Iron Grip is a true recounting of the lives of a young couple interrupted by a stateside demolitions training accident to the Army husband near the end of World War II, which unfortunately caused the loss of both his hands. The spouse/author, newly arrived in Alabama, suffers through the accident which occurs only one week after she joins her husband.
He accepts his prosthetic “hook” arms remarkably easily, and almost from the beginning of his new life and beyond, he learns to adapt extremely well—pulling rubber finger guards over a knitting needle to form a page turner, or picking up a bobby pin from the floor using his toes.
It didn’t take too long for this outdoors-loving couple to move back to California where they resume their education, purchase their first home and start a family. He works as an accountant at an aircraft factory, and before and after their three sons come into this world, they return to their shared first love—hiking and camping in the High Sierra on weekends and vacations.
Seems like all is well in their world, right? I guess you will need to purchase a copy of Iron Grip to answer this question yourself. The book is available direct for $15 from Willma Gore, 65 Verde Valley School Rd., #C-2, Sedona, AZ 86351; $5 from each purchase will be donated to VetsFirst.
I want to recommend this book to any veteran with a disability, or just anyone interested in a good read, for several reasons. First and foremost it is wonderfully well written, filled with ups, downs and turns as if the reader is on a roller coaster. Then, there is the author’s marvelous gift of building the level of suspense in their lives over what seems to be many years: this is not a detective story but Ms. Gore’s narrative will make you turn page after page to discover what comes next.
Its best gift for this reader is that it made me think about how I adapted, or not, to my own disability—a quadriplegic, wheelchair-using vet who has not walked since August 26, 1967. I worked hard in physical rehabilitation to become as independent as possible, returned to college to continue my education and then worked for 36 years. Mine is a similar “story” to that of the author’s husband.
What I neglected was the emotional or mental trauma of a significant disability, and I’m guessing that so, too, did the author’s husband. I’m working on that for 8-plus years now. So ultimately, the best part of Iron Grip for me was that the real emotions of the amputee lurk in the background. Like a good novel, all is revealed in the end. Ms. Gore’s ability to keep the reader guessing makes this book an excellent memoir.
Terry Moakley, Chair, VetsFirst Committee