The Things They Cannot Say: Stories Soldiers won’t tell you about what they’ve Seen, Done, or Failed to Do in War

Abstract

Sarah Lubelski’s review of Kevin Sites’ The Things They Cannot Say critiques the book’s exploration of soldiers' wartime experiences and their psychological aftermath. The central argument is that while Sites aims to provide a raw, unfiltered account of soldiers' traumas—hoping to alleviate PTSD symptoms and raise societal awareness—Sites’ work falls short due to structural and thematic limitations. Lubelski questions whether the book truly achieves its goals or if it merely scratches the surface of a complex issue. She evaluates Sites’ approach as both ambitious and flawed, acknowledging the book’s intent to humanize soldiers' experiences while critiquing its narrow scope, which excludes female soldiers and focuses primarily on American infantrymen from Middle Eastern conflicts. The review highlights key themes such as trauma and silence, societal complicity in avoiding war’s darker realities, and representation gaps. Lubelski’s analysis aligns with critical sociological and trauma theory perspectives, suggesting that the book could have been more impactful with greater inclusivity and deeper engagement with PTSD complexities.

(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)