I'm Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen--My Journey Home [Hardcover]

Shoshana Johnson (Author), M. L Doyle (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 2010

In March of 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom was only days old when world headlines were rocked by the attack on a U.S. army convoy in Iraq. On March 23rd, during the early march to Baghdad, Shoshana Johnson was wounded in an ambush of her convoy in the city of an-Nasiriyah and taken as a prisoner of war. Several soldiers were killed and five others were taken prisoner. While Jessica Lynch became the face associated with the capture, Shoshana was held for several more weeks. After the headline-making ambush, capture, and rescue, Shoshana returned to the U.S., receiving numerous awards for her valor, including the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, and Prisoner of War Medal. In I’m Still Standing Shoshana writes for the first time about her experience as a prisoner of war, revealing emotions and frustrations that are personal as well as political..

As a speaker, Shoshana’s warmth and poise have earned her admirers all over the world. I’m Still Standing reveals the true source of courage behind the story, the full story she couldn’t share when she last appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live ..

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Johnson gained national attention as America's first black female prisoner of war. She was in the 507th Maintenance Company convoy ambushed on March 23, 2003, in Nasiriyah, and captured with five other soldiers including Jessica Lynch. One might call Johnson's presence in a firefight a compound accident. She was a cook who had enlisted in 1998 hoping to earn money for her education and perhaps meet a nice guy, and was a cook with the 507th, which existed to maintain Patriot missiles. But she was sent with the convoy, and the bullets Johnson took in both ankles did not ask for her military occupational specialty. Though objectively treated well enough by her Iraqi captors, she was wounded, female, and black: three reasons for being afraid. Rescued three weeks later in a daring raid, Johnson emerged with a Bronze Star, a case of post-traumatic stress disorder, and an unwanted celebrity status sufficiently resented by the system that she left the army. Johnson endured her captivity with courage and emerged with honor. With the help of former army reservist Doyle, she vividly, simply, and unpretentiously tells her tale . (Feb.)
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From Booklist

Johnson had the experience of being the first African-American woman held as a POW. This was almost as unpleasant as it was unsought, for she was badly wounded in the leg, and Iraqi medical treatment left the impression that the Iraqis didn’t know what they were doing. On the other hand, the way Americans presented the incident in which Johnson, along with the more celebrated Jessica Ryan, was captured made Johnson doubt her fellow Americans, at least until the U.S. Marines rescued the POWs. A single mother now raising her daughter, Johnson, with the aid of expert co-writer Doyle, has told a story that adds substantially to our knowledge of the black military experience and of the Iraq War. --Roland Green

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; 1st edition (February 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416567488
• ISBN-13: 978-1416567486
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #294,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars super memoir, January 30, 2010

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'm Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen--My Journey Home (Hardcover)

In 2003 in An Nasiriyah, Iraq, six soldiers (including Jessica Lynch who became the prime celebrity of the incident) assigned to the 507th Maintenance Company were captured by the enemy during an ambush. One of those taken in the firefight was unit cook Shoshana Johnson, who became the first ever African-American female POW. After three plus weeks as a prisoner, moving from place to place, the marines rescued her and the others (except Lynch previously rescued).

The key to this memoir is how profound Johnson describes her ordeal during captivity and even more so as a sudden celebrity of sorts. She makes the case that her abductees were kind giving her medical aid to her ankles hit by bullets and fed and clothed her. Yet throughout she lived in fear as a Black woman POW in a country in which gender and race matter. After being freed, her fame left others angry and resentful so she left the military. With a strong conviction, Ms. Johnson and M.L. Doyle tear into her accusers that she and the others deserved being prisoners and were no heroes as they simply made a wrong turn. Well written with the predominance of the memoir being her POW 22 days and her PTSD that still haunts her since becoming free; fans of military chronicles will want to read I'm Still Standing.

Harriet Klausner

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really insightful A Must Read, February 7, 2010

By 

kwajkat (Silverdale, WA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: I'm Still Standing (Kindle Edition)

I was impressed with this book. As a female veteran I make it a point to read other books about and by other veterans especially females. This book touched my heart. It is well formatted for the kindle. The book felt as though she was talking to me rather than just citing details. Good luck in your recovery! A must read!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The memoir of an American hero - a must read!, February 14, 2010

By 

Aleta D. Dempsey - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I'm Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen--My Journey Home (Hardcover)

Wow! What an emotional and inspirational journey that American hero Shoshana Johnson (and M.L. Doyle) takes us on in the telling of her story about being ambushed in Iraq, injured, captured, then thankfully, freed! Her honesty and humility evoke the reader's patriotism and pride in the U.S. military. This captivating must-read is a story about the strength and generosity of the human spirit, shown by Ms. Johnson, her fellow POW's, her rescuers, and surprisingly, even some of her captors.