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Advance Praise for HOME FIRES BURNING: Married to the Military—for Better or Worse Karen Houppert “Closely reported, deeply empathetic… While Houppert clearly is troubled by the Iraq war, she lets the facts speak for themselves. An important story about today’s America.” —Elle “Karen Houppert casts a sharp, sympathetic eye on the little-known lives of military wives—21st century women in a l950s world that is at once demanding and infantilizing, secure and incredibly dangerous. Her interviewees range from gung-ho to openly rebellious—and sometimes both at once. An important book for our parlous times.” —Katha Pollitt, Nation contributor and author of Subject to Debate “At last, a book about the unsung warriors of the All Volunteer Force: the families. Houppert, an Air Force brat, skillfully chronicles, among many challenges, the family stresses of turn-around deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, the agony of combat and non-combat deaths, the isolation of an anti-war wife and the military’s self-serving struggle with escalating domestic abuse. A searing and sobering view behind the modern khaki curtain.” —Linda Bird Francke, author of Ground Zero: The Gender Wars in the Military “Too often in my 24 years as a member of the House Armed Services Committee I saw reflections of a military attitude that said ‘Your family is your problem. If we wanted you to have one, we’d have issued you one.’ With so much having been written about the U.S. military, from history to strategy to memoir, it seems incredible that until now no one has turned a spotlight on America’s military families and the courage they exhibit every day in their supporting role. This wonderful book finally does just that!” —Former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder “When my husband was called to war, I had no idea what to expect. This book shows what it's like for the women left behind, and provides an honest look at the uneasy truce between soldiers’ wives and the military brass that knows these women—the heart of the Army—are critical to national security, but doesn’t begin to understand them. If you’ve ever wondered what it means to be a modern military wife, I’d encourage you to read this.” —Stacy Bannerman, human rights advocate and spouse of a deployed soldier “HOME FIRES BURNING is an indispensable addition to that very short shelf of books that takes an honest, clear-eyed look at the lives and sacrifices of military families. Through portraits of heartbreaking specificity, Karen Houppert makes the indisputable case that soldiers and their loved ones can no longer be paid in platitudes and patriotism. It is hoped that a truly grateful nation will make damn sure that HOME FIRES BURNING lights some fires of its own.” —Sarah Bird, author of Yokota Officers Club |
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