Book Review: "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq"
National Guard Soldier John Crawford's First Book Reveals a Soldier's Life in Iraq
Crawford's first book signing was September 10, 2005 at Tallahassee, Fla.'s Borders bookstore and he was surprised with the turnout. He told the crowd he was expecting to be "sitting in a corner, sign a few books and 15 minutes later go home and take a nap."
Since then, the former soldier has made the rounds promoting the book and creating awareness of the day-to-day life of an American soldier. "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell" was released more than a year ago, yet, is still relevant with what American soldiers are facing in Iraq.
Being written by a fellow Floridian piqued my interest but so did the subject matter. At the time of the book's release, a friend returned home after serving a year in Iraq with the National Guard and was a different person. Reading Crawford's book helped me understand war's reality and ways soldiers mentally survive. During the book signing, Crawford admitted how his deployment changed his relationship with his wife as well as with other people in his life.
Autumn 2002, Crawford was two credits shy of graduating from Florida State University. While on his honeymoon, the National Guard soldier received notice to ship out to Iraq. Once there, he wrote a short story and submitted it for publication. A book publisher asked him to write a book resulting in "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell."
Crawford is a storyteller and almost overnight became a spokesman for the soldiers who have served and are currently serving in Iraq. The book is a compilation of short stories told with grit and truth on what it's like serving in a war zone and living in conditions most Americans would find of unimaginable. His perspective is fresh, yet raw. Stories are not in chronological order and the language becomes stronger as the conditions of deployment become more difficult.
True tales about him and other soldiers range from stupid antics on a motorcycle to the innocence of befriending an Iraqi boy. Even returning home, Crawford doesn't find a safe haven and has difficulty adjusting to civilian life.
Expect to experience a range of emotions including anger, anxiety, fear, happiness, loneliness, relief and a sense of loss. The former soldier's writing is colorful and engaging. The world can hope he has more true tales to share.
Published by JA Huber
Spent a decade in Death Valley, Everglades and Yellowstone Ntn'l Parks and now living happily in Florida working in tourism, editor of SoloTravelGirl.com; traveling alone, not lonely. View profile
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- Published by Riverhead Books, 2005
- John Crawford served in the National Guard and was two credits shy from graduating before being deployed.
- "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq" is Crawford's debut book.
- The book was published in 2005 by Riverhead Books.
9 Comments
Post a Commentthe book was amazing and truthful the ending hurt to read. i hope hes doing good now.
very interesting, ill check it out
I don't know, I read the book and it seemed pretty one sided. I'm sure the situation really is bad over there,and I know a bunch of troops get jipped with the stop-loss and what not, but Crawford seemed like he was complaining a lot. He signed up. He came from a military background and knew what would happen if he was called to duty.
I just got done reading this book, my boyfriend is currently in Iraq-i loved this book, definitely a must-read. Ill be honest, I wasnt expecting the ending.
I told my boyfriend about it and he was wondering Crawford's MOS/Rank? I already took the book back to the library so I cant look in there, does anyone know?
I am going to look for this...thanks for the review. Very Well written!
I love a good 'true tale'.
Nice job. I'll have tocheck it out.
Sounds like a worthwhile, if difficult, read. Great review.
Thanks for the review. When I talk to my friends overseas they prefer to keep all talk about what they are doing out there out of the conversation and when they come back it is even harder. I look forward to reading this now.