A haunting, fast-paced war memoir, Chasing Alexander is Christopher Martin's account of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A failing college student obsessed with Alexander the Great, Martin enlists in the US Marines to become a different sort of man, a man like Alexander. From his difficulty at boot camp to his disappointing deployment to Iraq, Martin fears he may never follow in Alexander's footsteps. Then, after a strategy change, Martin and his unit arrive in Marjah, "the bleeding ulcer" of Afghanistan. There he faces heat, fleas, and a hidden enemy. As the casualties mount, Martin struggles to control his emotions and his newfound sense of power. Chasing Alexander looks unflinchingly at the seductive side of war, and its awful consequences. "His writing is simple and powerful: We smell sweat, hear Marines screaming and feel Martin's heart thundering with fear." - Blueink Review "With grit and sincerity, Martin will have readers who appreciate action-packed war stories and history marveling at this truly enjoyable memoir." - BookLife Reviews (Editor's Pick) "Martin's memoir is as thoughtful as it is lucid, and is written in a deeply personal, confessional style, probing and self-effacing." - Kirkus Reviews "... Chasing Alexander pushes aside vague notions of what it means to be a Marine, replacing them with the raw reality of life in service."- Clarion Reviews Christopher Martin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2007 and served until 2011. He deployed to both the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan as a mortarman with 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines. After leaving the Marines, he attended Denison University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He currently lives in Colorado.