Home Fires Burning: Married to the Military--For Better or Worse
by Karen Houppert
Published 2005 by Ballantine Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780345461698

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REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 02/21/2005

The daughter of an Air Force pilot makes a serious inquiry into the problems and pleasures of being a soldier's wife. Journalist Houppert's memories of her own military "insider" status and her keen reporter's eye combine to offer a nuanced portrait of the lives of a handful of women living near New York State's Fort Drum. Lauren can't believe that "the love of her life... had been lying in Afghanistan with a bullet from an AK-47 in his head while she had been shampooing the carpet"; Heather's husband lost an arm in Iraq and suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome; Crystal supports her husband's decision to go into the Special Forces, but can't help feeling abandoned. In cool, objective prose, Houppert shows the military community's strengths (it rallies around its own) and its weaknesses (there is, in military terms, a "spousal aggression issue"). Wives host potlucks and fund-raisers; some agitate for better housing; a few even participate in the antiwar movement. Indeed, old guard aside, it's harder to be a "true believer" these days, Houppert says. Blind loyalty is no longer the answer, she argues, and military problems--from low morale and domestic violence to the abuse at Abu Ghraib--suggest an institution "out of step with American values." Houppert may not offer much in the way of solutions, but she raises important questions. Agent, Sandra Dijkstra. (Mar.)

Married to the Military: A Survival Guide for Military Wives, Girlfriends, and Women in Uniform
by Meredith Leyva
Published 2003 by Fireside Books

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9780743255547

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While They're at War: The True Story of American Families on the Homefront
by Kristin Henderson
Published 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780618558759

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Married to a Navy chaplain who has served with the Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq, the author focuses on two very different women, Marissa Bootes and Beth Pratt, as their husbands leave for Iraq and they both experience intense indoctrination into life alone.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 12/12/2005

By the time Beth Pratt's husband returned from Iraq, they had been apart longer than they had known each other. Not long after Charlie Bootes's first deployment, his wife, Marissa Bootes, became a leader in one of the army's Family Readiness Groups, heading up phone trees and organizing girls' nights out while also managing a job and motherhood. When three uniformed soldiers came to Michelle Hellerman's door, she thought that they were picking her up for a comfort team; she didn't imagine that the terrible news was for her. "This is the war story you never hear," writes Henderson about what is actually a series of engrossing and often heartbreaking stories built from more than 100 interviews. The Quaker wife of a military chaplain, Henderson is a compassionate expert witness. For military families, her explanations of the official and unofficial support systems that serve (and sometimes fail) Fort Bragg's soldiers amount to a useful handbook. For civilians, the stories provide a revealing look into what it really means when a country goes to war. Though many of the soldiers Henderson writes about are serving in Iraq, she takes neither side in the war debate, and keeps to a style that is both intimate and professional. This is an emotional book that effectively plies the complexities of military life. (Feb)

Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul: Stories to Touch the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit
by Jack Canfield
Published 2005 by Health Communications

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9780757302657

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Written by soldier's wives and the courageous women who themselves serve in the military, these inspiring stories celebrate the lives of military families and the special bond that unites them while supporting each other as they share similar experiences.

The Day After He Left for Iraq: A Story of Love, Family & Reunion
by Melissa Seligman
Published 2008 by Skyhorse Publishing

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781602392946

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Military wife Seligman describes her feelings as she watches her husband walk away from her and her newborn, knowing full well that he might not return from the war in Iraq. Hers is a story of sadness and strength that anyone left behind can relate to.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 05/26/2008

Army wife and first-time author Seligman plumbs the depths of depression and despair in this frank memoir of coping with her husband David's deployment to Iraq. Besieged by feelings of abandonment, anger and resentment, the author panics when confronted with the "burdensome" responsibility of being a single parent, dealing with soiled diapers and her daughter's separation anxiety. When her husband re-enlists without consulting her, she feels betrayed and her despair intensifies until she learns to "function like a robot." David's homecoming does not spell relief; the author continues to feel "dead inside" and is "unwilling to sympathize" with David's postdeployment issues: his chest pain, anxiety and nightmares. With the passage of time, the author begins to "feel normal" again and makes steady progress in "learning how to deal with" the separation inherent in military life. Despite the pervasive self-pity that suffuses Seligman's account-and a self-centeredness that might put off some readers-her memoir offers valuable insight into the often heavy and anonymous burden shouldered by military families. (Oct.)

