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by Ethan Brown (Author)
A charismatic young soldier meets a tragic end in this moving and mesmerizing account of the war in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, and no-safety-net America
Zackery Bowen was thrust into two of America's largest recent debacles. He was one of the first soldiers to encounter the fledgling insurgency in Iraq. After years of military service he returned to New Orleans to tend bar and deliver groceries. In the weeks before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, he met Addie Hall, a pretty and high-spirited bartender. Their improvised, hard-partying endurance during and after the storm had news outlets around the world featuring the couple as the personification of what so many want to believe is the indomitable spirit of New Orleans. But in October 2006, Bowen leaped from the rooftop bar of a French Quarter hotel. A note in his pocket directed the police to the body of Addie Hall. It was, according to NOPD veterans, one of the most gruesome crimes in the city's history. How had this popular, handsome father of two done this horrible thing? Journalist Ethan Brown moved from New York City to the French Quarter in order to investigate this question. Among the newsworthy elements in the book is Brown's discovery that this tragedy--like so many others--could have been avoided if the military had simply not, in the words of Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, absolutely and completely failed this soldier. Shake the Devil Off is a mesmerizing tribute to these lives lost.Back Jacket
A "WASHINGTON"" POST "BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
HE LEFT THE WAR A HERO
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Zackery Bowen became the face of hope in the local news. A handsome veteran of the Iraq War, Bowen was all smiles and high spirits when he appeared on live television--partying on Bourbon Street, or raising a glass with his beautiful bartender girlfriend, Addie Hall. But Bowen's happy-go-lucky persona in the Big Easy concealed a tortured mind...
AT HOME HE BECAME A KILLER
In October 2006, Bowen leapt from the rooftop bar of a French Quarter hotel--instantly killing himself. Later, it was discovered that he had also killed Addie...and left a note directing police to her dismembered body. Why did Bowen do it? What made him snap? This is the true story of a war-torn veteran driven to commit the most heinous of crimes.
"shake the devil off"""
"Ethan Brown has transformed post-Katrina anguish [into] something genuinely sad and reflective...that now has true meaning for New Orleans and for all of us."--David Simon, creator of "The Wire" and "Treme"
*Includes 8 pages of dramatic photos*
Author Biography
Ethan Brown has written for New York magazine, The New York Observer, Wired, Vibe, The Independent, GQ, Rolling Stone, Details, The Guardian, and The Village Voice, among other publications. He is the author of Queens Reigns Supreme and Snitch. He lives with his wife in New Orleans.
