The story of an ordinary soldier who walked away from the war in Iraq

In 2002, a young man from Oklahoma signed up with the US Army to provide a better life for his family. A year later Private First Class Joshua Key was sent to Iraq. He quickly discovered the war did not mean fighting terrorists and evildoers as he had expected.

After months of active duty, Key returned home for a holiday and made the decision to desert. For a further fourteen months the Key family was on the run from US authorities before finding asylum in Canada.

The Deserter’s Tale is an unflinchingly honest and devastating account of the Iraq war witnessed by a soldier who was in the front line.

Praise for The Deserter's Tale:

'Moving and revealing.’

— Sunday Times

‘Lawrence Hill, the award-winning Canadian novelist and journalist who helped Key write The Deserter's Tale, does a marvelous job preserving Key's authentic voice. The writing is fluid, crisp and compelling. The story is shocking. Key provides an unvarnished and gut-wrenching account of his company's “war on terrorism”—complete with beatings and mistreatment of Iraqi civilians, outright looting and even killings…The Deserter's Tale is not for the faint of heart.'

— Gazette (Montreal)

'The power of this tale is that Key’s personal crisis is also the crisis of his nation.’

— Age

‘It’s like reading Elmore Leonard.’

— Weekend Australian

‘A frightening and sobering account…a powerful eyewitness description of war atrocities performed under the risible banner of democracy.’

— Big Issue

‘The humility of this young man’s experience illustrates the human side of armed conflict. If you value democracy and free speech, you should consider this book.’

— Independent

'Joshua Key reminds us why there are rules of war. He walks away from the Iraq War, but it is the international community that is deserting International Humanitarian Law.'

— Senator Natasha Stott Despoja