The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell
An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq
$52.21
- Paperback
240 pages
- Release Date
4 April 2006
Summary
In the tradition of Michael Herr’s Dispatches, a National Guardsman’s account of the war in Iraq.John Crawford joined the Florida National Guard to pay for his college tuition, willingly exchanging one weekend a month and two weeks a year for a free education. But in Autumn 2002, one semester short of graduating and newly married-in fact, on his honeymoon-he was called to active duty and sent to the front lines in Iraq.Crawford and his unit spent months upon months patrolling the streets of Baghdad, occupying a hostile city. During the breaks between patrols, Crawford beganrecording what he and his fellow soldiers witnessed and experienced. Those stories became The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell-a haunting and powerful, compellingly honest book that imparts the on-the-ground reality of waging the war in Iraq, and marks as the introduction of a mighty literary voice forged in the most intense of circumstances.
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781594482014 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1594482012 |
| Author: | John Crawford |
| Publisher: | Penguin Putnam Inc |
| Imprint: | Riverhead Books,U.S. |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 240 |
| Release Date: | 4 April 2006 |
| Weight: | 197g |
| Dimensions: | 202mm x 129mm |
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Critics Review
“Mr Crawford has sifted through his memories with an eye towards resonant anecdotes and literary flourishes…Crawford tells tales that bring human dimensions to his situation.” - The New York Times “Harrowing and exquisite.” - Time Magazine “Tremendous…an incredibly gripping book and incredibly well-written. A wonderful read.” - The Daily Show “A heartbreaking and perversely beautiful book that should join Catch-22 as this generations defining literary expression of men at war.” - James Frey “Takes its place among the very best tales of men at war. It ring with the raw emotional energies of truth and anger and sadness.” - New Orleans Times-Picayune”
John Crawford
John Crawford was newly married and two credits away from completing a B.A. in anthropology at Florida State University when he was sent to Iraq. He thought he was finished with his soldiering days after completing a stint with the Army’s famed 101st Airborne Division, and his National Guard service was little more than an afterthought. Crawford and his National Guard unit crossed into Iraq on the first day of the invasion. Baghdad fell more quickly than anyone had planned, and while most of the soldiers involved with the invasion were sent home, Crawford’s National Guard unit stayed to patrol the city for more than a year. Crawford now lives in Florida, where he is completing his degree and writing. He no longer has any affiliation with the Army.
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