EVENT OVERVIEW: John Musgrave will Present his Critically Acclaimed Hardcover Memoir The Education of Corporal John Musgrave: Vietnam and Its Aftermath. This Event is Co-Presented by Rainy Day Books & The Kansas City Public Library. Watch the Livestream Video of John Musgrave's Author & Book Presentation.
ABOUT JOHN MUSGRAVE: John Musgrave served in Vietnam for 11 Months and 17 Days in both the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions before being permanently disabled by his 3rd wound. He was medically retired as a corporal in 1969. He is the recipient of 2 Purple Hearts and 2 Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry. In addition to speaking publicly about his war experiences, and working with younger veterans to help them reintegrate and heal, Musgrave is the Author of the collection Notes to the Man Who Shot Me: Vietnam War Poems ~ Coal City Review.
ABOUT THE NEW BOOK: A Marine's searing and intimate story—"A passionate, fascinating, and deeply humane memoir of both war and of the hard work of citizenship and healing in war’s aftermath. A superb addition to our understanding of the Vietnam War, and of its lessons” ~ Phil Klay, Author of Redeployment.
John Musgrave had a small-town midwestern childhood that embodied the idealized postwar America. Service, patriotism, faith, and civic pride were the values that guided his family and community, and like nearly all the boys he knew, Musgrave grew up looking forward to the day when he could enlist to serve his country as his father had done. There was no question in Musgrave’s mind: He was going to join the legendary Marine Corps as soon as he was eligible. In February of 1966, at age 17, during his senior year in high school, and with the Vietnam War already raging, he walked down to the local recruiting station, signed up, and set off for three years that would permanently reshape his life.
In this electrifying memoir, he renders his wartime experience with a powerful intimacy and immediacy: from the rude awakening of boot camp, to daily life in the Vietnam jungle, to a chest injury that very nearly killed him. Musgrave also vividly describes the difficulty of returning home to a society rife with antiwar sentiment, his own survivor's guilt, and the slow realization that he and his fellow veterans had been betrayed by the government they served. And he recounts how, ultimately, he found peace among his fellow veterans working to end the war. Musgrave writes honestly about his struggle to balance his deep love for the Marine Corps against his responsibility as a citizen to protect the very troops asked to protect America at all costs. Fiercely perceptive and candid, The Education of Corporal John Musgrave is one of the most powerful memoirs to emerge from the war.
DATE & TIME: Thursday, December 01, 2022, at 6:00 PM
LOCATION: A Rainy Day Books Author Event at The Kansas City Public Library, Plaza Branch, Truman Forum, 4801 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64112
EVENT FORMAT: John Musgrave will Present his New Hardcover Memoir The Education of Corporal John Musgrave: Vietnam and Its Aftermath and answer audience questions. A Meet & Greet Booksigning will follow the Presentation. Pre-Order your Hardcovers Now through link below!
ADMISSION PACKAGE: This is a Complimentary OPEN House Event. Registration is Required at www.KCLibrary.org/Signature-Events or Call the Library at 816-701-3407. Rainy Day Books will have John Musgrave's Books for Sale at this Event, or you may Pre-Order for In-Store or At-Event Pick-Up through the link below. Seating is General Admission.
DISCLAIMER: All Author Event sales are final and non-refundable. Kansas Sales Tax is charged on all Orders, regardless of destination. Unless otherwise indicated, Authors will only sign Books purchased from Rainy Day Books. Additional Author Autographed Books will be available for Purchase at our Author Event.