Nico Walker

Nico Walker
Born c. 1984-85[1]
Occupation Writer
Nationality American
Period 2018-present

Nicholas "Nico" Walker[2] is an American author and US Army veteran currently serving time in prison for bank robbery.[3] His semi-autobiographical debut novel, Cherry, was published by Alfred A. Knopf on August 14, 2018.

Career

From 2005 to 2006, Walker served as an Army medic in Iraq, going on more than 200 combat missions. After returning to civilian life, he was depressed and traumatized, and became addicted to heroin. To fund his habit, he robbed 10 banks around Cleveland in a span of 4 months, beginning in December 2010. He was arrested in April 2011, pleaded guilty in 2012 and was given an 11-year sentence. In 2013, while Walker was behind bars in the Federal Correctional Institution in Ashland, Kentucky, he was profiled in BuzzFeed. This led to a correspondence with Matthew Johnson, a publisher at the independent press Tyrant Books. Johnson sent Walker books and encouraged him to write about his life. He spent nearly four years writing and rewriting.[2][4][1][5]

The resulting novel, Cherry, was published by Alfred A. Knopf and is about "the horrors of war and addiction."[1] In the semi-autobiographical novel, a young man drops out of college and enlists in the Army. He comes home in a poor state, becomes addicted to opiates, and starts robbing banks.[4] According to Vulture.com, upon its publication the book received "near-universal praise."[6] It debuted at number 14 on The New York Times bestseller list.[7] Walker has said that he is using money from sales of the book to pay back some of the banks he robbed.[3]

Within days of the book's publication, the movie rights were acquired for $1 million by Joe and Anthony Russo's studio AGBO, with the brothers planning to direct and produce, and the script to be written by Jessica Goldberg.[8][9]

Personal life

Walker grew up in Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Cleveland.[2] He dropped out of college and enlisted in the Army at the age of 19.[4] For his service in Iraq, Walker received seven medals and commendations for valor.[2] He is scheduled to be released from prison in November 2020.[4]

Bibliography

  • Walker, Nico (2018). Cherry. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 9780525520139.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Charles, Ron (14 August 2018). "Nico Walker is a convicted bank robber. 'Cherry' proves he's also a must-read author". Washington Post. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Johnson, Scott (30 May 2013). "How A War Hero Became A Serial Bank Robber". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 Lawrence, Quil (13 August 2018). "An Iraq Veteran, Heroin Addict, Bank Robber And Debut Novelist". NPR. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Alter, Alexandra (10 August 2018). "How a Young War Veteran Became a Serial Bank Robber, Then a Novelist". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  5. ↑ Lorentzen, Christian (24 July 2018). "Nico Walker's Cherry Might Be the First Great Novel of the Opioid Epidemic". Vulture. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  6. ↑ Rathburn, Daniel (22 August 2018). "Nico Walker's Cherry Got Near-Universal Praise". Vulture. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  7. ↑ "First a Decorated War Vet, Then a Bank Robber, Now a Best-Selling Novelist". The New York Times. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  8. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (24 August 2018). "AGBO Nearing $1M 'Cherry' Book Deal; 'Avengers: Infinity War's Russo Bros Eye Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  9. ↑ McNary, Dave (24 August 2018). "Russo Brothers Close Deal to Direct PTSD Drama 'Cherry'". Variety. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
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