"River City One deftly encapsulates the feeling of entering back into society after a deployment: the longing and guilt, the restlessness and regret. An unsentimental deconstruction of love and the memory of war, and how society's arbitrary demonstration of patriotism leaves you feeling like a ghost in a strange town. An embodiment of the veteran experience."

– Miles Lagoze, critically acclaimed director of Combat Obscura and author of Whistles from the Graveyard

"River City One deftly encapsulates the feeling of entering back into society after a deployment: the longing and guilt, the restlessness and regret. An unsentimental deconstruction of love and the memory of war, and how society's arbitrary demonstration of patriotism leaves you feeling like a ghost in a strange town. An embodiment of the veteran experience."

– Miles Lagoze, critically acclaimed director of Combat Obscura and author of Whistles from the Graveyard

“John Waters renders real a fictional account of what it's like to attempt to live an ordinary life after experiencing the extraordinary thumbprint of war. With rich prose and a touch of the surreal, Waters tells a story that will make you reflect on your own life, as all great stories do. River City One is an utterly human story that demands to be read.”

– Kacy Tellessen, Eugene Sledge Award-winning author of Freaks of a Feather: A Marine Grunts Memoir

"River City One is a story about navigating life’s new expectations following war time experiences. John Walker, a character epitomizing a large population of veterans, uncomfortably finds himself sleepwalking through life, all while longing 'to feel happy.'
While the story is a fiction, it is told by a Marine veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, which weaves a relatability and authenticity in the story that the current GWOT (Global War on Terror) generation appreciates.

The problems facing veterans returning from war often has to do with purpose. Not often acknowledged, but understood by those who have been there, full-blown daily combat fades out all other problems. The warrior becomes completely present. All of life’s other problems cease to exist. I know this from first-hand experience.

The struggle to find purpose within the monotony of daily life following war is a story worth contemplating. What were we fighting for? Was it worth it?

As John Walker found out, those questions are not easily answered."

– Frmr. Lt. Col., USMC, Stuart Scheller and author of Crisis of Command: How We Lost Trust and Confidence in America's Generals and Politicians

"This book is very good. It tells the story of an adrift war vet, trying but failing to appreciate home's comforts. A bit like a modern Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, but darker, more unsparing. Well done."

– Matthew Gallagher