New Book by Military Wife
Some of you may remember some of the excellent pieces written by Alison Buckholtz, the wife of a Navy pilot.
She has now published a book titled STANDING BY: The Making of an American Military Family in a Time of War.
From her book website:
Alison Buckholtz never dreamed she would marry a military man, but when she met her husband, an active-duty U.S. Navy pilot, nothing could stop her from building a life with him – not even his repeated attempts to talk her out of marriage. He didn’t want her to have to make the kinds of sacrifices long required of the spouses of military personnel. They wed shortly after September 11, 2001 and, since then, their life together has been marked by long separations and unforeseen challenges but also unexpected rewards.
Standing By is Alison’s candid and moving account of her family’s experiences during her husband’s seven-month deployment on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. With insight and humor she describes living near a military base in Washington State, far from home and in the midst of great upheaval, while trying to keep life as normal as possible for the couple’s two small children. But she is not alone in her struggle. In Standing By, Alison portrays her friendships with other military wives and the ways in which this supportive community of women helps one another to endure – and often thrive – during difficult times.
Throughout Standing By, Alison speaks honestly about the culture shock she experienced transitioning into the role of a military wife. Because she had been raised to conquer the world on her own terms rather than be a more traditional wife and mother supporting her husband’s career, the world of the Armed Forces was at first as unfamiliar as a foreign land. But a remarkable and surprising series of events challenges her long-held assumptions about the military, motherhood, and even the nature of American citizenship.
A rare and intimate portrait of one of the tens of thousands of families who now wait patiently for their service member to return home safely, Standing By also provides a window into what matters most for families everywhere.
This is very exciting, and I personally look forward to putting this on my summer reading list.
From Alison herself:
Many of you have asked me to let you know when my book is being published, and I’m happy to report that today is the day! STANDING BY: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN MILITARY FAMILY IN A TIME OF WAR (Tarcher/Penguin) is now officially available. If you’d like more background or information, please see my web site, http://www.StandingByBook.com.
For those of you in the DC area, I’ll be reading at Borders at White Flint Mall (Bethesda, MD) on Friday, April 17 at 7 pm, and Politics and Prose on Saturday, April 18 at 6 pm.
For those of you in Washington State, I’ll be reading at the Anacortes Public Library on Saturday, April 25 at 7 pm, and at Village Books in Bellingham on Tuesday, April 28 at 7 pm.
I’ve also posted a new, two-minute video that I’ve created to help mark the Month of the Military Child. It’s called “Homecoming Day,” and it’s at http://www.standingbybook.com/Homecoming.html. Please feel free to forward it to anyone you think might be interested.
Thank you for your support and encouragement!
Yasher koach, Alison.