The Last Assignment: A Novel of Dickey Chapelle

by Erika Robuck

Overview

From bestselling author Erika Robuck comes the perilous and awe-inspiring true story of award-winning photojournalist Dickey Chapelle as she risks everything to show the American people the price of war through the lens of her camera.

Manhattan, 1954.

Since her arrest for disobeying orders and going ashore at Iwo Jima almost a decade earlier, combat correspondent Georgette "Dickey" Chapelle has been unmoored. Her military accreditation revoked, her marriage failing, and her savings dwindling, Dickey jumps at the next opportunity. In the aftermath of a an assignment gone wrong, a flame is lit deep inside Dickey—to survive in order to be the world's witness to war from the front lines.

Never content to report on battles unless her own boots are on the ground, Dickey and her camera journey with American and international soldiers from frozen wastelands to raging seas to luscious jungles, revealing one woman's extraordinary courage and tenacity in the face of discrimination and danger. And it's along the way, in Dickey's desire to save the world, she realizes she might also be saving herself. 

At a time when a woman's heroic spirit often gave way to homeland reality, Dickey blazed a trail for the revolutionary hearts inside us all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781464238970
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	08/19/2025
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.37(d)

About the Author

Erika Robuck is the national bestselling author of historical fiction including The Last Twelve Miles and The Invisible Woman. In 2024 she was named a Maryland Writer’s Association Notable Writer and won the Anne Arundel County Arts Council Literary Award. A photography enthusiast, she resides in Annapolis with her husband and three sons.

Editorial Reviews

"In The Last Assignment, Erika Robuck brings to life Georgette 'Dickey' Chapelle, a fiercely daring photographer who dedicated her life to capturing history through her lens. In an era when female photographers were often overlooked, Dickey took extraordinary risks—crossing borders in Hungary, confronting communists in Cuba, parachuting into Laos—all in pursuit of one goal: to tell the truth to the American public. Vivid and compelling, rich with historical significance and sharp-edged like Dickey’s own haunting snapshots, The Last Assignment offers not only a gripping account of the tumultuous events of the 1960s, but also serves as an elegiac anthem for a woman who lived boldly on her own terms, and lives on as a legend." — Weina Dai Randel, the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Last Rose of Shanghai and The Master Jeweler

"Dickey Chapelle covered the Cold War like no other—risking her life and sacrificing her safety to tell the stories of those fighting for freedom on the front lines. Robuck's sweeping prose gives new depth to this larger-than-life figure, whose legacy deserves a place in the pantheon of American heroes. From start to finish, The Last Assignment pulls readers into Dickey's heart-pounding narrative of war and peace. " — Lorissa Rinehart, Historian and critically acclaimed author of First to the Front: The Untold Story of Dickey Chapelle, Trailblazing Female War Correspondent

"The Last Assignment exquisitely captures the daring exploits and risks of real-life combat correspondent Georgette "Dickey" Chapelle in a way that is relatable, heartfelt, and impactful. Erika Robuck is a master of her craft in detailing the lives of real women who have left their mark on history and this book is no different. Brilliantly researched and written with incredible skill and heart, this story is a testament to the power of Dickey’s determination to share the suffering of those in need with the world." — Madeline Martin, New York Times and International Bestselling Author of The Booklover's Library

"Compelling and exhilarating, Erika Robuck’s The Last Assignment brings to life the extraordinary story of one of war journalism’s most daring figures, Georgette “Dickey” Chapelle, a trailblazing photojournalist whose determination to bear witness to the brutal realities of war left us with a deeper understanding of the human cost of conflict. I loved learning about this incredible woman." — Whitney Scharer, bestselling author of The Age of Light

"Full of passion, courage, and surprises, Dickey Chapelle is a firecracker of a main character! The Last Assignment takes us on a wild ride around the globe with one of the twentieth century's most fascinating photojournalists. I couldn't put this book down. " — Elise Hooper, author of The Library of Lost Dollhouses

From the Publisher