[jessefan]

http://www.dailymail.com/news/News/2003103038/

Interest
in book strong
Bookstores expect Lynch story
to be high in demand

Brad McElhinny <bradmc@dailymail.com>
Daily Mail staff

Thursday October 30, 2003; 10:00 AM

With a book signing by Pfc. Jessica Lynch and best-selling author Rick Bragg already scheduled for Charleston's Taylor Books, area bookstores are preparing for heavy interest in Lynch's biography.

Taylor Books has an order of 250 copies ready to be shipped into the store and expects to have more shipped in for the signing. The book signing with Lynch and Bragg is scheduled for Nov. 14, the same week the book is released.

"We have taken some advance orders for her biography," said store manager Kyla Hilton. "We've had a lot of interest in Rick Bragg."

Lynch's book, "I Am a Soldier, Too," is to be released Nov. 11, which is Veterans Day. Even before its release, Amazon.com already ranks the book 2,084th in sales.

Because Lynch is from Wirt County, local interest is heavy for her story of being rescued from an Iraqi hospital after her 507th Maintenance Unit was ambushed during the war in Iraq.

Bragg is the best-selling author of his own memoir, "All Over But the Shoutin'." The Pulitzer Prize winner also is controversial. He parted ways with the New York Times this year after revelations that a freelancer had done most of the research for one of Bragg's newspaper stories, but got no credit.

The publicity push for the book is starting already. This week, ABC News's Diane Sawyer interviewed Lynch in Parkersburg for an exclusive that is scheduled to air Nov. 11 -- the same day as the book's release.

After the ABC broadcast, the Army supply clerk has agreed to interviews on several national television programs. To this point, she has spoken publicly only at a brief news conference the day she returned to Wirt County.

"‘I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story' is the story this country has hungered for, as told by Lynch herself to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Rick Bragg," according to the promotional text on the Amazon.com Web site.

"In it, she tells what really happened in the ambush; what really happened in the hospital; what really happened, from her perspective, on the night of the rescue.

"More than this, the collaboration between Lynch and Bragg captures who she is and where she's from: her childhood in Palestine, West Virginia, a lovely, rugged stretch of land always referred to as the hollow, where she rode horses, played softball and was crowned Miss Congeniality at the Wirt County Fair the same year the steer she raised took a ribbon."

Waldenbooks at the Charleston Town Center will have a display of Lynch's book at the very front of the store, said manager Amber Heine.

"It'll be the first thing people see," Heine said. "I think people will be interested in it even if just to pick it up and take a look at it."

B. Dalton in the Town Center mall has ordered 50 percent more copies of Lynch's biography than it would for a typical release, manager Marshall Nelson said.

"I've gotten a few phone calls on it already," Nelson said. "It has more interest than usual for a non-fiction book. I think it will probably do well for the holidays."

People browsing in the store said they were likely to read the book.

"I've thought about it -- just so I can get the true facts of what went on," said Lisa Stover of Cross Lanes. "There's just a lot unknown about what went on during the capture. It could be a very interesting book to read, just to know her thoughts and what was going through her mind."

Clay County resident Kenneth Tucker also was considering reading the book.

"I think a lot of people would," Tucker said. "I think it will do quite well. A lot of people are intrigued by it."

Meanwhile, the Iraqi lawyer who led American soldiers to Lynch's rescue has released his own book. The book, "Because Each Life is Precious: Why an Iraqi Man Came to Risk Everything for Pvt. Jessica Lynch," by Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief was released Oct. 17.

It isn't exactly a best-seller so far, though. The book was ranked only 7,096 on Amazon's sales chart, and local bookshops said they had sold very few copies even though al-Rehaief visited West Virginia this week.

[EricHorner]

QUOTE

Meanwhile, the Iraqi lawyer who led American soldiers to Lynch's rescue has released his own book. The book, "Because Each Life is Precious: Why an Iraqi Man Came to Risk Everything for Pvt. Jessica Lynch," by Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief was released Oct. 17.

We have just finished reading this book and highly recommend it. If anyone thinks we don't need to be in Iraq - just read what goes on there on a daily basis - the fear these people live with every single day - the horrible tragedy that happened to Mohammed's young daughter. As a free American - I can't imagine living with the fear these people have under Saddam Hussein's rule. As we read this book - we took everything with a "grain of salt" - some of it is hard to believe - but it was still a very good read.

Maybe one reason the book isn't selling so well is because the bookstores are not displaying it. It took us 30 minutes to find the book in Books-A Million. The staff had no idea where it was - finally found it stacked up on the floor.

We look forward to reading Jessi's book. We can only hope that once her book is out - that soon her life will become her own again and not dictated by attorney's and publicists.

[Soprano84]

QUOTE (EricHorner @ Oct 30 2003, 01:31 PM)

We look forward to reading Jessi's book. We can only hope that once her book is out - that soon her life will become her own again and not dictated by attorney's and publicists.

Unfortunately, that won't happen until she stops getting mentioned in the media...my guess is within a year she'll be more or less able to live a media free life, unless she does something -- no matter how minor -- that gets her name in public again...God forbid she had a minor traffic accident five years from now...

