Afghan Post - Softcover

"A...visceral account of the bumpy road of self-discovery for a young soldier at war." -Publishers Weekly

"The format of this epistolary memoir, ostensibly based on Bonenberger's contemporaneous journal entries and correspondence, is ambitious. He gives us fascinating glossaries of military terminology, mundane details of meals in the field as well as soul-searching insight into the corrosive effects of war on those sent to fight." -Library Journal

"AFGHAN POST is a deeply felt and poetically resonant epistolary memoir. I love the form and the way that Bonenberger is able to inhabit the multiple and fractured selves that emerge from the experience of combat. This is a book that will bring the madness and beauty of combat right down into your shaking hands." -Anthony Swofford

"This is one of the best memoirs to emerge from our recent wars. It is painfully honest as we see the author grow from being a narcissistic Yalie weenie who judges the 'aesthetics' of paratrooping to an Airborne captain who revels in commanding an infantry company in combat and then is crushed by it. One way to thank vets for their service is to read this book." Thomas E. Ricks"

Literary nonfiction. Adrian was deployed two times to Afghanistan, first as an executive officer and then as a captain skirmishing with Taliban forces. Throughout his time overseas, he wrote letters to friends, fellow soldiers, and his family. Showing vulnerability to some and steadfastness to others, these letters form AFGHAN POST and chronicle his identity as it splinters under the strain of modern warfare.

This epistolary memoir is a daring look into the mind and experiences of an Afghanistan war veteran. Its form allows readers to explore, along with Adrian, the social, emotional, and physical consequences of mental compartmentalization. As one blurber put it, AFGHAN POST is "the story of a sensitive, intelligent young man as he comes to terms with conflict, privilege, duty, and ultimately himself."