Just before Rosh Hashana, author and entrepreneur David Lam — known in the Jewish community as Dovid ben Avraham — released his new book, From Dragon to David, a memoir that blends the raw honesty of a combat veteran with the timeless wisdom of Torah and Chassidic teachings.

Lam’s extraordinary journey began with escaping war-torn Vietnam at the age of 4 with his mother and older brother, serving in the Gulf War during Operation Desert Storm, and battling years of personal struggle. His life took a dramatic turn when he discovered Judaism and embraced Chassidus, ultimately becoming a devoted Chossid of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

“For years, friends and rabbis urged me to tell my story,” Lam said. “This book is about bitachon — complete trust in the Almighty — even when life feels overwhelming. Scars do not disqualify us; they testify that no darkness is beyond the reach of Divine light.”

Blending personal memoir, Torah insights, and Chassidic inspiration, From Dragon to David offers readers an intimate look at how an “outsider” chose to join Am Yisrael and how the teachings of Torah and Chassidus transformed his struggles into a life of meaning and purpose.

Lam, a longtime member of Chabad of Parkland, has been active in Jewish advocacy, philanthropy, and veteran outreach. His story of transformation — from war to faith, and from descent to ascent — reflects the Rebbe’s vision of spreading light in the darkest places. Its release is especially timely as Jews around the world enter the New Year seeking inspiration, strength, and unity.

From Dragon to David is now available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback editions.

Proceeds from the sale of the book will support Chabad.org, the Aleph Institute and Chabad of Parkland’s Friendship Circle.

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From the introduction:

The Gulf War ended for the world in 1991, but for me it echoed for years. I came home with questions no Marine training manual could answer: Why was I spared when others were not? What do you do with scars no doctor can heal?

For a long time, I believed strength meant silence. Push forward. Ignore the pain. Survive. But survival is not the same as living.

In my struggle to outrun the pain, I made choices that led me down difficult paths, including a period of incarceration. At the time, I thought it was the lowest point of my life. In hindsight, it was part of Hashem’s plan to refine my character — to strip away the illusions I clung to and show me that true purpose in this world can only be found in serving Him.

It was in those moments of confinement that I first began to understand the meaning of bitachon. Not the shallow belief that “things will go my way,” but the deeper certainty that every moment, even the most painful, is guided by Hashgacha Pratis.

Later, when I encountered Torah and Chassidus, the Rebbe’s words gave voice to what I had begun to feel: “Even in the darkest place, if you hold a candle, light will prevail.”

That teaching lit something in me. I realized my scars — both visible and hidden — were not proof of failure but of endurance. They were not signs that Hashem had abandoned me, but reminders that He had carried me through my very own Mitzraim. My past was not a chain holding me back; it was a lantern I could now lift to help others find their way.

This is the essence of bitachon: to look at life — even its harshest moments — and say: Hashem is with me. I shall not fear.

When I chose to become a Jew, to embrace Torah, mitzvos, and the life of a Chossid, I was not discarding my past. I was redeeming it. Everything I had lived through could now be reinterpreted as part of a larger mission — to bring more light into the world.

The Rebbe taught that spreading light is not only for those who feel whole and confident. Sometimes the broken vessel shines the brightest, because its cracks let the light through.

That is why I wrote From Dragon to David. Not only to tell my story, but to show that scars — whether from war, mistakes, or personal trials — are not disqualifications. They are credentials. Proof that with bitachon, every Jew can transform darkness into light, despair into deeper faith, and brokenness into blessing.

As we begin a new year, my message is simple: don’t be afraid of your scars. Trust that they, too, are part of your mission. With bitachon and the Aibishter’s guidance, we can each carry our candles into the darkest places — and watch them illuminate everything in our paths.

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To purchase the book, click here.