Traverse City Record-Eagle

Grand Traverse County

Related Photos

  • Jan-Michael Stump

    DOUG STANTON
May 28, 2009

Local author to appear at Opera House

Doug Stanton will discuss 'Horse Soldiers'

BY LINDSAY VANHULLE

TRAVERSE CITY -- Local author Doug Stanton will discuss his latest book, "Horse Soldiers," tonight at the City Opera House, accompanied by a U.S. Army Special Forces colonel featured in the work.

Col. Mark Mitchell will join Stanton beginning at 7 p.m. to talk about the book, the military and current events in the Middle East.

Tickets still are available. They cost $10 for adults and $5 for students, with a $1 box office fee. Any proceeds will go to the Pathfinder School in Leelanau County.

A reception will be held afterward in the Opera House lobby, with food and drink provided and a chance to meet both Stanton and Mitchell.

The event wraps a month-long book tour in support of "Horse Soldiers," which took six years to write and arrived in bookstores May 5. The book describes an important battle of the war in Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001.

Panel discussions are "important ways for us to learn more about what's going on, you know, south of Clare," Stanton said. "It's a rare opportunity to talk to someone who was one of the first Americans to be in Afghanistan after 9/11."

Stanton said he anticipates the event being less a lecture and more an informal discussion. He will read passages from the book during the event.

His appearance will be filmed for C-SPAN's Book TV.

"We wanted to do something different with this," he said. "It's really going to be more a discussion about what happened in Afghanistan in 2001 and emerging events today overseas."

Books will be available for sale at the Opera House, said Amy Reynolds, sales manager for Horizon Books in Traverse City. Most, if not all, will contain his signature, and Stanton will be available for personalized messages afterward.

But, Reynolds said, "We're really trying to keep him away from a table."

Customers can leave copies with store employees for Stanton to sign later.

A traditional book signing will take place at 2 p.m. June 6 at Borders in Traverse City.

Text Only