Rebuilding Sergeant Peck


Book Description

"I met Marine Sgt. John Peck, a quadruple amputee who has received a double arm transplant, at Walter Reed in 2017. Today, it was my honor to welcome John (HERO) to the Oval, with his wonderful wife Jessica. He also wrote a book that I highly recommend, Rebuilding Sergeant Peck."—President Donald Trump Marine Sgt. John Peck survived an IED during the War on Terror that left him with a traumatic brain injury, amnesia, and cost him his marriage. He survived another three years later, one that left him with three and a half limbs missing. He’s one of only two living people to survive the flesh-eating fungus he contracted in recovery at Walter Reed, one that left him as a quadruple amputee. And that’s only the beginning of his story. What followed was a recovery nothing short of miraculous. With resilience and the help of advocates like actor and philanthropist Gary Sinise, FOX’s Jennifer Griffin, and Bill O’Reilly, John would use a specialized “Action Trackchair” wheelchair and a newly-built SmartHome to get a third lease on life. In 2016, Peck underwent a groundbreaking bilateral arm transplant, receiving two new arms. To date, the surgery has been successful. Today, Peck is a motivational speaker, a philanthropist for veteran and wounded warrior causes, and is pursuing his lifelong dream of becoming a chef with the help of Chef Robert Irvine. From the lessons learned in a difficult childhood and as a homeless teenager, to dealing with depression in recovery, to learning how to chop with another man’s arms, Rebuilding Sergeant Peck is Peck’s account of an honest, visceral, and inspirational story that is truly unique.




Keep Chopping Wood


Book Description

Chopping Wood is an engaging spiritual guide for everyone that tells the colorful life story of Lawson H. (Mike) Hardwick, III, one of the most well-known businessmen and philanthropists in Nashville, Tennessee and around the country. He tells his story with passion and heart, from growing up as the son of a pastor, who founded a church in Nashville that grew to roughly 8,000 members during his tenure of over sixty years, to building many successful businesses, surviving depression and creating a corporate culture dedicated to serving others. His compelling story is also filled with necessary life lessons on how to find true wealth, and how to live a happy life which he shares in a lively and interesting manner. Readers who want are looking for personal growth will enjoy and learn from his many experiences and reflections as well as his captivating storytelling. This is an inspiring memoir you wouldn’t want to miss!




Presidents, Kings, and Convicts


Book Description

From a colorful youth growing up in the governors mansion, to a distinguished military career, and seeing firsthand the politics of world events during the second half of the twentieth century, Presidents, Kings, and Convicts tells the story of Congressman Bob Clements multifaceted life, and it reveals many previously untold stories about famous people. This memoir narrates the shaping of his life as a moderate Democrat growing up in the south in the 1950s; it shares how Clement had a front-row seat to some of Americas most significant events since World War II; it provides insights on the current crisis situations taking place in the Middle East and around the world; and it addresses the dysfunction and lack of bipartisanship among the nations political leaders, as well as offers solutions for getting the country back on track. Presidents, Kings, and Convicts provides entertaining and captivating behind-the-scenes accounts of some of Clements most memorable events and the people who shaped them. From personal stories of country music stars and other notable Americans, to the bipartisan meeting with the exiled king of Afghanistan and leaders of the Northern Alliance at the kings home outside Rome, Italy, Clement offers insight into his event-filled life and his storied political journey.




Call Me Chef, Dammit!


Book Description

What does it take to go from growing up in a Mississippi housing project to becoming a master sergeant and a celebrity chef serving in the White House under four United States presidents? Call Me Chef, Dammit! is the inspiring story of Andre Rush, who became an overnight sensation in 2018, after a photograph of his now-famous twenty-four-inch biceps went viral. However, his journey to that moment could never be captured in a fleeting moment. From his childhood working on a farm, to his developing into a gifted athlete and artist to his joining the Army, Rush has dedicated his life to serving others. During his twenty-four-year military career, his reputation as an award-winning cook eventually led him to the Pentagon. His presence in the building when the plane struck on 9/11/2001 led to his suffering from PTSD, and he has become an outspoken advocate for the military and especially for wounded warriors. Every step of the way, Chef Rush has overcome tremendous obstacles, including battling stereotypes and racism. And in this memoir, he shares not only his wounds and what he experienced along the road to recovery but also the optimism, hope, and hard-earned wisdom that have encouraged countless others.




The End of an Era


Book Description




The Night the Lights Went Out


Book Description

A fascinating, darkly funny comeback story of learning to live with a broken mind after a near-fatal traumatic brain injury—from the acclaimed author of The Hike “Drew Magary has produced a remarkable account of his journey, one that is filled with terror, tenderness, beauty, and grace.”—David Grann, bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon Drew Magary, fan-favorite Defector and former Deadspin columnist, is known for his acerbic takes and his surprisingly nuanced chronicling of his own life. But in The Night the Lights Went Out, he finds himself far out of his depths. On the night of the 2018 Deadspin Awards, he suffered a mysterious fall that caused him to smash his head so hard on a cement floor that he cracked his skull in three places and suffered a catastrophic brain hemorrhage. For two weeks, he remained in a coma. The world was gone to him, and him to it. In his long recovery from his injury, including understanding what his family and friends went through as he lay there dying, coming to terms with his now permanent disabilities, and trying to find some lesson in this cosmic accident, he leaned on the one sure thing that he knows and that didn't leave him—his writing. Drew takes a deep dive into what it meant to be a bystander to his own death and figuring out who this new Drew is: a Drew that doesn't walk as well, doesn't taste or smell or see or hear as well, and a Drew that is often failing as a husband and a father as he bounces between grumpiness, irritability, and existential fury. But what's a good comeback story without heartbreak? Eager to get back what he lost, Drew experiences an awakening of a whole other kind in this incredibly funny, medically illuminating, and heartfelt memoir.







US Nation-Building in Afghanistan


Book Description

Why has the US so dramatically failed in Afghanistan since 2001? Dominant explanations have ignored the bureaucratic divisions and personality conflicts inside the US state. This book rectifies this weakness in commentary on Afghanistan by exploring the significant role of these divisions in the US’s difficulties in the country that meant the battle was virtually lost before it even began. The main objective of the book is to deepen readers understanding of the impact of bureaucratic politics on nation-building in Afghanistan, focusing primarily on the Bush Administration. It rejects the ’rational actor’ model, according to which the US functions as a coherent, monolithic agent. Instead, internal divisions within the foreign policy bureaucracy are explored, to build up a picture of the internal tensions and contradictions that bedevilled US nation-building efforts. The book also contributes to the vexed issue of whether or not the US should engage in nation-building at all, and if so under what conditions.







U.S. Marines In Vietnam: The Advisory And Combat Assistance Era, 1954-1964


Book Description

This is the first of a series of chronological histories prepared by the Marine Corps History and Museums Division to cover the entire span of Marine Corps involvement in the Vietnam conflict. This particular volume covers a relatively obscure chapter in U.S. Marine Corps history—the activities of Marines in Vietnam between 1954 and 1964. The narrative traces the evolution of those activities from a one-man advisory operation at the conclusion of the French-Indochina War in 1954 to the advisory and combat support activities of some 700 Marines at the end of 1964. As the introductory volume for the series this account has an important secondary objective: to establish a geographical, political, and military foundation upon which the subsequent histories can be developed.