The Common Reading selection for fall 2017, Tough as They Come, is a true story of a Texan serving in the 82 Airborn Division. He became a leader, a friend, and a protector of the men he served, always following his father’s lifelong philosophy of never giving up, never quitting… until one eventful day during his third deployment to Iraq. He placed his backpack on the ground and in that instant his world changed forever. The book tells his story before, during, and after Iraq.