Christopher Martin (6)

Chris Martin studied Alexander the Great, and when he entered the Marine Corps, he did so because he wanted to be with the best. His unit gets deployed to Iraq and then to Afghanistan, and he gets promoted to Corporal. He chases the Taliban, and chasing the path of Alexander the Great. He begins various chapters with snippets of exploits of Alexander, while relating it to the path that he and his fellow Marines take. He paints a graphic description of war against the Taliban-not only men, but teenagers, too. He mentions the stark environment, the fleas, the lack of fresh food, the poor conditions. He mentions the simple luxury of taking a bath in a frigid stream. He tells of the horrors of watching your friends die, of thinking you won't make it alive. He tells of the poor support his unit had, their clothes threadbare, and their supplies dwindling.
I was glad that he got out alive, but not without scars, and not without losing 15 of his group. He drank and smoked heavily, and his life was forever changed. Ultimately, he decides it is time to stop chasing Alexander.
This was a gritty memoir detailing the horrors of war experienced by a young man.… (más)

Chasing Alexander by Christopher Martin is simply the best book of its kind that I’ve read lately.

As a young man Christopher Martin was an uninspired college student who preferred spending time in a library reading about notable leaders such as Alexander the Great instead of attending class. The idea of joining the military appealed to him and utilizing the same researching skills he sharpened in looking for biographies, Martin traced the history of the US military, eventually deciding on the Marines. He wanted to be with those he felt were the best.

The narrative follows Martin through bootcamp, Infantry School, and on to Iraq and Afghanistan.

What separates this from other military memoirs is that this isn’t filled with page after page of wonderous examples of one’s own greatness. Instead, we are treated to realistic glimpses of bootcamp, at how difficult the obstacle course can be, and what it is like to fail at it. We read about the inevitable self-doubt, boredom, fears, and the friendships formed as part of a small group. Martin isn’t afraid to say he was scared or that he screwed up or was wrong.

Chasing Alexander is a refreshing, honest look at life in uniform.… (más)

Chasing Alexander is an extraordinary story told in ordinary terms. It’s not a deep political analysis of how we ended up fighting a war in Iraq and Afghanistan and what was right or wrong about it, it’s not a detailed history book intended to be taught in schools, it’s not a story told from a general’s point of view. What Chasing Alexander is then, is the story of a man – a boy when he enlisted, really – who is trying to find his way and ends up in a war zone. Christopher Martin is smart but a bit of a nerd, a geek, overweight, unmotivated. His family life is solid but he is failing in college and can’t find focus or a goal. Until he begins to read history and becomes obsessed with Alexander the Great and wants to become like that, to matter, to do something special with his life. Chasing Alexander is the story of Chris Martin doing just that, chasing Alexander in his quest to be that man. He joins the Marines because that’s what history tells him is the right path. He enlists in the infantry but tells his family he will being doing analysis in a safe location far from the front. But his vision is of a future self taking risks, being in danger, leading the charge, making important decisions, doing something special.

Reality sets in as soon as he gets to boot camp. He’s heavy, slow, not that strong; it’s hard. His deployment assignment isn’t what he had in mind either. At this rate he’ll be chasing Alexander forever and never make it.

As I stated at the onset, this is an extraordinary story told in ordinary terms, using ordinary words and describing ordinary – if horrifying – events, which makes it all the more powerful. I smiled when the author said, “I was excited to have some visitors that I knew. We offered them chips and beef jerky and Cliff bars. We hid the Pop-tarts,” and shivered when he described a battle and his detached callousness from the civilians affected by it. It’s a story that takes us on Chris Martin’s journey from boy to man, from glory and battle-obsessed thinking and being dissatisfied when he’s not fighting enough battles, not leading enough men, not getting enough glory, to a slow-growing disillusionment not with the war itself perhaps but with the powers to be, the leaders far away in Washington or wherever who make their decisions based on politics and money, not at all taking into account the boots on the ground view and the reality of life in Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe he is becoming a bit Alexander-esque after all.

Chasing Alexander is a haunting, fast-paced, nerve-wracking read, a view into one Marine’s thoughts, emotions and experiences. Even though I was reading a memoir obviously written by a survivor, I was still worried for Martin and his men every time there was a shot, a bomb, a battle. And he made me feel that adrenaline, the anxiousness, the sadness he felt each and every day.

Thanks to Edelweiss and Notional Books for providing an advance copy of Chasing Alexander for my reading pleasure and honest review. This was an amazing, gripping, couldn’t-put-it-down read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Martin is an excellent writer who tells an honest, thoughtful story. All opinions are my own.… (más)

This book was such an interesting read. It offers a glimpse into recent history and what it was like to be in the middle of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Author's story begins with boot camp and ends four years later when his service ends after two tours. At the same time we follow the story of Alexander the Great and his conquests.
Every detail about service and the tours was totally engrossing. The toughness of boot camp, the reality of combat and living in war-zone. Martin tells his story well. I learned a lot about how the Military works. Martin wanted to escape a life he hated, wanted to experience the feeling of excitement and importance of leading troops. He got all that and more.
Normally I don't read this type of memoir. So thank you NetGalley and Notional Books for offering this book for me to read.… (más)