Press Release:
July 2007

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

A Survivor’s Story

Author Reaches Out to Wounded Veterans in New Book

CANYON COUNTRY, Calif. – Lenin Patino tells the heart-breaking story of his accidental shooting and difficult recovery in his new book Lenin: A Soldier: A Story of Survival, (published by AuthorHouse.)

      In 1992, 18-year-old Patino joined the U.S. Army with high hopes that his tenure there would lead to a more lucrative career than a high school diploma could provide. Impatient to begin his career as Cannon Crewman, Patino not only shaved his head in anticipation, but also pulled his own braces off with pliers, much to the chagrin of his mother and orthodontist.

      Patino portrays basic training in vivid detail. He describes nights spent atop his own bedcovers in fear of a drill sergeant’s displeasure, since he had not yet been taught the proper method of making up his bed. He touches affectionately on mess-room brawls, ditch-digging and “dusting” (punishment) by eager drill sergeants, immersing the reader wholeheartedly into his own training days.

      However, tragedy strikes Patino in March of 1993. In a rare unoccupied moment, Patino looks up from his television set to see a fellow soldier waving a gun in his face. Annoyed, Patino challenges him to shoot, not comprehending that his opponent was intoxicated. That mistake nearly cost him his life.

      Three weeks later, Patino wakes up to discover himself unable to speak or communicate in any way.  He watches in horror as his family prays over him and discusses his impending death. To them, he appears to be in a deep coma.

      As Patino struggles to survive, his harrowing story takes readers to hospitals in Kansas and California and finally to foreign soil in Colombia where he recuperates on his grandparents’ farm and eventually meets his future wife.

            Patino’s refusal to give up in the face of catastrophe is a moving and inspirational story which he hopes will aid the thousands of other disabled veterans in their own struggles. Now married with two beautiful children, he says, “If this book can inspire at least one person to keep fighting when it seems they are up against impossible odds, or if it prevents one family from abandoning a loved one facing a terrible situation, then it was worth writing.” Lenin: A Soldier: A Story of Survival is Patino’s first book. More information can be found at www.leninpatino.com.

AuthorHouse is the premier publishing house for emerging authors and new voices in literature. For a complimentary copy of this book for review, members of the media can contact the AuthorHouse Promotional Services Department by calling 888-728-8467 or emailing pressreleases@authorhouse.com.  (When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.)  

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