'The Promise is the extraordinary story of two mates, Jamie and Brett, each with two families - the family at home, and the brotherhood that bonds military servicemen in times of war. It charts Jamie's evolution from a bullied boy in the suburbs to an elite soldier and team leader with the 2nd Commando Regiment of Australia's special forces, waging war in Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.'
'As Jamie and Brett face ever more dangerous missions, the pressures intensify on the home front. Marriages crack, families fracture and the aftershocks of combat fatigue threaten both men's lives. After Brett's death, Jamie watches all certainty slip away. He commits mind and body to the one thing he can control: he will honour his friend, he will keep his promise.' (Source: Publisher's website)
'Australia’s war in Afghanistan has led to the production of a number of military memoirs, published commercially and reaching a diverse readership. These memoirs shape public understandings of the experience of the war and how it was fought. This article analyses a selection of these military memoirs, focusing on how soldier-authors frame their reasons for joining the military and for being deployed to war. The article pays attention to descriptions of combat, mateship, and the enemy, and to the ways in which these books convey the costs of war.' (Publication abstract)
'Australia’s war in Afghanistan has led to the production of a number of military memoirs, published commercially and reaching a diverse readership. These memoirs shape public understandings of the experience of the war and how it was fought. This article analyses a selection of these military memoirs, focusing on how soldier-authors frame their reasons for joining the military and for being deployed to war. The article pays attention to descriptions of combat, mateship, and the enemy, and to the ways in which these books convey the costs of war.' (Publication abstract)
