Ryan Smithson

Ryan Smithson joined the Army Corps of Engineers following 9/11 and was deployed to Iraq in 2004. Upon returning home, he began writing his memoir, Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI (HarperCollins, 2009), which was nominated as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. It is required reading in high schools and colleges across the country, and was adapted for the stage by the Griffin Theatre in Chicago.

Ryan Smithson joined the Army Corps of Engineers following 9/11 and was deployed to Iraq in 2004. Upon returning home, he began writing his memoir, Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI (HarperCollins, 2009), which was nominated as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. It is required reading in high schools and colleges across the country, and was adapted for the stage by the Griffin Theatre in Chicago. See less