James May: Inspiring Journey of Resilience

James May: Veteran, Survivor, and Author

James May is a resilient U.S. Army veteran whose life embodies a hero’s journey from a chaotic childhood marked by poverty, violence, and instability to military service, a life-altering IED explosion in Iraq, and triumphant recovery through faith, family, and entrepreneurship.  His raw, interview-based memoir, Blown Up in Battle: A Memoir of Trauma, Recovery, and Triumph, captures this narrative, offering inspiration for those navigating trauma and rebuilding purpose.​​

Blown Up in Battle: A Raw Memoir of Resilience

Blown Up in Battle: A Memoir of Trauma, Recovery, and Triumph is James May’s unflinching, interview-based account of his transformation from a troubled youth to a wounded U.S. Army veteran who rebuilds a purposeful life after an IED explosion in Iraq.  Guided by co-author Doug Franklin, the book unfolds as a hero’s journey, capturing May’s raw emotions through unedited transcripts that preserve the authenticity of two intense video interviews.  Released in October 2025, this 70+ page narrative blends personal vulnerability with practical insights on overcoming adversity, making it a compelling read for veterans, trauma survivors, and anyone seeking hope amid chaos.​​

Core Themes of Trauma and Triumph

The memoir explores profound themes of childhood instability, military brotherhood, catastrophic injury, and nonlinear healing, emphasizing that true strength arises from vulnerability rather than suppression.  May details his early life of poverty, evictions, and violence, which forged survival instincts but also risky coping mechanisms like substance use, setting the stage for his Army enlistment as an escape.  Central to the story is the February 15, 2010, IED blast that caused a traumatic brain injury, cracking his skull and ending his military career, yet sparking a divine intervention he credits for his survival.  Through faith, therapy, and community, the book illustrates recovery as an ongoing process without a “ceiling,” debunking one-size-fits-all myths about trauma.​

Interview-Based Structure and Narrative Flow

Structured across 11 chapters divided into two parts, the book mirrors a hero’s arc from destruction to redemption, starting with foundational chaos and culminating in purposeful living.  Part 1 chronicles May’s “traumatic hero’s journey,” from a nomadic childhood across Delaware, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina to basic training’s camaraderie and the surreal peace of the explosion.  Part 2 shifts to rebuilding, covering nonlinear healing at Walter Reed, family formation with wife Shyanne and their three children, and entrepreneurial pivots like founding Nextdoor Photos Houston.  The raw, conversational tone, retaining grammatical imperfections from the interviews, immerses readers in May’s voice, with edits only for deeply personal combat details beyond civilian context.​

Key Highlights from Chapters

• Early Struggles and Military Entry (Chapters 1-2): May recounts sleeping in kitchens or motels, absent fathers, and a father’s overdose, leading to Army enlistment after rejections from other branches; basic training provides belonging, though garrison life revives old habits.​
• The Injury and Immediate Aftermath (Chapter 3): Vividly describes the white-light float during the blast, evacuation to Germany and Walter Reed, memory loss, addiction, and lost dreams like becoming a pilot, highlighting frustration’s hidden toll on relationships.​
• Healing and Family Bonds (Chapters 4-5): Details worst days of seizures, outbursts, and pill dependency, with turning points via Reboot Ranch, faith, and Shyanne’s unwavering support; emphasizes military brothers’ role, like reconnecting after 15 years to lift emotional weights.​
• Entrepreneurship and Daily Purpose (Chapters 6-7): Post-discharge, May earns degrees in geology and process technology, launches a seven-figure photography business during COVID, and integrates Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for humility and calm; routines like 6:30 AM workouts combat guilt and triggers.​
• Reflection and Legacy (Chapters 8-10): Dispels veteran misconceptions, urges self-forgiveness, and advises youth: “It’s gonna be okay, there’s a plan”; closes with hope, affirming that dark moments do not define you, urging readers to “get up and go.”​

Impact on Biography and Educational Genres

As a biography, the memoir humanizes May’s endurance, fitting seamlessly into our biography section for its first-person authenticity on war’s scars and growth.  In the educational genre, it offers actionable lessons on PTSD, TBI recovery, and breaking generational dysfunction through faith, therapy, and vulnerability, accessible via our educational books page.  Readers gain tools for supporting veterans or personal challenges, with the book’s dedication to Shyanne and children underscoring family as a healing anchor.​​

