How does Stephen Rodrick manage to produce writing that is raw, heartbreaking, and beautifully-controlled, all at once, and on that most difficult of all topics: fathers and sons? Find out for yourself—it’s time very well spent!
The Magical Stranger is one of the realest and best books I’ve read in the past several years.
Fascinating . . . . An exemplary piece of modern reportage.
Stephen Rodrick finds words for what I thought was inexpressible: the private language of a military family that experiences the worst kind of loss and finally creates a path forward. There’s no more authentic account of a military family. Required reading for an America that is continually considering the cost of combat.
Stephen Rodrick’s poignant tale blends memoir, reportage, and clean, crisp, unsentimental prose to produce a book that makes you think, even at times makes you laugh, but in the end tears your heart out. A truly fabulous book.
This memoir of a son’s search to know his father is deeply moving, important and beautifully written. Rodrick has reminded us that the casualties of war remain long after the last mission is won.
Journalist Rodrick's powerful debut chronicles the long, difficult process of coming to terms with the untimely death of his father, a Navy pilot. Black Ravens squadron commander Peter Rodrick was just 36 in 1979, when his airplane went down in the Indian Ocean. After his son turned the same age in 2002, Stephen's then-wife told him that he wouldn't be "a proper father" until he "made peace" with his dad. The younger Rodrick tried, writing an article about Navy pilots on the Kitty Hawk, his father's last ship, but Pete remained the enigmatic "magical stranger" of his childhood. The peacemaking task didn't begin in earnest until Stephen received an invitation to a ceremony involving Pete's old squadron in 2009. Getting to know the Black Ravens' newly commissioned commander, James Hunter Ware III, he realized, would help him better understand his father. The resulting narrative weaves between Rodrick's memories of a brilliant, mysterious father and his account of Ware's personal and professional trials in the same job. Peter Rodrick was a dedicated officer and fearless "cowboy" pilot, but he left the task of guiding his wayward son to a beleaguered wife against whom Stephen battled throughout his childhood and adolescence. By contrast, Ware struggled with his competing allegiances to the Navy and a wife who had sacrificed everything for him. Through his examination of both men's lives, the author came to accept his father and understand that the accident was not the result of Pete's "sin" of reckless bravado. Finding closure with his father's death, he could finally acknowledge the quietly heroic role of his mother. It was ultimately she, he concludes, who made him "worthy" of the Rodrick name. Candid and affecting.
In this penetrating blend of memoir and reportage, Rodrick spends nearly two years with his father’s former squadron, seeking a better understanding of the man he knew all too briefly.” — The New York Times Book Review
“Fascinating . . . . An exemplary piece of modern reportage.” — Tom Bissell, Harper's
“The Magical Stranger is one of the realest and best books I’ve read in the past several years.” — Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
“The Magical Stranger is the true story of a boy chasing a ghost and stumbling into manhood. It is heartbreaking and funny, broken and hopeful, often on the same page.” — Judd Apatow
“Stephen Rodrick’s The Magical Stranger illuminates the innate ties between fathers and sons in a fresh and fascinating way. . . . Rodrick’s firsthand knowledge thoroughly transports the reader into the hearts and minds of U.S. servicemen and their families.” — Norman Ollestad, author of Crazy for the Storm
“Stephen Rodrick finds words for what I thought was inexpressible: the private language of a military family that experiences the worst kind of loss and finally creates a path forward. There’s no more authentic account of a military family. Required reading for an America that is continually considering the cost of combat.” — Alison Buckholtz, author of Standing By
“Stephen Rodrick exhibits courage, Catch-22 comedic flair, and unfailing emotional grasp in telling this powerful and surprising story. Anyone who wants to understand the sacrifices made by military families should read this book.” — Lily Burana, author of I Love a Man in Uniform
“Stephen Rodrick’s poignant tale blends memoir, reportage, and clean, crisp, unsentimental prose to produce a book that makes you think, even at times makes you laugh, but in the end tears your heart out. A truly fabulous book.” — Robert Timberg, author of The Nightingale's Song
“How does Stephen Rodrick manage to produce writing that is raw, heartbreaking, and beautifully-controlled, all at once, and on that most difficult of all topics: fathers and sons? Find out for yourself—it’s time very well spent!” — Sean Wilsey, author of Oh the Glory of It All
“A wrenching, fascinating memoir, The Magical Stranger captures the elusive, sometimes crushing unease that haunts the lives of military families. It is written with the pace of a thriller and the emotional density of first-rate fiction.” — Blake Bailey, author of Cheever
“This memoir of a son’s search to know his father is deeply moving, important and beautifully written. Rodrick has reminded us that the casualties of war remain long after the last mission is won.” — Danielle Trussoni, author of Falling Through the Earth
“A powerful debut. . . . Candid and affecting.” — Kirkus
“An engaging and immersive look at the dynamics of military units and the dual lives servicemen and women lead. . . all viewed through a crisp journalistic lens that helps Rodrick separate myth from reality.” — Publishers Weekly
“Stephen Rodrick is possibly the best prose stylist alive.” — Wil S. Hylton, author of Vanished
Stephen Rodrick exhibits courage, Catch-22 comedic flair, and unfailing emotional grasp in telling this powerful and surprising story. Anyone who wants to understand the sacrifices made by military families should read this book.
The Magical Stranger is the true story of a boy chasing a ghost and stumbling into manhood. It is heartbreaking and funny, broken and hopeful, often on the same page.
Stephen Rodrick’s The Magical Stranger illuminates the innate ties between fathers and sons in a fresh and fascinating way. . . . Rodrick’s firsthand knowledge thoroughly transports the reader into the hearts and minds of U.S. servicemen and their families.
A wrenching, fascinating memoir, The Magical Stranger captures the elusive, sometimes crushing unease that haunts the lives of military families. It is written with the pace of a thriller and the emotional density of first-rate fiction.
Stephen Rodrick is possibly the best prose stylist alive.
An engaging and immersive look at the dynamics of military units and the dual lives servicemen and women lead. . . all viewed through a crisp journalistic lens that helps Rodrick separate myth from reality.
A powerful debut. . . . Candid and affecting.
