Vantage Press Release

Our debut list is incredibly diverse and varied, but one title stands out as unique from almost anything else in the current market. charles@afghanistan: Crazy Encounters from the Not-So-Front Lines, by Charles McDonald Holt, has been a breakout draw for Vantage Point this summer, and we credit it to Holt’s charismatic personality both on the page and off, as well as the genuine intrigue over what lies inside the covers of the book.

In 2008 this self-proclaimed good old boy from the South East Texas Piney Woods signed on as a truck driver for the US Military and was deployed to Afghanistan where he spent seven months doing his best “to bring [troops] water, fuel or anything else that I can haul in a truck that will make their lives a little better.” What initially began as a few emails sent to friends and family turned into an ongoing and illuminating documentary of Holt’s time with the US military in Afghanistan, the length of which charles@afghanistan presents in its entirety.

After almost ten years at war in this far-away nation, the actual details of military life in Afghanistan have remained an enigma to many citizens. Through his emails, Holt provides a down-to-earth account of war through the eyes of a civilian, and it is a completely new perspective on what is an almost ten-year old war. With heart and humor, Holt’s emails prove that while war is never fun, that doesn’t mean it can’t be funny!

We are very proud to have such a distinctive and timely title on our debut list, would like to congratulate Charles on his new job as a columnist for the Newton County Newspaper. He was, in fact, being interviewed for his August 3rd front-page feature, when the paper up and offered him his own column! It just goes to show that once Charles begins telling his stories, no one ever wants him to stop.

charles@afghanistan: Crazy Encounters from the Not-So-Front Lines By Charles McDonald Holt ISBN 978-1936467020 156 Pages, $13.95