Recently, we published a blog that offered our readers some helpful tips on how to write an autobiography.

To keep with that theme, we’re putting the spotlight on Dorrance author, Jared Maxwell, who penned the book Unsung: Memories of an Infantryman.

This autobiography highlights the life of Jared Maxwell, a U.S. Army infantryman, who lived through the darkness of war during a time when the country was focused on Iraq. Maxwell was one of the few who had to live in what was known as the Valley of Death, located in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan.

Maxwell takes a different approach to describing his experience. He does so in a poetic memoir that touches on the brutality, cruelty, and ruthlessness of war – the aspects that many do not want to hear about.

His memoir brings to light the painful moments that are associated with war, including the graphic memories of wounded and dying comrades. Maxwell eloquently offers his perspective on the war—both hidden and unhidden, such as posttraumatic stress syndrome.

This cathartic memoir provides readers with a chance to view these experiences through the eyes of Maxwell: to see not only the horrors of war but also the touching relationships and life-long bonds that are formed between men in combat. Furthermore, Maxwell articulates in a beautiful manner the topics of death: “We found it, we create it, we endured it, and we braved it.”

The overarching message of Unsung is finding your way back from experiences that have brought you from the lowest of lows, from the brink of death and insanity.

Unsung is Maxwell’s first book. You can get a copy of your own from the Dorrance Bookstore.

Copyright Dorrance Publishing, 2017