Far Horizons: A Journey from War to Peace

by Aaron Tait

In the hours after September 11, 2001, Aaron Tait deployed to the Persian Gulf as a seventeen-year-old military officer.This is the story of what happened next.Far Horizons is a globe-spanning coming-of-age memoir of a fighter turned peace-seeker on a vibrant journey of transformation, adventure and love, set against backdrops of the Iraq War, Africa and the world beyond. Fresh and introspective, it will lead you to exploring not only the far corners of the world but also the uncharted aspects of yourself.“A captivating adventure that blends wanderlust, passion, and the kind of love that changes everything.”Nina Karnikowski - Author of The Mindful TravellerA globe-spanning tale of discovery and redemption, Aaron’s raw honesty shines in his search for what it means to live a good life.’ Mark Isaacs – Author of The Kabul Peace House
 

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2025

Reviews

[Anna Loder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really is like Eat Pray Love with guns. So well done. Intelligent, thoughtful and articulate. I loved being beside Spud as a 17 year old military with officer looking around and wondering what on earth he had signed up for..and that building of the life he wanted, that courage to explore those far horizons. Definitely a memoir I’ll be giving my brother! What a gift

[Laurena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! What a lot of life crammed into a such a short period of time. Attended the author talk in Perth and was captivated with his story.

[Bri Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a special memoir, from Aaron’s childhood through to the Iraq War as a 17 yr old, finding meaning in South America and Europe, through to being of service in Africa and beyond. It was a memoir but also a love story, and a commentary on vulnerability and strength, and when to use them. Really grateful to have had a chance to talk through it all with Aaron at his book launch.

[Julia Ferracane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Far Horizons is the kind of memoir that stays with you long after you have turned the final page. It begins with a hook that feels almost mythic: a teenager deployed to Iraq as one of Australia’s youngest Special Forces Navy Divers.

What unfolds is far more nuanced than a tale of battlefield heroics. Aaron Tait is not interested in polishing a legend. He is interested in telling the truth. What makes this book extraordinary is the emotional intelligence woven through every chapter. Tait writes with a candour that is rare in military memoirs: unvarnished, self-aware and often painfully honest. The moment he meets Farooq, a cook on a smuggler’s vessel whose only crime was trying to feed his family, becomes a quiet turning point that recalibrates everything he thought he knew about right, wrong and the machinery of war. It is one of those scenes that makes you sit still for a beat, because you can feel the weight of it.

The power of Far Horizons is that it does not end when the deployments do. Tait takes us into the years after service, where the real reckoning begins. He writes beautifully about trauma, ego, humility, fatherhood, therapy and marriage. He shows how the things that break us are often the things that force us to grow. His reflections on leadership, purpose and listening, truly listening, are some of the most grounded I have read. There is grit here, absolutely, but also hope. And humour. And a deep curiosity about what it means to live a life of integrity after the uniform comes off.

If you love memoirs that challenge you, that expand your understanding of humanity, or that reveal the quieter truths beneath the headlines, Far Horizons is a standout. Moving, wise and quietly transformative. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.

[M Adamo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Far Horizons is an engaging account of Aaron’s journey from enthusiastic young officer to someone forced to reckon with the real human cost of war. He writes about deploying to the Persian Gulf and the moral unease that followed him after he left the military.

His story raises questions for all of us. What does it mean to send teenagers into complex conflicts they’re too young to fully understand? How responsible are we, as a society, when they return carrying the weight of what they’ve done in our name? Aaron's honesty about regret, responsibility and his efforts to atone makes you think hard about those questions.

For those interested in modern military history, questions of responsibility, or simply how someone tries to live with and learn from their past, this is a thoughtful and worthwhile read.

[Adam Courtenay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soldiery has always been about the conflict within - the soldier's duty to his mates and country and his duty to himself. Tait shows this conflict brilliantly...a naval officer of 17 gets thrown into one of the lesser known and nastier sideshows of the Gulf War - oil smuggling. But he didn't sign up to fight desperate people. Tait soon realises he is serving a false master and what follows is a full Damascene conversion. There are other biblical allegories here as well - a Franciscan rejection of all worldly goods; a disavowal of hedonism in the mode of St Ignatius; a desire to do good works Mother Theresa style. Tait tells his story clearly and honestly and the book finds it beat and rhythm in his changes of heart and his acute and honest self-revelations. It's a five star book, but I'll leave it as four, knowing that Tait will go one star better with his next one.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Far Horizons captivates your attention from the very beginning. In the first chapter, I felt fear, excitement, anger and elation almost all at once. It had my adrenaline racing from the get go.
Aaron Tait writes with a passion and creates incredible visualizations as he describes his life experiences, living up to high expectations, thrust into the middle of the Iraq war, traveling the world in search for answers, meeting the love of his life and then finding a path in his life to give back to needy societies around the globe.

