I'm Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen--My Journey Home

"I'm Still Standing is one hell of a story by one hell of a woman. Soldier. Single mom. Survivor. Shoshana Johnson is a true American hero. Her memoir is a compelling, inspirational read."

"Shoshana Johnson survived ambush, injury, captivity, and colleagues' deaths in the early days of the Iraq conflict with grit, dignity, and reflective grace. In I'm Still Standing, she tells her story with the same moving and admirable qualities."

"I'm Still Standing is Johnson's brutally honest account of the horrors of battle, the deprivations of captivity, and, finally, the sheer jubilation of freedom. What makes Johnson's inspiring tale required reading for Americans, in and out of uniform, is her great heart. Its triumphant beat is felt on every page of this important book."

"Johnson endured her captivity with courage and emerged with honor. With the help of former army reservist Doyle, she vividly, simply, and unpretentiously tells her tale."

"Johnson writes of the horror of...uncertainty, of the unending boredom of days with nothing to do but imagine the worst scenarios...She also includes the more mundane details of the prisoners' grim existence...Events after Johnson's return to the US were at times nearly as emotionally devastating as her ordeal in Iraq...Yet Shoshana Johnson proves with this book that she is, in fact, still standing."

"A well-told memoir of captivity and recovery."

"Shoshana Johnson's story is unsettling, scary, powerful, and brilliant--a story of a life-threatening milestone that must be told to benefit others, both women and men."

Shoshana Johnson is an American 'shero' whose story of tragedy and survival is an inspiration to many who have served and are serving in the United States Armed Forces. I am honored to have met Shoshana, my fellow veteran, and afforded the opportunity to read her miraculous story.

Shoshana Johnson, America's first black female prisoner of war, shares the story of her capture and imprisonment in Iraq and her rescue.

On March 23, 2003, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Johnson was in a convoy that was ambushed in the city of An Nasiriyah. Wounded, she and five fellow soldiers were captured and taken as prisoners of war. They were rescued by US Marines on April 13 and she returned to the US decorated and honorably discharged.

Now, after years of coming to terms with her story, Johnson recounts with full candor exactly what happened to her and her fellow soldiers during the twenty-two days of their captivity, which none of them have told because of a military gag order. Her perspective of the ambush is revealing and her insight into life as a female POW inspirational.