A stunningly beautiful memoir that is certain to be one of my favorite reads of the year. Paul Rousseau writes of his unspeakably traumatic experiences with inspiring vulnerability, honesty, and grace. Riveting and heartbreaking and inspiring all at once. What a monumental work.

Took me a long time to get through this book. Not because it was poorly written; in fact it was a beautiful tragic story, but rather because it is astonishing how little Mark took responsibility. The one theme throughout that stuck with me is how a victim is constantly revictimized, especially by insurance companies. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Friendly Fire is a haunting and beautiful tale of unimaginable betrayal, lingering discomfort, and reluctant resilience.
Paul Rosseau, a victim of gun violence, uses his harrowing story to advocate for change in a world where his voice is so timely and necessary.

If there is one thing shared by every twenty-two-year-old, it is feelings of invincibility. With his own mortality the least of his concerns, an unsuspecting college senior is changed forever in an instant. He is shot. In the head. By his roommate.
No stranger to eloquent prose from his preexisting dreams of becoming an author, Rosseau uses careful metaphors to describe horrific events with which most readers will have no familiarity. Rosseau shares intimate details of the shooting and his long recovery process, allowing readers to experience his panic, grief, and anger right alongside him.

This story is so disturbing and painful yet so eloquent and careful; I truly felt one with Paul as he experienced each step of this unthinkable tragedy. Intentionally brief in length, fragmented is the perfect description for short and disjointed chapters that serve to further convey the lasting effects of a terrible and ultimately unavoidable tragedy. The very existence of this work is a testament to the human spirit. This is one of the most compelling memoirs I can ever remember reading, and its contents will stick with me for a long time.

Paul Rousseau was a young college student living the life with several friends off campus, when his best friend shot him in the head while handling a gun in another room. This well written memoir takes you are Paul’s excruciating, convoluted trip through this traumatic experience that changes his life forever. He leaves nothing out, reliving the raw feelings, change in cognitive and mobility that haunts him as he fights his way through an unforgiving system and hopefully a healthy future.

This is an up close and personal account of a traumatic brain injury that will leave you applauding his resiliency and his fortitude.

The story, the writing, and even the editing … this book offers 5 stars in every category. Rarely does a book disturb my sleep, but the evening I finished this true story, my dreams, my sleep was racked with so many emotions… good writing moves us. This book moved me; what a story to have to share, and what a story to have to live. But Paul is living it and sharing his story as a writer - Paul’s career aspiration was to be a writer even before the tragic, unnerving journey we go on with him.
Actually Paul wanted to be a ghost writer, as he entered college. Profoundly, this published book offers him the career goal of being a published writer. He is a talented writer and I look forward to seeing what else he has to share as a writer as he continues his craft.
I worked hard to ensure I was ( as fairly as possible and ) objectively reviewing this book, not being caught in compassion and empathy for him as he lives as a victim, who is victimized further by his university, the legal system, the perpetrator’s insurance company and by life’s circumstances.
Time after time Paul is figuratively slapped in the face, pummeled and tortured by circumstances beyond his control as he makes his way through life as a survivor of a gunshot to the head, with a ‘friend’ / roommate who delays getting Paul emergency medical attention, as the ‘friend’ hides his vast collection of weapons in his car in the parking garage, lies to authorities and on and on.
Wow! I will add that the editor(s) did an excellent job of touching on the issue of gun control, but with less than 2 pages of that topic, the story stands on its own because the truth is, the ‘ friend’ / assailant was a trained, permitted gun owner of a hand gun. Nothing extraordinary in that. Hence, the true tragedy : a seemingly responsible gun owner can act in ways that make his weapon more of a danger, simply by irresponsible actions.
Thank you Harper Horizon for the ARC. And for believing in Paul’s story and in his ability to share it through his writing. And to Paul Rousseau : what’s next ? …