Falling Through the Earth

“Danielle Trussoni, whose father was never able to shed his memories of Vietnam, traces how trauma is passed from generation to generation.” —Vogue

One of the New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of the Year

From her charismatic father, Danielle Trussoni learned how to rock and roll, outrun the police, and never shy away from a fight. Spending hour upon hour trailing him around the bars and honky-tonks of La Crosse, Wisconsin, young Danielle grew up fascinated by stories of her dad's adventures as a tunnel rat in Vietnam, where he'd risked his life crawling head first into narrow passageways to search for American POWs.

A vivid and poignant portrait of a daughter's relationship with her father, this funny, heartbreaking, and beautifully written memoir, Falling Through the Earth, “makes plain that the horror of war doesn't end in the trenches” (Vanity Fair).

“The affection, respect, and humor Danielle Tussoni brings to the task of revealing this complicated individual [her father] is testimony both to her creative abilities and to the generosity of her spirit.” —Kathryn Harrison, The New York Times Book Review (cover review)

“A heartbreaking story of missed connections . . . This excellent memoir is much more than the sum of its parts.” —People

“A richly textured history of her father's war and the long-term effects his service had on her and her family . . . an important and harrowing story.” —Anthony Swofford, New York Times–bestselling author of Jarhead

“Tussoni’s memories of a hard-knocks childhood are vivid and spiky, and she relays her father’s war stories with convincing bravado.” —Boston Sunday Globe