by Dana Canedy
First published 2008
Dana Canedy tells the story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, who began writing a journal for his baby son Jordan in 2005 while serving in Iraq. Charles filled two hundred pages with advice on everything from handling disappointment to dating, completing it during a two-week leave when Jordan was seven months old. Two months later, an improvised explosive device killed Charles near Baghdad on October 14, 2006. Dana weaves together three narratives: Charles's posthumous guidance to his son, her own investigation into the circumstances of his death, and the unlikely love story between a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times editor and a decorated military officer. She was impatient and cynical about love; he was shy and put military service above all else. She struggled with weight while he maintained a sculpted physique. Despite their differences, they built a deep connection and decided to start a family. Using her reporting skills, Dana interviewed soldiers from Charles's final convoy and examined military reports to uncover a more complete account of his death than the army's official version provided.
Genres: american-fiction, military-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unlikely-romance
Setting: Baghdad, Iraq
Period: 2005, 2006
279 pages · Hardcover · Crown
Content warnings: death