Quest

Risk, Adventure, and the Search for Meaning

By: John Graham

Narrated by: Michael F Coleman

The Vietnam War, nuclear wargames, and the soul.

John Graham shipped out on a freighter when he was 16, hitchhiked through the Algerian Revolution at 19, and was on the team that made the first ascent of Denali's North Wall at 20—a climb so dangerous it's never been repeated. He hitchhiked around the world at 22, reporting in the Boston Globe on every war he came across. A US Foreign Service Officer for 15 years, he was in the middle of the 1969 revolution in Libya and the war in Vietnam. At the United Nations, he risked his career, crossing his own government to support peace initiatives in South Africa and Cuba.

Much more than an adventure yarn, Quest takes you on the author's fascinating journey from a thrill-seeker to a man in search of real meaning in his life. This brutally honest story moves listeners to look at the meaning of their own lives and, for many of them, to make life-altering course corrections.

Quest is a book to listen to and pass on, especially to the young people in your life whose quests may be just beginning. Great for fans of John Maberry's Waiting for Westmoreland, Jeff Danzinger's Lieutenant Dangerous.

©2024, 2025 John Graham (P)2025 John Graham

Critic reviews

"This rousing memoir blends thrilling adventure, the terror of war, and a search for meaning, especially as it zeroes into that thorny question of what makes a man a man. His enlightenment is not self-serving; he finds in it a moral anchor and the strength not to see his 'ideals swept away by excitement and ambition.' This page-turning story bursts with surprise, insight, and striking prose." —BookLife Reviews, Editor's Pick

Compelling Story

From start to finish, this memoir held my attention and, more than once, moved me to tears. I recommend it highly.

Inspired & Interesting!

I really enjoyed the storytelling and the stories about the past; the personality of the author really came through in the tone of the book. I appreciate the humor & the lighthearted side too! I’d definitely give it a listen if you’re looking for a good inspirational story.