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The Water Above
FROM A BEER HALL IN SCHENECTADY TO THE CORK LINED ROOM IN MONTMARTRE TO CHU LAI IN VIETNAM TO THE NEUROPSYCHIATRIC WARDS IN BOSTON TO THE CIVIL WAR IN BEIRUT -- DAVID'S LAST HURRAH: THE WATER ABOVE.
This is a story, in the main, about an American family, exiled from the market place in Connecticut and dropped into Lebanon–one of the most violent civil wars of the 20th century. A child was born, two evacuations were effected, several detentions, a kidnapping as well as occasional self inflicted abuse by the protagonists. But this story is more ambitious than that; it is also an abiding eye on the great presumption of an ‘exceptional’ America to pervade the Middle East with its influence and the evident failures of such hopes. ‘The Water Above’ heralds the new era before America as well as what values Americans will carry forth as illustrated by one such foot soldier of western civilization.
Eminently modern but equally eminently American as Tocqueville’s protagonist who in his soul, remains ‘delinked, free and tragic’.
COVER CREDITS TO GRAY JACOBIK
Gray Jacobik is a painter and poet who works in various mediums and styles. The cover art, ” The Water Above the Firmament” is one of her encaustic paintings Visit Her Website
Endorsements
David Holdridge has written an irresistible tale of war, madness, love, devotion, and the moral quagmires of American imperialism and international aid. A story of "recuperative wanderings" after Vietnam and work overseas, his protagonist's personal, familial, and political agonies are powerfully rendered, and triumphs hard-won. Our grand narratives, thought to be over, are brought back to life through Michael’s voice, whose thoughts, visions, and dreams of hallucinatory intensity contemporize the genius of the greats (Dickens, Joyce, Twain) while giving the reader a rare insider perspective into today's crises of military intervention and masculinity. The Water Above is a masterpiece.
Virginia Konchan is the author of four poetry collections and a collection of short stories. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New Republic.
David Holdridge writes with a gritty realism that sometimes feels like a punch in the gut. You don’t so much read about his characters as you experience them as they seek love, adventure, danger and meaning in an always perilous post World War II world, one he knows well from his lifelong predilection to bed down with the benighted in God Forsaken places. His are not imagined or armchair descriptions of survival in the war-torn Middle East or being blown up in combat. He’s been there, and he brings you along with him with gripping prose.
W.E. "Bill" Barnes views the world from his perspective as former political editor and columnist for the San Francisco Examiner, and Contributing Editor for Time magazine.
A brilliant, moving, globe-hopping memoir, The Water Above bravely chronicles the journey of a man who is trying to make sense of America’s role in the world, raise a family and lend aid to the victims of the violent civil war in Lebanon – all at the same time. Author David Holdridge follows up on his award-winning Avant Gard of Western Civilization with a deeper, more personal account of his life – that of an idealistic young man intent on advancing the best of America values. What he meets along the way – in Vietnam, Connecticut, Lebanon and in the offices of relief agencies throughout the Middle East – is intense, frustrating, heart-wrenching, and inspiring. And makes for a rich and rollicking read that reminds me of a modern-day Candide by Voltaire with echoes of the film A Year of Living Dangerously.
Ralph Pezzullo is the bestselling author of over two dozen books including Jawbreaker, Zero Footprint and Saigon, an award-winning playwright, and host and producer of the popular podcast Heroes Behind Headlines.
The call to service is something that some ignore, others do when it's convenient or easy, and still others do regardless of the risk or cost because it's the right thing to do. David Holdridge is in that third, and most admirable category. Serving both in combat and in humanitarian roles, he has volunteered to be in some of the most hazardous places on earth, yet he has managed to maintain both his humanity and his humility. I met David when he was serving in the chaos of a crumbling Iraq, struggling each day to help civilians caught in the middle and risking his life on a daily basis to do so. Those who have engaged in service as well as those who might not be able to imagine what that life is like, will gain insights and perhaps inspiration from David's personal example and writings.
Congressman Brian Baird served 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and is the founder and chair of the National Museum and Center for Service, an organization dedicated to honoring and inspiring service in ALL its forms. During his time in Congress Dr. Baird visited Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, and Sarajevo among other places.
Dr. Baird holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, specializing in neuropsychology, and he has served as a university president and department chair.