First published 2007
Danielle Trussoni follows her charismatic father through the bars and honky-tonks of La Crosse, Wisconsin, absorbing his lessons in rebellion and survival. He teaches her to rock and roll, dodge police, and face any fight head-on. Hour after hour, she listens to his war stories from Vietnam, where he served as a tunnel rat, crawling into narrow underground passages to hunt for American prisoners of war. These tales of underground danger fascinate young Danielle, but they carry darker weight than she initially understands. As she grows older, the full impact of her father's wartime experiences becomes clear, shaping not only his behavior but their entire relationship. This memoir captures how the trauma of combat follows veterans home, affecting the children who love them and struggle to understand them.
Genres: memoir, biography-memoir, military-history, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: La Crosse, Wisconsin, Vietnam
Period: Vietnam War
240 pages · Paperback · Picador
Content warnings: war