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Army Wives Book Review and Giveaway

Posted by Pattie on Sunday, July 4th, 2010 in Books | Comments (6)

Before there was the television show, there was the book…

Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage by Tanya Biank

Recently I read the book Army Wives so I could review it for our Wives of Faith readers. It is a powerful book.

The original title for Army Wives is Under the Saber and it’s a very interesting nonfiction book about the lives of four different Army wives. The author, Tanya Biank, does a wonderful job of spotlighting four very different women whose husbands serve in the Army. She was able to talk quite frankly about these women’s struggles.

Pattie’s Review:

I have only watched a couple of episodes of the Lifetime series “Army Wives,” and they were early episodes. I was never hooked on the show, I guess, because my husband was deployed at the time, and his military career was nothing like the ones depicted on TV, and I just didn’t know much about the military. Of course, now the show is in its fourth season and is a runaway hit with women everywhere. (Perhaps I’ll catch it on DVD!)

That said, when I had the chance to order a copy of Tanya Biank’s book of the same title from Military One Source.com (I offer a link to this program at the end of this post), I was excited to read it.

While I enjoyed the book, I feel I must offer a disclaimer right away: this is a serious book. It’s not lighthearted or fluffy, and it’s not what might be considered a “fun” read. Tanya Biank is a serious journalist, and this book is an extension of many stories she covered as a reporter in Fayetteville, North Carolina in the early 2000s. She is an excellent writer, and while this is nonfiction in content, it is most certainly not scholarly or stodgy in tone. I read it fairly quickly as this nonfiction narrative flowed smoothly.

In this book, Tanya Biank examines Fort Bragg and the people who serve there. She chose four wives from different walks of life, whose husbands had different ranks and jobs, and different temperaments. She talks about their lives, their husbands’ jobs and service, how they lived, and in some cases, how they died.

I found Army Wives to be a fascinating look at military spouses on either side of 9/11/01. Because the stories begin before that fateful day, and continue through that uncertain time, and end after the war is in full swing.

I’d love to see Tanya Biank do a follow-up to Army Wives now. Not necessarily with the same women she profiles, but with other military women in different situations and facing different challenges. I think it’d be fascinating.

I am always fascinated by people’s stories—it’s why I’m a reader of books and a watcher of people when I’m out, why I love being a part of Wives of Faith, and why I’m a listener of stories in my real life. I think it’s also why I really enjoyed this book so much.

To learn more about the book and the author, visit Tanya Biank’s site here.

WIN THIS BOOK!!!

And now for the giveaway. While I enjoyed this book very much, I also want to share my only-read-once copy of the book with another Wives of Faith reader. (For any other bibliophiles out there, you’ll know what I mean when I tell you that my husband loves me, but not all my books—and with another move in a year after just having moved last month, you can see my predicament!)

No purchase necessary! Just leave a comment telling me one great thing about being a military wife. That’s all! One great thing. You’ll then be eligible for the drawing to receive my once-read, still-in-great-shape copy of this book. I’ll mail it as soon as the winner sends me her address.

Also, please be sure to include your email address in your comment. It won’t be public info for the public site, but it will give me a way to contact you in the event that you’re the winner.

So be sure to leave a comment starting now until Friday, July 9th at noon Central time. That’s when I’ll choose the winner!

Special thanks to Military One Source for the free copy of the book. It was sent to me for free
as a military spouse, not for review. To learn more about this program, click here.
You will need to join Military One Source to participate in this program, but membership is free.

Popularity: 5% [?]

We have a winner!

Posted by Sara Horn on Friday, October 9th, 2009 in Giveaways | Comments (12)

Wives of Faith is about community, and even if most of us only know each other online, we still have some wonderful opportunities to build that connection with each other. Our website is currently getting more than 20,000 unique visits a month (and growing!) but we’re not so much interested in the number as we are the people!

That’s why for the rest of the month of October, we’re holding a Guest Book Contest – really simple, all you have to do is sign our guest book located at the bottom of the main page of this website! You can add your photo or choose not to, but please sign and let us know you were here and maybe what you think about Wives of Faith or the military life.

At the END OF OCTOBER, we will pick one lucky winner who will receive a Fantastic Fall Giveaway Package which will include a Wives of Faith T-shirt, the book The One Year Yellow Ribbon Devotional, the book Courage Under Fire and a copy of the member’s book of Hope for the Home Front.

If you’ve already signed the guest book, great! You’ll be entered as well.

So sign the Guest Book today and let us know you were here! You just may win a great prize for doing so!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Faith Deployed

Posted by Kathryn on Thursday, September 17th, 2009 in Books | Comments (0)

faithdeployed_cover

I was very excited to get to read and review this book because I had heard great things about it, and I was not disappointed. Jocelyn Green along with 14 other military wives from all different branches, has written a wonderful selection of 86 different devotionals filled with scripture verses, faith, and encouragement.

