"Nothing gets held back in Soft Spots...lacerating honesty, the narrative is dreamlike and surreal." 

--The Washington Post

"[Van Winkle's] book describes his spiral from the inanity of war to the insanity of the world-weary...Happy trails? No. Trauma? Yes, this is how one veteran carries his war."

--Marine Corps Times

"Van Winkle’s detailed account of how combat shattered his mind is as disturbing as his war imagery."

--Washington City Paper

"The emotional impact of this memoir will reside with you long after the final page is turned."

-- North County Outlook (WA)

"A brutally honest account of war and its aftermath" 

-- The Virginian-Pilot 

"[Van Winkle] gives voice to the thousands of forgotten soldiers returning home from Iraq, or those whose souls are still stuck there. He gives us his poor haunted head, only mapped out and numbered, and the effect will make you weep." 

--The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.)