Fire in the Wind: The Life of Dickey Chapelle (Bluejacket Books)

Long before it was fashionable for women reporters to cover war, photojournalist Dickey Chapelle was a familiar figure on the front. Clad in fatigues, harlequin glasses, and her signature pearl earrings, this tiny woman with the voice of a drill instructor was a legend among enlisted men. From Iwo Jima to the landing of the first U.S. Marine in Vietnam and every shooting war in between, Dickey led the pack, reporting for Life, Reader's Digest, and National Geographic. Then in 1965, at the age of 46, she was killed by a mine in Vietnam. Shortly before her death she was awarded the Overseas Press Club's Polk Award and the Magazine Photographer's Photographer of the Year Award. Based on dozens of interviews and Chappelle's personal papers, this electrifying tribute chronicles not only the brilliance of her career but the essence of her character, including the determination of her youth and willingness to buck convention and parental objection to follow her dreams.

Roberta Ostroff, an award-winning journalist and screenwriter, has written for USA Today, Rolling Stone, GEO, and the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. She lives in Altadena, California.