I Love a Man in Uniform: A Memoir of Love, War, and Other Battles
by Lily Burana
Published 2009 by Weinstein Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781602860834

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From the author of the acclaimed memoir "Strip City" comes an eloquent and funny account of this former punk-rock stripper's unlikely marriage to an officer in the U.S. Army. From harrowing emotion to the dishy details of being an Army wife, Burana bares her heart and soul as a modern military spouse.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 02/23/2009

A former stripper, Burana (Strip City) married a major in the U.S. Army and records, in this heartfelt though long-winded confessional, her attempts to render their two very different worlds compatible. Burana enjoyed a decidedly checkered past, from "accidental teenage communist" to peep-show girl and stripper in New York and San Francisco (she fondly recalls her Playboy shoot), before meeting "Major Mike" at a ceremony in a Brooklyn cemetery in 2000. She was attracted by his sense of order and honor, even charmed by his military jargon, while he admired her rebelliousness, though these same qualities would challenge their relationship over time. Living together in a condo near Fort Meade, Fla., where Mike was stationed, segued into a quick marriage (she called herself a "War on Terror" bride), before he was deployed to Iraq for six months in 2003, creating for her a painful personal trial of waiting and self-discipline. Their move to West Point underscored her new role as military wife, and she embarked on a gloomy, unstable period of psychological turmoil requiring therapy and medication for her own brand of post-traumatic stress disorder. Marriage counseling worked for them, bucking the high divorce rate within the armed forces, and Burana concludes her memoir on a positive note, having made peace with the army's fallibility and found her own place in it. (Apr.)

Remembering Sam: A Wartime Story of Love, Loss, and Redemption
by David Everitt
Published 2008 by Ivan R. Dee Publisher

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781566637640

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Around the time of his own father's funeral ten years ago, David Everitt reads a letter from a friend of his mother's first husband, Sam Kramer, who was killed in combat just days before the end of World War II. The letter establishes once and for all that Sam was a war hero, and that his death was not merely an accident of war. While Everitt had consciously ignored the history of his mother's first marriage, even though she had saved each of Sam's letters from the battlefront, he is now prompted to learn more about Kramer and about his mother's past. As with the remarkable film The Best Years of Our Lives, Remembering Sam takes readers back to World War II America, to the days of Rosie-the-Riveter patriotism, the brutality and terror of the front lines, and the aftermath of war on its civilian survivors.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 07/07/2008

Everitt's mother, Sylvia, was grieving after the death of her second husband in 2000, when an acquaintance sent her a clipping about the WWII death of her first husband, Sam Kramer. Everitt (A Shadow of Red) had never known much about his mother's first love, but suddenly found himself curious. Fortunately, Sylvia, who was willing to reminisce, had a well-preserved cache of Sam's letters, enabling Everitt to piece together the bittersweet story of this wartime romance. After the war broke out, Sylvia, a Brooklyn College graduate, took a job in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where she met Sam. Tight budgets meant a lot of dates with long walks and conversations; they came to know each other very well. When Sam was called up for military training in October 1943, they decided to marry. A year later, Sam shipped out to the European theater, and was killed in an ambush just days before the German surrender. Sylvia was shattered, but went to work with the Red Cross rehabilitating blinded veterans, where she met the man who became her second husband. In the end, Everitt has told a brief though sweet story. (Sept.)

A Family's Guide to the Military for Dummies
by Sheryl Garrett
Published 2008 by For Dummies

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9780470386972

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Your personal how-tohandbook for living yourbest life as a military family Looking for a clear, concise guide to military life? Whether you're new to the armed forces or planning your latest relocation, this plain-English handbook has expert tips for overcoming the challenges and taking advantage of the benefits unique to life in the military. From living on a base to financial planning to deployment, you'll see how to find all the support your family needs. Grasp the boot camp basics -- understand rank and military hierarchy, find your way around a base, and connect with others in the community Take charge of your finances -- decipher military compensation, handle your taxes, build credit, and invest for your family's future Understand your military benefits -- obtain health and dental insurance, utilize the family support centers, explore retirement benefits, and more Raise a happy family -- from housing and childcare to education and recreation, take advantage of all the military offers Handle deployments -- prepare for deployment, help children cope, stay connected with your loved one, and manage stress and anxiety Transition out of the military -- assess the financial benefits, retire from service, and plan for your next career Open the book and find: An overview of military versus civilian lifestyle Your place in the military structure Educational and employment opportunities Family support centers, groups, and associations The best benefits for military spouses How to avoid scams against service members A family's guide to military acronyms Programs outside the military you can turn to for support

Jobs and the Military Spouse: Married, Mobile, and Motivated for the New Job Market
by Janet I. Farley
Published 1997 by Impact Publications

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9781570230738

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In Harm's Way: Help for the Wives of Military Men, Police, EMTs, & Firefighters
by Aphrodite Matasakis
Published 2005 by New Harbinger Publications

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9781572244009

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