As far as the horror of Saddam's Iraq...I just saw a video from that era on Fox...among other things it showed Fedayyeen throwing men off a building...with their hands bound behind their back...one guy landed on his head.

[randy]

Eric/Debby, it is good to see a post from you guys again. Mohammed is a very colorful character, with an apparent sense of humor. I really don't think he exaggerated life in Iraq, but he did provide his perspective and his stories.

In the early part of the book he spoke briefly of life in Iraq before Saddam. It sounded like an old testament story to me, and realizing that hindsight provides the purest 20/20 I can see the comparison he was making. I don't know, but his depiction seemed real to me.

Jessica is probably having a pretty good time since what she is doing is by choice. I doubt that she is burdened by the attorney/publicist, or Ricky Bragg. I am sure it is different for her now than what was ever conceived in her mind as she was growing up. Now the crutches, and the pain, and the unprovoked mistreatment by anti-American people, that would be a burden.

I think that she is a very sweet person, with a lot of good in her heart. I think that she has put some very good people around her, and I bet they are her friends!

I see what you are saying though, I just hope that what I shared here is closer to the way it is.

[tekteam26]

I had the same problem finding Mohammed's book also. It took me driving to two separate Barnes and Nobles before they could even find any copies in the back room...and none set out on the floor. Is someone trying to hide what this good man has to say?

Jerry Hall

[jean]

QUOTE

We can only hope that once her book is out - that soon her life will become her own again and not dictated by attorney's and publicists

She's gone from being controlled by the military, and to some/a lot of extent probably still is, to being controlled by agents, publicists, etc - all of whom are doing her no favours.

She was in a position that she could have signed any kind of deal - including a book deal where she would have maintained control. but, probably through advice she obviously signed a deal where other people took control yet again.

They went after her at a time when she was unable to defend herself, and now they have their claws into her they're not going to let her go in a hurry.

I mean, we've had several versions of why she didnt' meet the lawyer -

First it was

QUOTE

http://story.news.ya...sicabackspowpal Lynch, who has signed a book deal and is negotiating movie rights

Then it was

QUOTE

http://story.news.ya..._lynch_lawyer_1 Al-Rehaief plans to visit Lynch's home county on Monday, but no meeting has been arranged with the Lynches.  Lynch's attorney, Stephen Goodwin, said Lynch is still going to rehabilitation five days a week and has commitments related to the release of her upcoming book.

QUOTE

Then it was because Jessica Lynch wanted to meet him in private

- which is fine - but why didn't they say that from the very beginning?

QUOTE

And now it's because her agent and his agent COULD NOT AGREE.

All of which doesn't present her in a very good light.

It's not up to them. It could have been done in private to the point where people could have been lead to believe they wouldn't meet and only found out after the event.

She needs to rein in her representatives - they are doing her absolutely no favours.

This pattern is very much like what happened with how she was injured and treated by Iraqis. Now her own representatives are behaving the same way - changing stories and can't seem to make up their minds...

I feel very sorry for her. I just hope she is as ok as she seems and that she isn't putting a brave front on.

On a more positive note, is this an indication she must be nearly healed and in pretty good emotional strength and also a sign of other things if she's going to be doing more than one interview and book signings in the space of a week? And I believe one or two interviews will be live. This is surely a very good sign of where she's at in her convalescence?

Unless she's being pushed too quickly...which could set her back...

That being said is it really necessary to have her do several interviews - I am sure there will be a lot of overlap on the content of those interviews - there's only so many ways you can ask the same questions and give the same answers. And some of the content of the interviews will be in the book anyway. Surely it would be better for her continuing convalescence to just do one big interview and leave it at that? Whilst I am assuming she is well on the mend, she is still not 100%. I personally think Larry King should have been the one to interview her first - his will be by far the best interview out of the handful of US interviewers that I have heard of.

[jessefan]

QUOTE

If anyone thinks we don't need to be in Iraq - just read what goes on there on a daily basis - the fear these people live with every single day

That is what I keep seeing again and again from THE TROOPS. Regardless of how low any of them may happin to feel at any given moment, they have almost uniformly said getting rid of Saddam was justification enough for them to be there.

[patience2]

QUOTE (EricHorner @ Oct 30 2003, 01:31 PM)

QUOTE Meanwhile, the Iraqi lawyer who led American soldiers to Lynch's rescue has released his own book. The book, "Because Each Life is Precious: Why an Iraqi Man Came to Risk Everything for Pvt. Jessica Lynch," by Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief was released Oct. 17. We have just finished reading this book and highly recommend it. If anyone thinks we don't need to be in Iraq - just read what goes on there on a daily basis - the fear these people live with every single day - the horrible tragedy that happened to Mohammed's young daughter. As a free American - I can't imagine living with the fear these people have under Saddam Hussein's rule. As we read this book - we took everything with a "grain of salt" - some of it is hard to believe - but it was still a very good read. We look forward to reading Jessi's book. We can only hope that once her book is out - that soon her life will become her own again and not dictated by attorney's and publicists.

I agree with all you have said.
I also noticed when I browsed the book table at Sam's Club, that his book was not being sold there.