Solitary: The Crash, Captivity and Comeback of an Ace Fighter Pilot

Praise for Giora Romm's Solitary "Fighter pilots tell the greatest stories and the great ones tell the best stories of all...Solitary is a great addition to any library dedicated to the art of war or the ability to retain one's humanity in the most inhuman circumstances." -Pat Conroy, bestselling author of The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and his Son "This book is not only among the finest war writing ever but, like Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, Solitary sits alongside the most profound reflections on the resilience and capacity of the human soul." -Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of Gates of Fire and The War of Art "A story of survival, Solitary is proof, needed today more than ever, that no matter the pit or prison, the human spirit can endure. I anxiously await the day my own sons are old enough to read it." -Rich Cohen, bestselling author of Tough Jews and The Avengers "A magnificent triumph of the human spirit. Solitary is a truly rare, firsthand glimpse into the hellish life and psyche of an elite warrior turned prisoner of war. I was captivated from the first page to the last." -Sean Parnell, bestselling author of Outlaw Platoon "Solitary is simultaneously heart-breaking and encouraging, incredibly cringe-worthy and compelling, and both depressing and inspiring. It's grabs you immediately, and doesn't let go until you're finished." -Tucker Max, bestselling author of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell "Solitary is a gutsy story of one man's survival, endurance, and strength of will as Romm overcomes all odds to once again pilot a jet fighter in combat." --Larry Alexander, bestselling co-author of A Higher Call "You will tear through this book..." -Ryan Holliday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way "I am dangling beneath my parachute. Gazing down from a height of 10,000 feet, knowing I am going to be killed in less than fifteen minutes, I feel great sorrow for myself. None of my fellow pilots who've parachuted into the Nile Delta have survived the encounter with the welcoming committee below, and I have no reason to think my fate will be any different." -- Giora Romm, Solitary In June 1967, Lt. Giora Romm shot down five MiGs in the Six Day War. This remarkable feat made Romm, at twenty-two years old, the Israel Air Force's first fighter ace. Just two years and a half years later, in another dogfight, Romm's Mirage jet was shot down over the Nile Delta. With one arm broken and the opposite leg shattered by violent ejection from the aircraft, Romm collected himself and prepared for the worst. If his captors discovered his "Hero of the Six Day War" identity, Romm would become the most prized propaganda tool in the Arab-Israeli conflict, bar none. How he maintained his sanity in solitary confinement, in a plaster cast that extended from his toes to his chest, while suffering beatings and daily interrogation, strains comprehension. Solitary is destined to become mandatory reading not just at military academies and synagogues, but in hospices, rehabilitation centers and creative writing programs around the world.