Years ago, while lying side by side in a small tent one night somewhere along the Appalachian Trail, my friend @akanderswo told me about this book, how it begins by talking about the various material things American soldiers carried in Vietnam. As backpackers who weighed every pound and ounce we schlepped on our backs, we thought this was an intriguing premise to begin such a story. Years later, I’m finally reading my own copy of this book. And yes, it’s a collection of stories about war and all that entails, and is horrific and brutal. But it’s also a rumination on the power of stories, and storytelling, to relate greater truths than mere facts could do, and to connect us to one another, here and beyond. I’ve included my two favorite quotes, both of which speak to this. Thanks, Alicia, for sharing this book with me—and for our own stories.