By now everyone with a 2010 Ryan A. Conklin calendar* will have marked April 6th as the publication date of Ryan's book, An Angel From Hell. Or maybe have the whole period from the 1st (Ryan's 25th birthday!) to the 6th highlighted as one big Ryan fest. It's a time to celebrate all things related to that zany, creative, determined, dutiful, warm-hearted son of a gun that we have all come to love so much. The book itself is going to be an opportunity for fans to connect to one of the most important aspects of who Ryan Conklin is. It's a window onto the soul of the roused and resolute young man who like many others sacrificed the early years of his adulthood to put his life on the line in service to his country after 9/11. Most people have seen only the fun-loving scamp portrayed on The Real World Brooklyn, but with this book, they will see the real reason why he and people like him should be celebrated.
On Amazon, the following is currently being displayed for the product description:
An edgy, gripping report from the front lines by a young veteran and cast member of The Real World: Brooklyn.
Ryan Conklin enlisted in the Army at age seventeen, following 9/11, and joined Angel Company. As a turret gunner with the famed 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles," and a member of the famed "Rakkasans" regiment-the most decorated regiment in the U.S. Army-he endured hellish conditions in the war-torn city of Tikrit, Iraq.
When he returned to the States, he became a cast member on The Real World: Brooklyn in 2008. That came to an end when he received his notice recalling him to duty.
An Angel from Hell is a gritty, blunt, and laugh out loud funny war memoir from the grunt's perspective. Conklin reveals what the Iraq war is really like, day to day - the misery, the boredom, the absurdity, the horror, and even the moments of grace. With stunning candor and wisdom beyond his years, Ryan Conklin has documented a complex and unavoidably life-changing experience for his generation.
*There currently is no 2010 Ryan A. Conklin calendar, but I think there should be one. It would be easy for Ryan to create one on CafePress.com with 12 of his photos and sell them there. Perhaps he would if people nicely requested him to do so? Then I could take one to work along with my Ryan Conklin notebook and Ryan Conklin lunch box.
