Adrian Bonenberger grew up playing the kinds of neighborhood war games most people remember from childhood, spurred by a desire to define an identity through opposition and competition. For many, the backdrop eventually shifts from wooded lots and suburban backyards to athletic fields and corporate ladders. But after the revelations of torture at Abu Ghraib, Adrian shocked his family and friends at Yale by enlisting in the army with the goal of becoming an Airborne Ranger. He was deployed to Afghanistan and served two tours, first as an executive officer and then as a captain skirmishing with Taliban forces. Throughout his time overseas, he wrote letters — to girlfriends, to fellow soldiers, to friends, to his parents, to his veteran grandfather. Showing vulnerability to some and steadfastness to others, these letters chronicle Adrian’s identity splintering under the strain of modern warfare.

“From the frontlines of America’s war in Afghanistan a Yale graduate turned Army warrior reflected on his experience in letters home. Now he’s put those letters together and they reveal a man comforted by the trivial and questioning why he is there.” – The Daily Beast