In the Media

NORTHBROOK, IL September 14, 2023—

With her first book, Chasing the Daylight: One Woman’s Journey to Becoming a U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, author Joanna Rakowski delivers a powerful story of personal transformation from a fragile ballerina to a hard-core soldier. 

In the summer of 1991, Joanna, a young Polish woman travels through Germany. At a refueling stop she encounters two American soldiers and has her photo taken with the heroes she looks up to. A decade later, she’s one of them, a soldier in the United States Army, living her dream.

On the surface, Chasing the Daylight chronicles Joanna’s four-year journey to transformation into a U.S. Army intelligence officer, her grueling training, and her evolution as a soldier. Throughout the story ,she battles her physical shortcomings, insecurities, and fears. She also faces two major obstacles: she is an immigrant and English is not her native language. She’s already 31 years old, surrounded by a much younger, physically stronger soldier population. Conquering loneliness, and lingering isolation is Joanna’s way of finding herself in her new country. The book offers a unique perspective on the process of transformation through selfless service and learning how to fit in the most powerful armed forces in the world.