"A gripping memoir" — Foreword Reviews

“Dylan writes his own story with stunning power and poetry, and makes a clear case that long-term survival for anyone can only be found in the deep connections we make to the people in our lives. This is one hell of a powerful, unputdownable read that will no doubt find comparisons to other great titles in the pantheon of war like Dispatches, Jarhead, and The Things They Carried.” —Rick Cleveland, Emmy-winning writer, The West Wing and Six Feet Under

“Roadside captures the gritty reality of combat and its aftermath, laying bare the raw essence of war. This unflinching account is an odyssey of endurance, delving into the heart of what it means to serve, survive, and return. Highly recommended for anyone seeking to understand the true cost of conflict.” —Colby Buzzell, author of My War: Killing Time in Iraq and Lost in America

“An unsparing and devastating account of the wars being fought for the soul of both Iraq and America. With grace, humility, and more than a touch of wit, Park-Pettiford maps the parallels between his ancestral generational trauma and the trauma that has spanned multiple generations of US soldiers from the Korean War to our current forever wars. Above all, Roadside is a much-needed reminder that inside almost every phony tough guy in uniform, every nihilistic killer in Uncle Sam’s war machine, is a good kid desperately clawing to get out.” —Miles Lagoze, author of Whistles from the Graveyard and director of Combat Obscura

“An indelible story of war and survival.Roadside is a portrait of America, its wars, and the kids who fight them. It is also a map of the funny, tortured, and heartbreaking journey they must undertake if they want to return home.” —Elliot Ackerman, award-winning author of On Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning

“Roadside is a sharp, bright-eyed reckoning with war, identity, and the absurdity of trying to fit back into a world that never really fit to begin with. Park-Pettiford navigates the long, strange road of reintegration—not with solemn nods to heroism, but with dark humor, raw honesty, and an eye for the moments of grace that appear when you least expect them. From the heat of Iraq to the neon glow of roadside motels, from family ghosts to barstool confessions, Roadside is a memoir about survival, contradiction, and finding your own way home—on your own terms.” —Matt Young, author of Eat the Apple