I would recommend this to any reader young and old if you want to experience a life of adventure, curiosity, love & romance and helping to make the world a better place.

[Rearn Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t read a lot of memoirs but I’m so glad I read this one. Aaron Tait’s honest and raw storytelling of his life experiences was not only entertaining but made me deeply reflect on my own life… the experiences that have shaped me, but also about the experiences I am yet to have. As a parent of boys, he made me think a lot about the rites of passage for men in today’s society. As an individual, he made me want to push further into the world and inspired me to take more risks, expand my world view, have an even bigger impact… In a world with very few male authors telling these sort of open-hearted accounts of their own stories, I am so grateful he is one. Highly recommend (and give a copy to every male in your life too!)

[Scott Vawser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highlights? Well Frank’s ‘thank you’ was a a beautiful moment of course. The honour, respect and love the author shows his wife Kaitlin was/is a beautiful love story. But I think underneath this story is a transformation of a man who thought violence, control and war was the answer, to a man who surrendered his ego, his control and discovered that love, compassion and peace have the greatest power of all. It’s in giving away our life that we gain the world. Which is ironic as it’s the underlying message Aaron grew up with from his ‘church life’. It’s a story of transformation.
Thanks Aaron for the joy of inviting us readers into your transformation, your life (thus far) via the conduit of Far Horizons.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an inspirational story and a captivating memoir. Far Horizons takes you on the journey of a young man coming to terms with his life in the military and his changing views on war, on peace and what constitutes a good life. Aaron tells his story in a very honest and vulnerable way, sharing the internal struggles that lead him to change course and find a new purpose and direction in life. It is very well-written and weaves his feelings of doubt and love and purpose in equal parts. I particularly enjoyed the accounting of Aaron and Kaitlin’s time in Africa and the lessons they learned that would form the basis for their future humanitarian work. It was a thought-provoking read - one that has me considering the things that are most important in my own life.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished Far Horizons in a day and a half. I couldn’t put it down.

Aaron’s writing is so vivid you can taste the salt, feel the heat, and sense the weight of every decision. It’s full of courage and heart, but also this quiet reflection that makes you pause and think about your own life.

It’s not just about adventure; it’s about humanity, bravery, connection, and the constant search to do good in a complicated world. It’s the kind of story that lingers, asking bigger questions long after you’ve turned the last page.

My husband devoured it too. It really is a book that everyone will take something from. I have already bought several copies for my friends who have loved it too!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read charting a life less ordinary. With honesty and grit, Aaron shows that manhood is not earned through force, but through purpose, humility, and service. His journey from chasing toughness in the army to standing with the poor and oppressed is both surprising and deeply inspiring. What struck me most is how authentically he shares his struggles, doubts, and turning points. It’s a reminder that who we become matters more than where we start, and that real strength is measured by the lives we choose to change. This book will stay with me long after the last page.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a gripping book that I could not put down. Aaron Tait is a gifted storyteller, and the fact that this is his actual memoir makes the read even more compelling. Far Horizons takes you on a journey from duty to dissolution to redemption to love. It's a story that once read, stays in your heart. I can't wait for the sure-to-be-made mini-series!

[Marcello Sano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkable journey from war to peace. Tait’s writing is vivid and thoughtful, and I felt as though I was right there with him in each bold, adventurous moment. The narrative grabs hold from the very first page and keeps you reading, eager for what comes next.

[Greg Pennells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely unputdownable!
Aaron's life story made me laugh, cry and everything in between.
He seems to have lived many lives and gives us a wonderful insight into some of the parts of life around the world that we don't understand or are completely oblivious too.
What a read!

[Lindsay Bartels · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well told story with so much heart! Highly recommend giving this one a go :)

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the journey. Incredible tale and beautifully written.

[John W Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

a captivating read written by someone with a very strong, moral compass. Looking forward to future books, perhaps that dwell into his family’s adventures.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Far Horizons was a really engaging memoir…so much so that I read it in a day!

✨Starting when he was a seventeen-year-old military officer deployed to the Persian Gulf, Tait takes the reader on a journey of what came next as he negotiated the transition from boy to man, while struggling with the moral dilemma of things he’d seen and done.

It’s a journey of self-discovery and transformation that is raw and honest. Think Eat, Prey, Love but with weapons. It’s confronting in places as Tait explains his evolution from soldier to peacekeeper. He writes in a manner that is engaging and relatable. His ego, trauma, immaturity, love life and mental health are all shared openly on the page.

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy to read. I’d definitely recommend Far Horizons if you are after a memoir that gets you thinking and lingers once you’ve finished reading.