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The assignment for Meredith May, who used to be a Chronicle reporter and feature writer, was precise. You have five months, she was told by the publisher, ReganBooks, to meet the protagonists, hear them tell their story (through translators), research its veracity, and write the book, which would be in the first person, with alternating chapters told by each man involved. And thats what led to the publication of I, Who Did Not Die, a book she spoke about and signed at Book Passage in Corte Madera on Thursday.

The story, first reported in Canadian newspapers, is stunning: In 1982, during the Iran-Iraq War, Najah Aboud, a 29-year-old Iraqi who had been drafted, was severely wounded. Iranian Zahed Haftlang, a 13-year-old Iranian child soldier whod enlisted to escape a bullying father, was ordered to make sure every Iraqi enemy in a certain area of the battleground was dead. Searching, he found only one, Najah, barely alive.

Although Zahed had been ordered to kill anyone he encountered, he was unable to do it. Instead, he ministered to Najah for three days, hiding him and saving his life. Ultimately, both men were captured, Zahed spending two years in an Iraqi prison, Aboud spending 17 years in an Iranian prison, way past the end of the war.

Eventually, both men wound up in Canada. And 20 years after their first encounter, by chance, they meet again, at a clinic for people suffering the effects of traumatic stress.

May was speaking at the bookstore, which has a busy schedule of events, just after Al Frankens presentation of his Al Franken, Giant of the Senate. That audience was huge and friendly, a choir to be preached to, a crowd easily amused. (More about his presentation tomorrow.) But no one got the chills until May told her books story.

May will be at a Writers With Drinks event at the Make-Out Room in San Francisco at 7 p.m. on Sept. 9.

Mark Kelly, who retired as an astronaut in 2011, the year his wife, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head, is going to be at Shreve & Co. on Tuesday, July 11, on behalf of Breitling watches, which calls him a company Ambassador. Kelly was a space shuttle pilot who became a mission commander. The (sort of) tie in between his distinguished public and scientific life with this commercial gig is that the watch company has a new Navitimer Breitling DC-3 watch thats being shlepped around the world on a Breitling DC-3 plane.

In the comments section of the Mission Local story alleging that many items in the permanent collection of the Mexican Museum are not authentic artifacts, a person identifying himself as George Washington weighed in. This isnt just in Mexico museums but all over the world. Dinosaurs are fake. Its one of the biggest hoaxes. Every single dinosaur skeleton you see at a museum isnt real. They are all cast. Dinosaurs were invented to support the evolution myth. Nice coincidence that dinosaurs werent discovered until right after the evolution theory came to be. And remember, George Washington cannot tell a lie.

Julie Brown Saari attended a Salute to America July 4 concert of the Cleveland Symphony, and overheard a small boy who was there with his mom, who told him there would be fireworks after the concert. Then will they play some real music? he asked her. Saari thought this amusing; perhaps he was disappointed there was no rock n roll. But having looked at the program which included the Strategic Air Command March, Army Air Corps March and March-Past of the U.S. Armed Forces I think the kid may have a future as a music critic.

Those San Rafael Pacifics, mentioned herein last week for their Alternative Facts Night, seem to like combining baseball with social action: On Aug. 26, in support of Tri-Valley Socks (Stepping Out for Cancer Kures), they will make baseball history, says an announcement, by being the first professional mens team to wear bras over their jerseys to support the fight against breast cancer. Challenge to players in womens leagues: What are you going to do about the fight against prostate cancer?

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik

PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING

Can we get the

vegan chocolate bunny?

Little girl to mother, overheard at Target

in San Rafael by Gary Meyer

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One enemy saves another's life; an Iran-Iraq war story - San Francisco Chronicle