It's a book about Iraq war veteran Tomas Young. Work began in April.
Some info on the subject matter:
U.S. Army Private Tomas Young,
who enlisted while flush with indignant patriotism after 9/11, spent
only five days in Iraq before an AK-47 round severed his spine, leaving him
paralyzed from the chest down at just 24 years old. Young's return
home marked the beginning of his own personal war on two fronts: His
burgeoning role as an anti-war activist, chronicled in the critically acclaimed
documentary film Body of War, and a series of increasingly debilitating
health setbacks which leave him today as a quadriplegic under hospice care at
just 33 years old. His recent heartbreaking 'last letter' garnered
worldwide media attention and demonstrates Young's continued potency as an
anti-war figurehead despite his physical deterioration.
Most of the interviews will be done by the end of this month, with writing taking most of the rest of 2013.
I became aware of Tomas' story through Eddie Vedder - Eddie wrote the signature song for the 'Body of War' film right around the time that I got in touch with him about writing the foreword to my Pete Townshend book. The fact that I'm a U.S. Army combat veteran brought Tomas' story even closer to home.
This is the tragic story of
a working-class American boy who loved baseball and comic books, and who
wanted to go to Afghanistan to exact revenge on those who attacked his country
on September 11, 2001. Instead, Young wound up in Iraq,
soon suffering a catastrophic injury in a war he increasingly didn't
understand. He returned home to become a leader of the anti-war
movement, and is still agitating from his bed despite an appalling array
of physical ailments. The story serves as a jarring reminder of
the true cost of war, exploring not only the physical disabilities dealt to Young,
but also the heavy toll wrought on his friends and family.
