A haunting, fast-paced war memoir,
Chasing Alexander
is Christopher Martin's account of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A failing college student obsessed with Alexander the Great, Martin enlists in the US Marines to become a different sort of man, a man like Alexander. From his difficulty at boot camp to his disappointing deployment to Iraq, Martin fears he may never follow in Alexander's footsteps.
Then, after a strategy change, Martin and his unit arrive in Marjah, "the bleeding ulcer" of Afghanistan. There he faces heat, fleas, and a hidden enemy. As the casualties mount, Martin struggles to control his emotions and his newfound sense of power.
looks unflinchingly at the seductive side of war, and its awful consequences.