Ryan McDermott
'Few war memoirs achieve the level of literary depth and emotional resonance of Downriver.' - General David Petraeus, U.S. Army (Ret.)MWSA Gold Medal Winner | BookLife Prize Critics Score: 9.5/10 (Perfect scores in Prose and Character Execution)Downriver is a powerful story about leadership, trauma, and the long journey home-told by an officer who fought in some of the most consequential battles of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.As a platoon leader in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, Ryan McDermott fought in several key engagements, including the Battle for Objective Peach and the Seizure of Saddam International Airport (now Baghdad International Airport). These rarely captured frontline moments, now studied by military historians and students of modern warfare, are presented with clarity, honesty, and emotional depth.But Downriver is not just about war. It is about what comes after.Following his combat tour, McDermott transitioned to Wall Street-only to experience another collapse from within Lehman Brothers during the 2008 financial crisis. What began as a celebrated career change became a confrontation with trauma, identity, and reintegration.The memoir chronicles the private struggles that followed: post-traumatic stress, the challenges of rebuilding purpose, and the search for meaning as a husband, father, and survivor.For readers of The Long Walk, Redeployment, The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell, Jarhead, No Easy Day, and Matterhorn, Downriver offers a unique blend of historical insight, literary craft, and emotional honesty. It speaks to veterans, military families, and anyone who has struggled to rebuild after loss or upheaval.Downriver stands apart for its historically significant firsthand accounts, its intimate look at combat and reintegration, its award-winning literary quality, and its rare fusion of memoir and poetry. More than a war memoir, it is a meditation on identity, trauma, redemption, and the battles that continue long after the war ends.
