Disarmed: Unconventional Lessons from the World's Only One-Armed Special Forces Sharpshooter Hardcover – March 20, 2018 by Izzy Ezagui (Prometheus Books)

As a mother of a lone soldier, this was a painful book for me to read. None of us want our children to do or endure what it takes to "be a hero." Reading Ezagui's account was a hard underscore of all my fears for my son's physical, emotional, and spiritual welfare. I don't know the author, but I know what kind of bravery it takes to be vulnerable in writing, which he does again and again. Exploring heartbreak and loss is at the core of this book, but it's not only about the arm (to paraphrase Armstrong); Ezagui takes us back to childhood traumas and into family gut-wrenchers as well. He's clearly a determined person (a quality I recognize in my own lone soldier) but not in a showy kind of way. His family loyalty, honesty about his emotions and struggles were touching.

The one area I would have liked the author to explore a bit more, was his time as a commander (it may be that for security reasons he was not permitted to cover this). What was it like to command a team when you've already paid such a huge physical and psychic price? What posture, thoughts, approach did he bring to that experience? How did it impact on his leadership of his team?

I thought that Ezagui's approach to telling the story of how he lost his arm via a series of flashbacks was just right. This allowed him to build in backstory without getting bogged down, and also allowed the reader to see the boy in the man. Overall, this is compelling personal story told with humor and thoughtfulness.

Biography

Izzy Ezagui, a decorated squad commander in the Israel Defense Forces, is the only soldier in the world who lost an arm in combat and returned to the battlefield. In 2011, former President Shimon Peres awarded him one of Israel's highest military honors. While he continues to serve in an elite unit in the reserves, Izzy delivers inspirational talks across the United States and internationally. He's appeared on the Huffington Post, Al Jazeera America, and Fox News. The Algemeiner chose Izzy as one of 100 people positively influencing Jewish life. He also raises millions of dollars for hospitals, rehabilitation programs, and other charities, such as the Birthright Foundation. He has worked with amputee organization, schools, colleges, universities, hedge funds, and corporate events for companies such as Nike and Apple.