i'm thrilled to know you got to make it to nate's signing yesterday. the support means a lot to him. i had meant to put up an announcement for all of you up there in boston, but work gets in the way of my online time way too much these days!!
and juliet, sheila, and court - thank you for picking up his book on my recommendation; i'm pleased to know you all loved it too. i know nate passes on his thanks as well!
yes, he is extraordinarily poised and articulate, a very compelling and engaging speaker, and he has concrete recommendations about what to DO about the problems our military faces in iraq, afghanistan, and elsewhere; as well as about other current events and issues in american society.
whether you agree with him or not, he's one of the few people out there who's *discussing* things and not throwing out rhetoric, not using it as a means to make political points or lob political hand-grenades at 'the other side'. and he's always eager to take what someone has to say and synthesize it with his own thoughts and opinions and change them if you convince him of the merit of your information.
he's extremely polite, respectful, and tactful when dealing with those who disagree with him, regardless of their behavior. in fact, he says he finds that he gets along equally well with people who disagree with him as he does like minded folks, it's the "apathetic middle" that he has difficulty with. so it's a pleasure to hear him and engage in dialogue with him, even on hot issues.
and while he's without a doubt very good looking, what makes him a genuinely beautiful person is what comes from the inside - his compassion and graciousness, truly humble spirit, and extraordinary mind! you can't fake those things, and his strength of character is palpable.
as for One Bullet Away, i personally think he's written what will turn out to be one of the seminal books of this era; an historical benchmark. it is a brilliant work, as well as an engaging, entertaining, enthralling one.
i'd love it if we had a discussion of the book here! i've been especially keen to know what others, especially others who do not have military experiences to draw upon, thought about it. and nate himself has been very concerned that women readers know this is not just another shoot 'em up, guts and glory book about war.
do we want to try for next week, so those who just got or still want to get the book have a chance to read it?
michelle g