Formation

"FORMATION is a brilliant addition to the memoirs of war. With grounded and elegant prose Dostie narrates her harrowing journey into combat and through the violent quagmire of Military Sexual Trauma. We should all read this heroic and timely book."

—Anthony Swofford, New York Times bestselling author of Jarhead

"Raw, explosive...Dostie writes powerfully...In the sparse landscape of war memoirs by female soldiers, Dostie's resolute, literary account of her five years in the army sets a benchmark."

—Publishers Weekly 

"Though I knew it would be urgent, compelling, and excellent from the first page, Formation was a much more expansive book than I even could have suspected: a riveting, enraging memoir from an author of remarkable toughness and emotional range. This is an unflinching and honest account of war, of homecoming, and of what happens when a woman reports an assault and the institutions around her try to smother the truth."

—Phil Klay, National Book Award-winning author of Redeployment

"Formation grabs us by the collar and never relents, much like Dostie herself, whose path to independence gets paved with blood and sacrifice. Her gripping memoir lays bare the pain of proving yourself in a man's world, but also the rich rewards. Most of us will probably never go to war, but Dostie's story speaks to a daily struggle many of us face: the battle to believe in ourselves."

—Sarah Hepola, New York Times bestselling author of Blackout

"An essential telling of one woman's account of training and combat: staggeringly beautiful, gutsy, and harrowing. Dostie has written the rare memoir that is destined to be a classic. I couldn't put this book down and I never wanted it to end."

—Christa Parravani, bestselling author of Her: A Memoir

 "This is a fierce memoir of survival-a visceral and vital portrait of what it takes to thrive as a woman in a man's world. Time is long overdue for the world to hear Ryan Leigh Dostie's remarkable story of resilience in the face of the unspeakable."

—Susannah Cahalan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Brain on Fire

"Vital, brutal and absolutely compelling...A significant standout."

—Marilyn Dahl, Shelf Awareness

"Here is the war memoir re-invented. Dostie offers a beautiful, soulful, and astonishingly fresh take on the war in Iraq, and a deeply original book. Formation should be a must read at West Point, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and all points in between."

—Jake Halpern, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Paper

"[An] unquestionably inspiring story traversing the personal and public battlefields of sexual assault in the armed forces...Each of these narratives deserves to be heard."

—Kirkus

 "Haunting...This is an important and compelling memoir not just of sexual violence in the military (although she tells that story with genuine and unvarnished candor), it is about what war costs those who serve. A Combat Patch is not just earned with deployment and gunfire, it is earned by becoming a witness and becoming inured to inhumanity."

—Keltie Peay, Parnassus Books (IndieNext nomination)

"Formation is one of the most powerful memoirs I have ever read. Heartbreaking and so strong, Dostie can hold her own and break at the same time, just like the rest of us. Being a woman in the masochistic military can be a terrifying thing, and she shows us the dark side as well as how a woman can persevere in the military. This is an absolutely important book to read by all."

—Annie Philbrick, Bank Square Books (IndieNext nomination)

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