Military Community, Spouse and Family Resources - Military Times

10 great books for military spouses

"I can't see publishing more than one book for military spouses," said one publisher we approached with our book proposal.

You've got to be kidding, we said to each other. That's like saying, "I can't see publishing more than one book for parents."

Of course, if all military spouses were alike, the one-book idea might work. But, hello ... we are a diverse and large group, with new members joining all the time.

Hopefully, someday, all military exchanges will have a "Military Family" section of books and other resources. Don't wait for that. You can already get these valuable resources at Army Times' online bookstore, Amazon.com and other outlets.

Here's a partial list.

• "Jobs and the Military Spouse: Married, Mobile and Motivated for Employment, Second Edition," by Army spouse Janet Farley, offers tips and tools for your job search.

• "Today's Military Wife: Meeting the Challenges of Service Life, Fifth Edition," by Army spouse Lydia Sloan Cline, covers the basics and continues to be updated.

• "E-mail to the Front: One Wife's Correspondence with Her Husband Overseas," by Navy spouse Alesia Holliday.

• "Going Overboard: The Misadventures of a Military Wife," by Navy spouse Sarah Smiley, is an open, honest account of the author's first experience with deployment. It reads like a novel, featuring a young woman not ready to be as independent as a military spouse needs to be.

• "Heroes at Home: Help and Hope for America's Families," by Air Force spouse Ellie Kay, shares ideas for raising families.

• "The Homefront Club: The Hardheaded Woman's Guide to Raising a Military Family," by Navy spouse Jacey Eckhart, is another open, honest and funny account of military life. Eckhart shares ideas on how to stay connected to your extended family.

• "Married to the Military: A Survival Guide for Military Wives, Girlfriends and Women in Uniform," by Navy spouse Meredith Leyva, covers the basics -- what we all need to know just to survive.

• "Surviving Deployment: A Guide for Military Families," by Marine Corps spouse Karen M. Pavlicin, is full of ideas to get you through deployment challenges.

• "When Duty Calls: A Guide to Equip Active Duty, Guard and Reserve Personnel and Their Loved Ones for Military Separations, Fifth Edition," by Air Force spouse Carol Vandesteeg, is a reference book that can help you help others with deployment challenges.

• "While They're at War: The True Story of American Families on the Homefront," by Navy spouse Kristin Henderson, follows three spouses (and herself) as they deal with deployment. We think all Americans should read this book so they really know what military families are asked to do.

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Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer are military spouses who have written articles and presented workshops based on their research and experiences for more than 10 years. They are authors of "Help! I'm a Military Spouse -- I Want a Life Too! " Send your questions and suggestions to marriedtomilitary@atpco.com.