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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Specialist Shoshana Johnson, author of I’m Still Standing

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
ShoShana Johnson, author of I’m Still Standing: From Captive Soldier to Free Citizen – My Journey Home
(Touchstone Books / Simon & Schuster)

In the earliest days of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, the world was shaken by reports of a deadly ambush on a U.S. Army convoy on its way to Baghdad. The 507th Maintenance Company, a combat service support unit, was brutally attacked by a well-armed mob of civilians. Eleven people were killed; Shoshana Johnson, an army cook, and four others were captured and held prisoner for 22 days.

I’m Still Standing: From Captive Soldier to Free Citizen – My Journey Home is Johnson’s extraordinary chronicle of her captivity, while providing a revealing eyewitness account of her experiences as a POW. It is a rare view of one of the key incidents of the war in Iraq. Told with candor and insight, I’m Still Standing is Johnson’s deeply personal account of how she survived.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write I’m Still Standing?

ShoShana Johnson: My family were big cheerleaders/advocates for me to write a book, and I was really tired of people telling me what happened to me or telling others what happened.

JP: What sets I’m Still Standing apart from other books in its genre?

SJ: I feel that I really put myself out there in the book and also there haven’t been many female POW’s in the modern era of warfare, so it makes my experience unique.

JP: What has been the response from the readers of I’m Still Standing? What is the most memorable thing that a reader has expressed to you in regards to I’m Still Standing?

SJ: Most people have been very supportive, but not all. The most memorable thing came from a female that was in the same battalion as myself. She said that after reading the book, she got a good understanding of what happened.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish I’m Still Standing?

SJ: There is a ghost writer, so the main process for me was just digging deep and putting myself on the line. The process took almost four years with different publishers and ghost writers. I felt I had to stay true to myself, whether other people liked it or not.

JP: What’s next for Shoshana Johnson?

SJ: Finishing culinary school, being the best Pastry Chef out there, maybe getting a bachelors degree in food science. Sharing my love of cooking is a big thing for me.

http://www.shoshanajohnson.com/
http://twitter.com/msshoshana
Facebook: I’m Still Standing

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9 thoughts on “5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Specialist Shoshana Johnson, author of I’m Still Standing”

  1. I would love to read this to hear Shoshana Johnson side of this terrible pain she suffered not just the injuries from the bombing, but the injuries from the news media and the negative way she was treated when she came back to states to withstand all of this and being able to write about it makes her a real hero no matter what others think.

  3. ONE of the first FIVE people to comment on this author interview will win a free copy of the book.

    Here is the list of people who are in the running for a FREE copy of I’m Still Standing by Shoshana Johnson.

    1) Folake Taylor
    2) Joyce Dickerson
    3) ???
    4) ???
    5) ???

    Leave a comment about your thoughts on the interview.

  5. Wow, I remember hearing on the news about the capture. A first hand recount of the events as they unfolded would be awesome to read, while at the same time heart wrenching to read what our soliders have gone through.

  7. I’m very interested in reading Ms. Johnson’s story. What she suffered through was overshadowed by the other POW’s exaggerated tale of events. I think she should really promote her book so she’ll never be forgotten.

  8. ONE of the first FIVE people to comment on this author interview will win a free copy of the book.

    Here is the list of people who are in the running for a FREE copy of I’m Still Standing by Shoshana Johnson.

    1) Folake Taylor
    2) Joyce Dickerson
    3) Jennifer C.
    4) Clarita S.
    5) Marchieta

    Leave a comment about your thoughts on the interview.

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