American Mourning: The Intimate Story of Two Families Joined by War, Torn by Beliefs (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Melanie Morgan (Author)
Key Phrases: altar server, Cindy Sheehan, President Bush, Sadr City (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a beautiful, raw war story that breaks the heart and strengthens resolve to protect America from her enemies. -- Ann Coulter

...a brilliant social essay of a defining moment in American history. -- New York Post, November 19, 2006

...puts a face on two magnificent heroes whose great deeds and unimaginable sacrifices are all but ignored by the media... -- Mark Levin

AMERICAN Mourning" is an elegantly lyrical book about soldiers and sons killed in combat. The authors compare how two American families - the Sheehans and the Johnsons - reacted to the loss of their sons in combat in Iraq, and how they are in many ways a metaphor for the country itself. The story juxtaposes the grieving process of the two families - especially Cindy Sheehan, Casey's mother, and Joe Johnson, Justin's father, showing how each reacted to the worst news a parent can receive in radically different ways. Cindy Sheehan directed her grief and anger not at the terrorists whom she called "freedom fighters." She said that she "did not blame the man who killed Casey" but instead blamed President Bush whom she holds accountable for the lost soldiers. Joe Johnson's grief also flared as white-hot anger, and at age 45 he joined the National Guard determined to go to Iraq as a gunner and "kill the bastards" who killed his beloved Justin. The media portrayed Cindy as "Mother Sheehan," a grief-stricken mother whose world had been destroyed and who wished only to be consoled by President Bush. But the authors recount a back-story that documents a massive, highly professional and well-orchestrated PR campaign backed by deep-pocketed sponsors like MoveOn.org and George Soros. At some point Sheehan morphed into an aggressive feminist who abandoned her family, ran off with another man and embraced the radical agenda that the anti-Bush movement used her to promote. Joe Johnson trained hard, went to Iraq and patrolled the deadly roads laced with IEDs and ambushes. He resumed drinking after Justin's death and reportedly continues to seek solace in the bottle, though he has given up his mission of personally avenging his son's loss by killing terrorists. Both Cindy and Joe put their spouses and families through additional stress by internalizing their anger and abandoning their families to fend for themselves. Cindy left permanently, while Joe eventually came home to face --New York Post, November 19, 2006

I was soon moved to tears by both the Sheehan and Johnson clans... -- James Dalessandro

The truth in this book will set you free. -- Sean Hannity

Their stories illuminate the hell that our servicemen and women face every day... -- Buzz Patterson

Product Description

American Mourning is the story of two American families whose sons died in the war on terror. Casey Sheehan and Justin Johnson had been best friends since they first met at Fort Hood in Texas; they were killed within five days of each other in separate ambushes in Sadr City, Iraq, during Holy Week of 2004.

As the Sheehan and Johnson families have mourned their unimaginable loss, they have had little else in common and have taken entirely different paths as they mourned. Justin's father, Joe Johnson, followed his son to Baghdad, slogging through the open sewers of Iraqi slums to see where Justin had died and to avenge his death.

Cindy Sheehan wanted another kind of revenge. Blaming President Bush for Casey's death, she called the Muslim radicals who killer her son "freedom fighters" and brought an entourage of antiwar activists and a coalition of the willing press to the president's ranch outside Crawford, Texas. Demanding that the president meet with her in the sweltering Texas summer, she became a media phenomenon and America's best-known antiwar activist since Jane Fonda.

The Sheehans and the Johnsons represent the extremes of grief-stricken parents in war, both families reflecting the gap in how Americans view the war on terror. The Johnson family has bonded closer. Justin's parents have grown nearer; their faith has been strengthened; and their support for the war is stronger than ever. Meanwhile, the Sheehan family has fractured, and Casey's parents have divorced. Cindy says she is no longer a Christian, and her opposition to the war is deeper an dmore bitter than ever.

The bodies of Casey Sheehan and Justin Johnson lie in their hometown graves. Justin's final resting place is decorated with handmade flags and miniature Uncle Sams. Casey's had no marker for two years to tell the world that he lived, fought, and died a hero.

Both Joe and Cindy are shooting at ghosts. Cindy still is. This is their story. The story of American Mourning.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: WND Books; Second edition edition (October 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581825404
• ISBN-13: 978-1581825404
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (124 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #715,108 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!!, October 19, 2006

By	M. Hughes "bast magazine" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's about time someone reveal what is really happening with the troops and Iraq. The left would like you to believe this book is NOT about the courageous soldiers fighting for our freedom. They want you to think it is just a hatchett job of Mrs. Sheehan. It is not. Sure, her dirty past is brought up, if only to show that she is a lying hyopocrit. But I doubt those of the left have even read this fine book.

Instead, this book is about two young men who gave the ultimate sacrifice so you and I can read and discuss issues that are illegal in most muslim countries.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars American Morning, October 19, 2006

By	A. Figone (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

American Morning brings a view that isn't being discussed by the traditional media. For everyone that believes there are two sides to every story that should be heard this book rates will give that perspective to the issues America is wrestling with at this moment of our history. For us to truely find our way out of the troubles of our world of today we need to consider all sides and "American Morning" is a must for balance.

141 of 167 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful and captivating account of heroism and mourning, October 18, 2006

By	Joseph Wierzbicki (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"American Mourning" is a beautiful and poignant story that chronicles the divide in America over the war against terrorism. What makes this book so intriguing is that it personalizes the story by showing how 2 different American families respond to the death of their son. It's a raw and gripping portrayal of how we mourn as a nation, and how our individualism propels us to respond to similar events in such starkly different ways. One mother, Cindy Sheehan, becomes a broken woman when her son, Casey, is killed in a war that his mother never supported. For her it becomes the cruelest form of torture that he should die for a cause she finds to be anything but just. Contrast that to the story of Jan and Joe Johnson, who become greater patriots upon hearing news that their son Justin died. At the age of 46, Joe Johnson went so far as to re-enlist in the U.S. Army and went over to Iraq to fight - to avenge his son's death. But the best part is that the son's of these families, Casey Sheehan and Justin Johnson, become best buddies themselves while in the military. Casey dies just 6 days before Justin in the slums of Sadr City, after being ambushed by terrorist insurgents. Justin is emotionally distraught over the death of his friend. He goes online to post a message of condolence at the memorial page for Casey. It will be one of the last things Justin Johnson writes. 6 days later he himself is killed in that same city where his good friend, Casey was killed. "American Mourning" is an honest story. It shows us both the attributes and failings of both families. That will not sit well with fans of Cindy Sheehan who have idolized this woman and created a false persona of "Mother Sheehan" - a woman of absolute moral authority who can do no wrong. The truth is somewhat different, and American Mourning chronicles her story in stark terms. At a time when Americans debate how best to fight the war on terrorism, "American Mourning" showcases the divide in our nation in a way that is irresistible. It is impossible to put this book down - each chapter propelling the reader on to the next. This book recognizes that the ultimate heroes, those whose legacy must be remembered, are those brave men who gave their lives - Casey Sheehan and Justin Johnson - and that is what makes this book such a powerful read.