I am happy to announce (somewhat late) the release of The Five Ls: A Practical Guide for Helping Loved Ones Heal After Trauma by my friend and colleague Shawn Banzhaf, the Senior Military Advocate at Arizona State University. I had the honor of publishing and helping write the book, stimulated by Shawn’s work with those affected by PTSD, and realizing the staggering statistics about veteran suicide. For a while, it was the #1 new release for “Military Families” on Amazon. You can stay up to date with Shawn’s work by following him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. The good people at Culturally Intelligent Training will be hosting his book launch. Here are some of the endorsements:
“I have known Shawn for a short time as lifetimes go, but I say I feel like I have known him for a lifetime through our shared experiences during Huts for Vets weekends. In his book, The Five Ls, Shawn masterfully weaves life experiences, humor, tragedy and faith into a must-read guide for those of us in the work of preventing suicide. Shawn, I am so glad to be of Service with you.”
—WANDA WRIGHT
Colonel, U.S. Air Force, Director, Arizona Department of Veterans’ Service
“In The Five Ls: A Practical Guide for Helping Loved Ones Heal After Trauma, author Shawn Banzhaf serves as a trailblazer, lead climber, and guide, as well as Sherpa, charting a course for others while providing much needed sustenance. With humor, pathos, and honesty, Shawn courageously opens his life and heart in a way that provides support and guidance for people in need. He didn’t just write this book, he lived it. Shawn draws on his unique combination of skills, education, work experience, military service, and personal characteristics…The 5 Ls is written for both those who care about someone living with trauma and those dealing with the effects of trauma directly. It is a thoughtful, insightful, and intimate book, at once simple and complex, clear and deep, written with the powerful hope of literally and figuratively saving lives and relationships.”
—DENISE ANN BODMAN
Principal Lecturer and Barrett Honors Faculty, T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, ASU
“Banzhaf’s Five Ls approach emerges from a place of curiosity, empathy, and compassion. This book is for those who need straightforward solutions for bearing one another’s trauma with open-minded love. Whether the framework is directed toward personal or corporate action, I trust the values embodied within Banzhaf’s message can be used to guide others toward freedom and wholeheartedness.”
—RENEE RONIKA BHATTI-KLUG
Founder and CEO, Culturally Intelligent Training & Consulting LLC
My review of Gary Dorrien’s Social Democracy in the Making: The Political and Religious Roots of European Socialism was also published in the latest edition of The Journal of Poverty and Public Policy. If you don’t have university/database access, you’ll have to wait a year to read it unfortunately. I also talked about the book in a podcast interview with Professor Steven McMullen of Hope College.