Overview

In this vivid memoir, a young man's search for meaning takes him from college in the 1950s to the edge of everything-riding a wild bull in a rodeo, hitchhiking across America, battling forest fires, commanding a destroyer under a mercurial captain, and enduring the punishing trials of UDT-SEAL training. Along the way, he finds adventure, absurdity, and moments of unexpected grace. Gritty, funny, and unsentimental, the book offers a rare insider's look at the formative years of the Navy's most elite warriors and a generation that refused to live safely.

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9798999676931

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Reviews

""Ratliff is a master storyteller who effortlessly spins yarns that memorably balance poignant reflections with cheeky commentary. An engaging coming-of-age story of a Navy SEAL turned law professor."" - Kirkus Reviews ""[A] vivid and inherently fascinating memoir... deftly crafted, and a compelling read from first page to last.... unreservedly recommended.""-Midwest Book Review ""Ratliff has a way of telling a story that made me feel like I was sitting across from him while he let the memories unspool...sharp and funny...I could almost see the dirt fly when that white bull came charging out of the chute.""- Literary Titan Review ""Ratliff writes with a crisp efficiency that makes his colorful tales a joy to read ... a captivating memoir, written with flair and humor, of four transformative years in a young man's life.""- Independent Review ""From the start, Ratliff's debut memoir takes readers on a wild ride, digging into his early experiences in college, an amateur stint in rodeo, and his later enlistment in the Navy... infused with lively anecdotes...including his experiences rescuing downed pilots in the water-some of whom did not survive."" - Publishers Weekly (Booklife) Review

Author Information

Raised in the remote West Texas town of Sonora, Jack Ratliff took undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Texas. He spent four years in the Navy, first as a deck officer on a destroyer and then as a Navy SEAL. He practiced law in El Paso for twenty years, then taught at the UT Law School for twenty years. He and his wife live in Santa Fe.

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