This week on the Sewanee Review podcast, editor Adam Ross joins author Elliot Ackerman to discuss Ackerman’s memoir The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan, in which the author reexamines his time serving in Afghanistan alongside the wider geopolitical issues from 2001 to the present day. In this episode, Ackerman meditates on a number of difficult questions: What is a soldier’s duty in a quagmire? What does it mean to “leave no one behind?” How does one ever truly return home from war? With a reading from The Fifth Act and thoughtful, introspective conversation, this episode is one our listeners won’t want to miss.
Elliot Ackerman is the New York Times bestselling author of novels Halcyon, Red Dress in Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing, and Green on Blue He is the co-author with Admiral James G. Stavridis of 2034. His work has been nominated for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the National Book Award. He is also the recipient of a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for Valor.
The Sewanee Review Podcast is recorded in the Ralston Listening Room at the University of the South. This episode is produced by Brighid Griffin and Luke Gair and edited by ProPodcast Solutions with music by Annie Bowers. Image credit to. Don’t miss any of our conversations with some of today’s best writers. Subscribe to the Sewanee Review Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.