Lost in September

Former soldier Jimmy Blanchard suffers from PTSD and has breaks from reality triggered yearly by the date his foster mother was put into care. During a break, Jimmy leaves home on the Gaspe and heads to Montreal for an eleven day period where he lives on the streets with other homeless people, all the while seeing himself as the reincarnation of General James Wolfe. This challenging novel for senior students provides insight into the many repercussions of PTSD including lack of purpose and identity. As a class or literature circle novel, students can explore identity, homelessness, grief, mental illness, and unresolved issues.