these experiences impact the author, ourselves, and our community. Leland and Brushwood Center hope that his story can be a source of healing and story sharing for the military community.
This virtual book club will meet weekly on Zoom on Tuesdays from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm from April 22 – May 27. Books are provided.
Questions? Please contact Veterans Program Specialist, Jessica Klinge at jklinge@brushwoodcenter.org.
Activity expectation is sitting.
Available Accommodations: No language interpretation available. Virtual Class.
About the Book
Where The Light Enters is a memoir about the impact the Vietnam War had on one soldier’s life. It is a healing story, a spiritual journey, and the path taken in search of redemption, reconciliation, and reconnection. It is not a war story but rather a story of war.
Through a collection of short pieces, the author conveys the transformation from a loss of innocence and purity of heart through the struggles endured as an Infantry Rifleman with the 101st Airborne Division during the historic Battle for Firebase Ripcord — from the disillusionment, betrayal, and the loss of self to what the author endured after returning home. It is about the path followed in pursuit of as full a measure of peace in life as might be possible and encourages others to pursue theirs.
Moreover, this memoir shines a light on the noble and heroic story of what heart and strength of character it takes for men to struggle through years against themselves and the intense, inner wound of PTSD, and succeed.
This memoir transcends the Vietnam War, giving voice to all those struggling to put words to their own mental narratives. It further suggests a social prescription to assist reintegration into community. This finely crafted work has many layers — emotional, physical, behavioral, ethical, political, spiritual, the importance of family, and the bonds with fellow soldiers — all woven artfully into the tapestry of the author’s life story.
Conveyed in a raw, straightforward presentation without being crass or superfluously graphic, its descriptions are vibrant and visual, drawing emotion from the reader. This memoir shines a ray of hope upon both veteran and non-veteran, and anyone seeking redemption and forgiveness.
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