Each devotional has verse that goes along with it, and at the end of each has an “Ask” and “Pray” section which asks you questions that make you think about what you just read and a written prayer for you to pray aloud. There was a wide range of topics that covered almost every area and aspect of military life including main topics such as:

-Taking Every Thought Captive: Training Our Minds to a Biblical Perspective.
-Guarding the Heart: Protecting Ourselves from the World’s Temptations.
-Ambassadors for Christ: Viewing Our Role as a Ministry.
-Taking Orders: Living the Life That Has Been Set Before Us.
-Total Surrender: Giving Up Our Attempts to be in Control.
-The Price of Duty: Overcoming the Trials Inherent in Serving.
-Active Duty Faith: Leaning on a Faith that Sustains.
-Hope of Victory: Recognizing God’s Goodness.

This book really hits close to home with real-life stories of other military wives and their daily struggles. There were so many things that convicted me and really spoke to me through this book and also so much to learn from! I was able to get something out of every single devotional in this book, and walk away feeling encouraged on a daily basis. There were some sections that just brought me to tears, because of how much I was able to relate, or because of something that God used to show me. This is a book that women of all ages, no matter how long they have been a military wife, can relate to. It’s something I will definitely be reading again and will be passing on for others to read as well!

Just to let you ladies know, if you would like to win a copy of this book I am doing a giveaway right now until Sept. 26th, so feel free to come check it out! Faith Deployed Book Giveaway

Popularity: 1% [?]

Got courage?

Posted by Sara Horn on Monday, August 17th, 2009 in Giveaways | Comments (4)

Last week I read through the book Courage After Fire: Coping Strategies for Troops Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and Their Families by psychologists and mental health experts Keith Armstrong, Suzanne Best and Paula Domenici. It’s a good source of information for military families, and I would recommend that you get it, especially if you are nearing the end of a deployment.

While I wouldn’t call it an enjoyable read (it’s more like a manual or handbook focusing on various issues that can occur with returning veterans), the content does offer some good steps for anyone dealing with PTSD symptoms or who have family members dealing with PTSD. Though the book is generally written toward the service member, one nice feature is that at the end of each chapter, a page is devoted toward the spouse or family member flagging important things to look out for and questions they can ask or consider.

There are some good suggestions for ways to cope when dealing with specific symptoms such as alcohol or substance abuse, panic attacks or being unable to control potentially destructive emotions such as anger. The last couple of chapters focus on returning to civilian life and restoring family roles and relationships. The “Returning to Civilian Life” chapter will be especially useful I think for Guard and Reserve families and covers some good tips on returning to civilian jobs as well.

The courage we have as spouses

This book got me thinking about the courage that we as spouses have when dealing with deployments. I think we usually consider our husbands as the ones with all the guts and the bravery, but as military spouses, we rock with our own brand of fierceness!

I know, sometimes it’s hard to think about being courageous when we struggle to sleep at night; we’re exhausted from caring for children by ourselves, and we find yet one more thing that’s broken down that we’re going to have to fix.

But let’s think about all of the times we are courageous – all of the challenges, big and small, we take on. Sure, many if not most we do because we have to, there is no other choice, but regardless, we meet those challenges! With God’s help, we face those fears!

For every moment we’ve struggled with something, there are many others where we have grabbed on! We’ve prayed, cried and pushed through obstacles we never thought we could.

When my husband was gone, I fixed a clogged sink and had to deal with contractors who had broken our master bathroom’s toilet. Yours may be more serious, like taking a call and finding out your husband was wounded, or dealing with the death of a relative while your husband was gone.

Be it large or small, as military spouses, we exhibit courage every day. So, let’s remind ourselves and share some of those things that are examples of that courage. As a thank you for your participation, I’ll pick a winner THIS FRIDAY to receive a free copy of the book Courage After Fire.

How have you been courageous? Or, how has God helped you to show courage?

Popularity: 1% [?]

When he leaves

Posted by Sara Horn on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 in Giveaways | Comments (13)

My husband is getting ready to leave for his AT and I’m already thinking about the first thing I’m going to do when he leaves. Clean! I did it for four days straight (and organized our entire attic!) when he deployed a couple of years ago and I typically do it whenever he goes anywhere for some length of time.

I don’t think it’s necessarily because that’s the only time I can clean the house is when he goes away. Hardly. And he’s not necessarily the messiest person in our family. Cleaning is just the routine I’ve developed I suppose to help establish order when it feels anything but. It never feels “routine” for Cliff to be away and I would never want it to. So I clean. Usually I start with our closet, maybe because straightening up his clothes and putting everything back where it needs to go helps me feel close to him and reminds me that he will be coming home.

As I thought about my own routine for when my husband goes away, I wondered what other military wives do when their husbands leave? Do you clean, too? Do you go on a trip? Maybe visit family? Do you cook or start a DIY project?

I know it can be hard to want to do anything after saying goodbye but it’s important to find things that will keep you busy and productive. Staying positive doesn’t always come natural – that’s when we have to trust God with everything, including our husbands. We have to learn to walk by faith.

Speaking of that, we start our “Walking by Faith” study today with FMWCN which I am so excited about! LifeWay Women has graciously given us TWO member books to give away to our ladies so if you don’t have a copy of the book, now’s your chance!

Simply comment below and share with the rest of us what you do when your husband has to leave for a training or a deployment. We’ll pick two winners from everyone who commented by noon Friday (that’s TOMORROW!).

(please note – if you don’t have anything to add about routine, you can still simply comment about anything related to military life in order to participate in the drawing. Thanks!)