Second Chance Hero / Jeannie Moon 240 p.

Second Chance Hero / Jeannie Moon 240 p.

The worst happens, soldier Tom Albanese dies on the hospital table with his nurse fiance preparing to her best to save his life.  Her day goes even worse when his girl friend makes an appearance.   When  she goes to treat Tom's commander, she collapses.  He sees her pain and tries to cushion her fall.

Back stateside, Owen Kent cannot put the nurse out of his mind.  And he is speechless when he realizes the nanny he is sent to pick up is the nurse.  Kim doesn't remember meeting him.  She is putting the army and Kandahar out of bounds for any talks with him.  She carried Tom's secret with her.  Tom's family is taking his loss hard.  She is not going to reveal his duplicity.  She needs help getting through this.  Owen has a fixing habit that he can't break.

And the Mountains Echoed / Khaled Hosseini / 404 p.

There is no doubt that Hosseini has a gift for story telling.  I needed to read this for my book club and even though I had liked the Kite Runner, I was not looking forward to the sadness I expected.  And there is sadness, betrayal, and sacrifice.  But there is also love and hope.  The novel reads much like a series of short stories but they are all tied together with intertwining lives of a few families over the course of six decades.  Afghanistan is the dominent setting but the story also includes Greece, Paris and California. A very worthwhile read.

Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War / Dakota Meyer / 256 pages

Into the Fire chronicles the events that happened in 2009 to Dakota Meyer (recipient of the Medal of Honor in 2011) while deployed in Afghanistan.  The one thing I liked about this book is that it gives you a personal experience of the soldier by telling about his life growing up and how he came around to joining the Marines.  If you want to get a boy to sign up, tell him he can't handle it.  Fast forward to the battle of Ganjigal -- Meyer is outside the front lines waiting to receive orders but the only order that comes is that he must remain in position and not advance.  Imagine how difficult this is when you have close to a hundred men making calls on the radio for air/artillery support and it doesn't come despite the fact they are being told multiple times that it will be "15 mikes" (15 minutes) from now.  Meyer, of course, disregards the orders to stay put and charges into the fight with machine guns, grenade launchers, and Afghan soldiers.  The battle that follows is intense and leaves one biting his or her nails (especially if you are listening to it like myself) -- it is raw and real.  The story continues after the battle and how he handled the MOH nomination, his struggle with PTSD, and life as a civilian.  I was not a fan of the narrator, but other than that, I thought it was interesting getting the perspective of a Medal of Honor recipient.

Service / Marcus Luttrell / 364 pages

Some people know the name Marcus Luttrell, some people know about Operation Red Wings, but thanks to Hollywood last year, almost everyone knows the story of Lone Survivor even if one may not know the lone survivor’s name or operation.  Service is Luttrell’s second book, and this book was good.  It shows that no matter what a man may go through, he must continue the fight because nothing brings down a Navy SEAL or really, any soldier.  After his deployment in Afghanistan, he deploys to Iraq which is a very different war than what was being fought in Afghanistan.  Throughout this deployment, Luttrell reflects on what happened on that mountain in 2005, what it means to him to have a second chance at life, and the meaning of true brotherhood among his men (he even recalls his encounters with Chris Kyle while in Iraq).  After Luttrell is medically discharged in 2007, he describes life outside of the military and begins his speaking career while also starting the Lone Survivor Foundation -- but he is first and foremost a brother to many.  Even after his military career, he still finds himself in situations where he is still supporting his brothers-in-arms or the soldier (and at times, the soldier’s widow) next to him.

This book can get quite emotional at times, and it hit home for me a little bit because while Luttrell was fighting in Ramadi, Iraq, my soon-to-be husband was a little over an hour away fighting in Baghdad at the exact same time, so the stories and perspectives I have heard are very similar but not any less meaningful.  If I could sum up this book in one word, it would be camaraderie, and seeing this type of brotherhood firsthand, Service explains and demonstrates that more than any other book I have read.

A Thousand Splendid Suns/Khaled Hosseini/372 pgs.

Hosseini brings to life the daily struggles and history of the Afghanistan people. He takes the reader on a journey set around Afghanistan's last thirty years--from the Soviet invasion to post-Taliban time. The story centers mainly around two women--Mariam and Laila. Each has her own story, but become part of each other's story when they end up married to the same man--Rasheed. The book gives a glimpse into the lives of families trying to not only survive invasions and war, but also to make life better for future generations. This is one of the best books I've ever read--I'm so glad it's our book club selection for February!

Thousand Splendid Suns / Khaled Hosseini 372 p.

Set in Afghanistan during the past 30 years, Mariam and Laila story is told against the turbulent times of war from the Soviets to the Taliban. The plight of these and other Afghan women is sad. They depend totally upon the men of the family, their fathers, brothers and husbands for their very lives. Mariam is illegitimate daughter of a businessman who is forced into marriage at 15 to a much older man, Rasheed--a man who couldn't find a wife in his town and the why is revealed in detail--brutality that is hard to read. The story turns to Laila, the daughter of a teacher, raised by progressive parents at the time of Soviet rule. She fals in love with neighbor Tariq. It is a good time for women...education, modern medical care, freedom of movement. With the Taliban, the bombing escalates. Women's roles revert to very controlled old ways. Tariq and his parents flee the war; her parents wait too late and are killed. Laila marries neighbor, Rasheed, for protection. At first Mariam is cold and distant to Laila. Gradually a love builds between the two women. This love becomes the central point of the story. Rasheed's temper, bullisness, brutality force the two to try to escape but the plot is foiled. Laila gets a respite when she delivers a son--a son who rules the roost. Hosseini interweaves the history and culture of Afghanistan with the story of these women.

Appeal factors: Bleak, haunting--not an easy story to read and images that will remain, intricately plotted, strong sense of place, disturbing, sobering.

Continents Books: Asia
Award Winner

Thunder over Kandahar / Sharon E. McKay 260 p.

Fourteen-year old Yasmine only knows Britain when she and her Western educated academic Afghan parents return to Afghanistan. Rather naively they ignore their country's customs. After Yasmine's mother is brutally attacked for travelling out-of-doors without a male family member, they flee to their grandfather's country home. There Tamanna and Yasmine become best friends "sisters of the heart". Thrilled they attend a near by school for boys and girls. The Taliban burn down the school and threaten the teacher and students with death. The village believes this Western educated family to be spies. With Tamanna facing an arranged marriage to an older man and Yasmine and family targets of the Taliban, the girls must flee unaccompanied. They face land minds, suicide bombers, Taliban bands.
This emphasizes how hard life is in Afghanistan, especial for women.

2012 Notable Children's Recordings

Operation Yes / Sara Holmes 234 p.

First year teacher, Miss Loupe, begins the new school year by taping off an space for improvisational acting exercises for her sixth-grade students at an Air Force base school. Bo Whaley, and his newly arrived cousin Gari end up in Miss Loupe’s class. The class reluctantly tries improv. Miss Loupe wins over the class so well that by the time she experiences a personal tragedy they work together to raise money utilizing their newly developed improv skills. Operation Yes draws national attention to the wounded soldiers from Iran and Afghanistan.


2012 Notable Children's Books