On Service
In this collection, we see the contributions of three people, all deeply touched by war, to their greater causes. In Bierce, the honoring of the fallen dead merged with the unflinching criticism of warfare itself. In Nightingale, a philosophy and practical guide for caring for others that would reshape the practice of nursing. And in Tolstoy, the difficult moral and physical path of non-resistance that would change the course of humanity in the 20th century.
Associated Posts
On Service: Blog Post
A year or so before its eventual publication, as I headed into the twilight of my own career in the United States Navy, I found myself engaged in a conversation with Mouse Books regarding what would eventually become the Service series. Mouse was well off the ground by that point and its creator, David, my fastest and oldest friend, was giving much thought to its future direction and content. The first question offered to me was a simple one--if you were going to choose a theme to curate, what would it be? My answer was immediate: Duty. I had been preoccupied with this idea for some time as I attempted to process my years of military service, and, as my background is in medicine and not literature, I could only speak to what I know.
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