“My ballet shoes were about to be swapped for combat boots,” she writes. In direct but often richly emotional prose, Chasing the Daylight recounts the day-to-day challenges of transformation, as Rakowski faces the rigors of training, the trials of being paired with less dedicated members of her cohort (one is too “excessively preoccupied with her own business to notice anything that was happening around her”), bureaucratic misunderstandings of how to get the most out of ESL recruits, and the loneliness of separation. She also sets above-and-beyond tests for herself, like winning the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, which demands grueling physical training—all despite a tendency toward heatstroke. The account is arresting—her English is polished and touched with an original sense of idiom—with jolts of surprising detail, such as military pageantry reminding her of her beloved Great Opera in Warsaw.
Rakowski includes letters she wrote to her husband, some journal entries, and occasional flashbacks to an intense relationship with a professor of French who resents her increasing American-ness. Still, this week-by-week narrative’s driven by Rakowski’s in-the-moment striving, and readers should not expect the tidy lessons and reflective triumphs of commercial memoirs, as Rakowski, a trouper, sees the world as it is—and is always ready to change with what it throws at her.
Takeaway: Tough-minded, inspiring account of a Polish immigrant’s U.S. military training.
Comparable Titles: Tanya Biank’s Undaunted, Helen Thorpe’s Soldier Girls.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Chasing the Daylight by Joanna Rakowski is a captivating memoir which provides a unique insight into the life of a dainty ballerina turned army interrogator. The book takes the reader on a journey through Joanna's adult life in Poland, where she trained as a ballerina, and later in the U.S. Army, where she served as an interrogator. Her story is one of grit, determination, and self-transformation.
Joanna Rakowski's writing is surprisingly well-written, well-edited, and very well-organized, which sets it apart from many other autobiographies in today’s book market. The inclusion of photographs throughout the book adds interest and credibility to her written life history. It is fascinating to learn how someone who was once a delicate ballerina became a hard-core army interrogator. Joanna's story is a testament to the fact that one's career path can take unexpected turns, and it's never too late to pursue your dreams.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Joanna's story is her determination and resilience in the face of adversity. She faced numerous painful injuries while serving in the army, yet she persevered and ultimately achieved her goals. Her story is a source of inspiration to anyone who has faced hard obstacles in their lives.
Throughout the book, Joanna alternates passages about her experiences in the Army with memories of a special friendship she had with her former French professor and long-time crush, and letters to her husband, Alec. These personal touches expertly add depth and emotion to her story and makes it more relatable to the reader. The ending of Joanna's story is the most poignant part of the book. Without giving anything away, it contains a surprising element that evokes sympathy for Joanna after she put so much into her Army career. However, it is evident being in the army gave her a positive, life-changing experience leading to her self-transformation, and it is definitely worth reading about.
Overall, Chasing the Daylight is a remarkable memoir which offers readers a unique perspective on one immigrant’s experience in America and the US Army. Joanna's story is one of perseverance, resilience, and self-discovery. It shows with hard work and determination, anything is possible. This is a book which will certainly be of interest to anyone with a penchant for memoirs, or who is simply interested in learning more about the lives of service members.