Tie to Biography Genre

Blown Up in Battle aligns seamlessly with the biography genre by delivering an intimate, first-person chronicle of James May’s life, from a chaotic childhood rife with poverty, violence, and instability to military service, a devastating IED injury, and resilient recovery.  This memoir-style format humanizes May’s extraordinary struggles, capturing raw vulnerability through unedited interview transcripts that detail real events like his February 15, 2010, explosion in Iraq, which fractured his skull and ended his Army career.  The narrative emphasizes authentic themes of endurance and growth, inspiring readers with the unfiltered portrayal of how early hardships and combat trauma forged May’s path to faith, family, and entrepreneurship.​​

In our biography section, the book stands as a testament to personal triumph, offering relatable insights into veteran experiences and the human spirit’s capacity for renewal without sensationalism.  Its structure, spanning 11 chapters from foundational chaos to reflective wisdom, mirrors classic biographical arcs, making complex life journeys accessible and motivational for audiences seeking genuine stories of survival.

Tie to Educational Genre

Blown Up in Battle fits the educational genre by offering practical, actionable insights into trauma recovery, PTSD management, and veteran rehabilitation, drawn directly from James May’s lived experiences with traumatic brain injury and emotional healing.  Through its chapter structure, the book breaks down complex topics like the nonlinear process of therapy, the impact of addiction on relationships, and the role of faith in rebuilding purpose, providing readers with relatable tools to address their own challenges or support others in similar struggles.  It emphasizes community bonds, such as reconnecting with military brothers after 15 years to lift emotional burdens, and vulnerability as a strength, debunking myths of uniform recovery paths to make resilience accessible for non-veterans facing adversity.​​

On our educational section, the memoir serves as a resource for understanding how routines like time-blocking, Jiu-Jitsu for humility, and family as anchors contribute to ongoing mental health, equipping audiences with strategies to foster growth post-trauma without oversimplifying the journey.  This approach transforms personal narrative into educational value, highlighting forgiveness, self-grace, and intentionality as keys to breaking cycles of dysfunction.

More About James May:

Early Life and Formative Struggles

James May was born in Wilmington, Delaware, James endured a turbulent upbringing involving parental divorce, frequent evictions, and exposure to drugs and violence across states like Pennsylvania and North Carolina.  Sleeping in kitchens or motels, he navigated poverty, absent father figures, and his mother’s mental health challenges, fostering early survival instincts and substance use as coping mechanisms.  These experiences built a hardened resilience, propelling him toward risky adolescent behaviors, including crime and partying, until a moment of clarity after his father’s overdose death led him to the Army.​

Military Service and Defining Injury

Joining the Army as an escape, James May found structure and brotherhood in basic training, transforming from a troubled youth into a disciplined soldier, though garrison life reignited old habits.  Deployed to Iraq, he served as a lead gunner in an MRAP vehicle, facing multiple explosions before the pivotal February 15, 2010, IED blast that caused a traumatic brain injury (TBI), cracking his skull and helmet.  Evacuated to Walter Reed, he grappled with physical pain, memory loss, addiction, and the loss of his military career, including recent reenlistment and pilot aspirations, marking a rupture that bridged destruction to renewal.​​

James May and Recovery, Family, and Purpose

James’s nonlinear healing from TBI and PTSD spanned years of therapy, addiction battles, and embracing vulnerability through faith and programs like Reboot Ranch.  Meeting Shyanne pre-deployment, they built a family with three children, including adoptions, symbolizing stability he craved, while military bonds, reconnected after 15 years, provided irreplaceable support.  Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and routines like early workouts further reframed his perspective, turning daily battles against guilt and triggers into growth, emphasizing that healing has no ceiling.​

Entrepreneurial Triumph and Legacy

Post-military, James May earned degrees in geology and process technology, pivoting to oil and gas before founding Nextdoor Photos Houston during COVID layoffs, growing it to seven figures through military-honed problem-solving and work ethic.  Selling the business profitably, he returned to energy, prioritizing cultural fit over pay to create lasting impact.  Reflecting on his arc from “degenerate to decent human,” James May urges perseverance, advising youth that moments of darkness do not define them, and aims to break generational dysfunction for his children.