#Journal for jordan how to
#Journal for jordan full

Dana Canedy bears witness to the enduring power of love, to Sgt. Charles King, willing to die for our country. “This tragic story of love and war reminds all Americans that we are fortunate to have people like Sgt.

#Journal for jordan full

It is a denouement full of suffering, worthy of Chekhov.” -Melissa Fay Greene, The New York Times A Journal for Jordan is impossible to read without a sense of bitter knowledge that this principled man fell at the behest of leaders less guided by honor. Not all great love stories are ignited by the lightning bolt of love at first glance this humbler I’m-going-to-talk-myself-into-this-good-man version is believable and real. King died a hero’s death, but Canedy’s embrace of life is a kind of heroism, too.” - The Plain Dealer These investigative passages are gripping. Canedy used her skills as a reporter to dig beneath the official story of King’s death. she gives the project a greater significance, making it especially relevant for and meaningful to countless others in similar situations.” - San Francisco Chronicle By openly and honestly revealing her side of their highly emotional story as well, by detailing the effects of his death on her and subsequent interactions with government brass about burial and benefits, for example. “Canedy’s memoir speaks to military families everywhere. It’s impossible to imagine what her pain is like, but she does a beautiful job of allowing us to come close.” - The Washington Post Canedy writes with the objective eye of a hard-line reporter yet manages to convey the complexities of the love between her and her fiance as well as the deep loss she feels in his absence. Canedy captures the unique magnificence of the man she loved in a way that brings the beginnings of an understanding to the losses that other families bear.” - The Denver Post “It’s impossible not to be affected by her story.” - Entertainment Weekly important.” - The New York Times Book Review Canedy allows King to come alive for her son and, to our benefit, for us. “Canedy’s talent at evoking character makes the account of King’s life and death not simply a story about the injustice of war, but a project in resurrection. “This book is a gift, and not only to Jordan.” - USA Today A Journal for Jordan is a tender introduction, a loving good-bye, a reporter’s inquiry into her soldier’s life, and a heartrending reminder of the human cost of war. This is also the story of Dana and Charles together-two seemingly mismatched souls who loved each other deeply and lost each other too soon. He finished the journal two months before his death while home on a two-week leave, so intoxicated with love for his infant son that he barely slept. And he also wrote of recovering a young soldier’s body, piece by piece, from a tank-and the importance of honoring that young man’s life.

#Journal for jordan how to

In neat block letters, he counseled him on everything from how to withstand disappointment and deal with adversaries to how to behfrave on a date. It is also a father’s advice and prayers for the son he will never know.Ī father figure to the soldiers under his command, Charles moved naturally into writing to his son. A Journal for Jordan is a mother’s fiercely honest letter to her child about the parent he lost before he could even speak. Inspired by his example, Dana was determined to preserve his memory for their son. He was killed by a roadside bomb on October 14, 2006.

In 2005, Dana Canedy’s fiancé, First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, began to write what would become a two-hundred-page journal for his son in case he did not make it home from the war in Iraq. written with serene grace: part memoir, part love story, all heart.”-James McBride, author of The Color of Water “Full of wonderful treasures offered by a unique and spirited father.filled with vivid and heartbreaking details.”- The New York Times Book Review “A hauntingly beautiful account of a family fractured by war.