A Journal for Jordan: A Story of Love and Honor
Dana Canedy
Dec 2008 · Crown
4.7star
10 reviewsreport
Ebook
288
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About this ebook
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A hauntingly beautiful account of a family fractured by war . . . filled with vivid and heartbreaking details.”—The New York Times Book Review
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • “Full of wonderful treasures offered by a unique and spirited father . . . written with serene grace: part memoir, part love story, all heart.”—James McBride, author of The Color of Water
In 2005, Dana Canedy’s fiancé, First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, began to write what would become a two-hundred-page journal for his son in case he did not make it home from the war in Iraq. He was killed by a roadside bomb on October 14, 2006. His son, Jordan, was seven months old.
Inspired by his example, Dana was determined to preserve his memory for their son. A Journal for Jordan is a mother’s fiercely honest letter to her child about the parent he lost before he could even speak. It is also a father’s advice and prayers for the son he will never know.
A father figure to the soldiers under his command, Charles moved naturally into writing to his son. In neat block letters, he counseled him on everything from how to withstand disappointment and deal with adversaries to how to behfrave on a date. And he also wrote of recovering a young soldier’s body, piece by piece, from a tank—and the importance of honoring that young man’s life. He finished the journal two months before his death while home on a two-week leave, so intoxicated with love for his infant son that he barely slept.
This is also the story of Dana and Charles together—two seemingly mismatched souls who loved each other deeply and lost each other too soon. A Journal for Jordan is a tender introduction, a loving good-bye, a reporter’s inquiry into her soldier’s life, and a heartrending reminder of the human cost of war.
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • “Full of wonderful treasures offered by a unique and spirited father . . . written with serene grace: part memoir, part love story, all heart.”—James McBride, author of The Color of Water
In 2005, Dana Canedy’s fiancé, First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, began to write what would become a two-hundred-page journal for his son in case he did not make it home from the war in Iraq. He was killed by a roadside bomb on October 14, 2006. His son, Jordan, was seven months old.
Inspired by his example, Dana was determined to preserve his memory for their son. A Journal for Jordan is a mother’s fiercely honest letter to her child about the parent he lost before he could even speak. It is also a father’s advice and prayers for the son he will never know.
A father figure to the soldiers under his command, Charles moved naturally into writing to his son. In neat block letters, he counseled him on everything from how to withstand disappointment and deal with adversaries to how to behfrave on a date. And he also wrote of recovering a young soldier’s body, piece by piece, from a tank—and the importance of honoring that young man’s life. He finished the journal two months before his death while home on a two-week leave, so intoxicated with love for his infant son that he barely slept.
This is also the story of Dana and Charles together—two seemingly mismatched souls who loved each other deeply and lost each other too soon. A Journal for Jordan is a tender introduction, a loving good-bye, a reporter’s inquiry into her soldier’s life, and a heartrending reminder of the human cost of war.
Ratings and reviews
4.7
10 reviews
Tim Boyer
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May 11, 2022
A glimpse into the World of Military Journal writers in book form and a 2021 Movie. Director Denzel Washington. A Journal for Jordan. Written by Dana Canedy, New York Times award winning Journalist. The story parallels her own loss and grief. The loss of her husband, 1st Sgt. Charles Monroe King. Lost in Action, Oct 2006 while on patrol, Baghdad Iraq, by a high explosive IED. Unlike countless stories and movies focused on combat. Dana wieves a heartfelt remembrance. Portraying the love between them and the legacy of Honor handed down to their Son, "A Journal for Jordan."
ILECIA WILLIAMS
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March 21, 2013
A friend (avid reader) asked me to read this book,even offered to pay for it,after I blew off his first suggestion to read some motivational book.I told him that I'd "consider" it while I thought (as I rolled my eyes and shook my head on my end of the phone),"As if I have the time/patience to slow down and jump off of the merry-go-round that is my life to read a book."I haven't read a book in years.Three days,279 pages later..."mission accomplished."I can't wait to see his face when I hand him the receipt.
1 person found this review helpful
A Google user
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December 11, 2011
I love this book! I have read it 4 times .
About the author
Dana Canedy is the senior vice president and publisher of Simon & Schuster. Previously, she was the administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes and a senior editor at The New York Times, where she was a journalist for more than twenty years. In 2001, she was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for “How Race Is Lived in America.” Raised near Fort Knox, Kentucky, she lives in New York City with her son, Jordan.
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