“See the Light, Kiss the Ground” by Steve Andrews blends historical fact with ground level fiction to deliver one of the most authentic Vietnam War narratives in recent publishing
Florence, CO 4/30/2026 Parker Publishers announces the publication of “See the Light, Kiss the Ground: A Docu Novel of the Vietnam War” by Steve Andrews, a genre defying work that interweaves historical nonfiction with immersive fiction to tell the story of America’s most divisive conflict from the ground up.
About the Book
Set during 1970, the year the Vietnam War began its long, painful decline, “See the Light, Kiss the Ground” follows Staff Sergeant Mike Mitchell and his comrades through a full year of infantry service in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. The book operates on two parallel tracks. The fiction track chronicles the daily realities of jungle patrols, firefights, booby traps, and the bonds forged under extreme conditions. The nonfiction track documents real events that occurred on the same dates: Nixon’s Cambodia invasion, the Kent State shootings, the My Lai trial, Apollo 13, Muhammad Ali’s comeback, and dozens of other moments that defined the year.
The result is a work that CBS News correspondent Morton Dean, who reported from Vietnam during the war, has called “Authentic. Extraordinary. Compelling. Different from any war story I’ve ever read.”
What Sets This Book Apart
Unlike traditional war memoirs or purely fictional accounts, “See the Light, Kiss the Ground” occupies a rare literary space. The docu novel format allows readers to experience the war at two levels simultaneously: the intimate, visceral reality of combat at the squad and platoon level, and the broader historical forces that shaped the conflict. Each chapter carries a specific date in 1970, grounding the fiction in verifiable history and allowing readers who lived through that era to reconnect with events they may remember from a vastly different vantage point.
The book also includes an extensive glossary of military terminology, acronyms, and weapons, making it accessible to readers unfamiliar with military culture, as well as an annotated bibliography documenting the historical sources behind the nonfiction chapters.
About the Author
Steve Andrews is a Vietnam War veteran and writer whose firsthand experience of the conflict informs every page of this book. His understanding of what soldiers endured during that era is not drawn solely from archives and interviews. It comes from having been there. That personal knowledge, combined with years of additional research, veteran interviews, and archival investigation, gives “See the Light, Kiss the Ground” an authenticity that separates it from accounts written at a distance. Andrews’ commitment to telling the stories of the men who served during 1970, a year often overshadowed by the more widely covered events of 1968 and the fall of Saigon in 1975, reflects both a writer’s discipline and a veteran’s sense of obligation to get it right.
Book Details
Title: See the Light, Kiss the Ground: A Docu Novel of the Vietnam War
Author: Steve Andrews
Publisher: Parker Publishers
Format: Paperback, 6 x 9
Available: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and select bookstores nationwide
For Any Media Inquiries, Please Contact Sia Stone
Email: sia@parkerpublishers.com
Phone no: +1 (689) 304-8480
Website: www.parkerpublishers.com
Review Copies and Interview Requests
Review copies are available upon request. Steve Andrews is available for interviews, podcast appearances, veteran organization events, and book club discussions. To schedule, please contact Parker Publishers at the information listed above.
