Home and Away: A Story of Family in a Time of War [Paperback]

Nancy French (Author), David French (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2011

David French picked up the newspaper in the comfort of his penthouse in Philadelphia, and read about a soldier - father of two - who was wounded in Iraq. Immediately, he was stricken with a question: Why him and not me?
This is the story of what happens when a person - rather a family - answers the call to serve their nation. David was a 37-year-old father of two, a Harvard Law graduate and president of a free speech organization. In other words, he was used to pushing pencils, not toting M16s.
His wife Nancy was raising two children and writing from home. She was worrying about field trips and playdates, not about her husband going to war.
HOME AND AWAY chronicles not just a soldier at war, but a family at war - a husband in Iraq, a wife and children at home, greeting each day with hope and fear, facing the challenge with determination, tears, and more than a little joy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Nancy French stands for everything right about red-state America: love for God, country, and Wal-Mart. She's funny, she's Southern, and she's smart. I think I'm in love! Just don't tell my wife." (Michael Graham, radio talk show host and author of Redneck Nation: How the South Really Won the War )

A RED STATE OF MIND shows that while you can take the girl out of the South, you can't take the South out of the girl--thank goodness. Nancy French does us GRITS (Girls Raised in the South) proud!" (Deborah Ford, author of The GRITS Guide to Life, GRITS Friends Are Forevah, and Puttin' on the GRITS )

"Nancy French isn't just a piercingly funny commentator on the red/blue culture wars; she's a participant. Whether it means standing up to feminist NYU classmates about her 'male-oppression' marriage or publicly shaming her daughter's Philadelphia school board for eliminating 'under God,' Nancy injects a laugh-out-loud freshness into the tired old debate." (Shaunti Feldhahn, nationally syndicated columnist, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and author of For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men on A Red State of Mind )

"This husband-and-wife account of a year in wartime Iraq (2007-2008) artfully captures the mixed emotions that can accompany a loved one's decision to enlist and illustrates that friendship, hope, and humor are vital to survival...An earnest and engaging read that prompts a closer look at patriotism and citizenship, on battlefields and at home." (Publishers Weekly )

About the Author

Nancy French is a columnist for the Philadelphia City Paper, a weekly alternative newspaper (readership of 460,000), in which she addressed issues like politics, religion, and culture with a light, humorous touch. She also the cofounded and maintains the blog re:formation which has a large following and focuses on a discussion of today's conservative Right.

David French is a captain in the United States Army Reserve. In his civilian life, he is a senior counsel of the Alliance Defense Fund and is the director of its Center for Academic Freedom. In Iraq he served as the Squadron Judge Advocate for the 2d Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment in Diyala Province, Iraq. At the conclusion of his tour, he was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service in combat operations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Center Street; 1 edition (July 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931722900
• ISBN-13: 978-1931722902
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,032,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Socialist Shout Out for Home and Away July 5, 2011

By Tara

Format:Paperback

Nancy is a true-blue Republican. I'm practically a socialist. Her husband David writes political pieces that infuriate me. So I went into reading their latest book, Home and Away, with a bit of trepidation. I didn't think I could stomach a pro-war, America-right-or-wrong, love story.

I was wrong to worry. I winced more than a few times when the politics hit me the wrong way, but it was a wise, funny page-turner. It was about war, and marriage, and church, and kids, and calling. It was about how all of those things are complicated and painful and joyful. It was about things that are worth dying for, and left me wondering if I do enough to stand up for those things I value most.

I loved it. Whatever your political persuasion, I highly recommend the book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Insights into supporting our armed forces personnel June 28, 2011

By Craig T. Owens

Format:Paperback

I just finished reading "Home And Away," by David & Nancy French, and I have tears in my eyes. I readily admit that I'm a "patriotic crier" whenever the red, white and blue is involved, and this book hit me right in that patriotic soft spot.

A real quick summary of the book goes like this: David & Nancy French have an ideal life in America (family, home, career, etc.), but David feels compelled to serve his country in the armed forces in Iraq. So David enlists in the reserves and is stationed away in Iraq for a year, and Nancy tries to adjust to life home without her husband. The book alternates chapters, with both Nancy and David writing about the war from their perspective.

But what was invaluable to me was the insight into the emotional life of this couple. Both of them explain so clearly all of the feelings that are swirling around inside of them. You can feel the frustration as they try to explain their feelings to others, who don't quite seem to get it. Even David has trouble grasping all that Nancy is experiencing, as Nancy tries to come to grips with what David is going through. In the end, I have a much greater appreciation for both our soldiers away in harm's way, and their families who attempt to carry on at home without them.

If you want to know how to better support and pray for our armed forces and their families, I highly recommend "Home And Away" to you.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks for Your Sacrifice June 22, 2011

By ruthjoec

Format:Paperback

My dad was in the Air Force when I was a young child (he retired when I was in sixth grade). Somehow he managed, through good luck and by accepting assignments that others didn't want, to spend almost the entire Viet Nam era in the Air Force without ever getting close to the place. As I got older and realized that not only were Americans not happy with the war, but that they were also unhappy about the warriors, I shook my head in dismay. My dad and my friends' dads were not horrible people, they were men who went to work every day to support their families and defend their country.

When the Gulf War broke out, I was pleased to see that while there was a vigorous political debate about whether we should be engaging in that particular action and to what degree and to what end; in general the American public was supportive of the members of the military. However, one thing I've read in many places is that while military service used to be a frequent male rite of passage across many income levels, today it is increasingly the job of a professional military class--made of those whose fathers (and now mothers) made a career of the military and who plan to do so themselves--and of a rotating cast of the poor who join because they lack other options. Most of our middle or upper income families do not have members in the military and don't want to.

David French was someone who did not have to join the Army. He had many reasons not to join--including a good job, a wife and two young kids. However, he felt God calling him to put his money where his mouth was and to join the Army Reserves, which he knew would lead to a deployment in the Middle East. This book tells the story of the year he was away. Some chapters are by David, some by his wife, Nancy. They each tell the story of how they lived that year. He processed detainees in Iraq and taught the rules of engagement to soldiers. She reduced their debt, took care of the kids and wrote. They kept in touch via the internet.

I enjoyed this book. David and Nancy are people of faith and while the book is by no means preachy, nor does it overtly suggest you adopt their faith, their relationship with God is obvious throughout the book. Deployments are known to be hard on military marriages and David and Nancy describe how they worked to preserve their marriage during that time--and the struggles they faced. Nancy tells us about the support she received from friends, family and members of her church. David describes the conditions he faced in Iraq.

David is conservative politically and it shows in this book. My husband is conservative politically and anyone who is around him any amount of time knows it. I recommend very few of the books I read to him (I have a hard time seeing him with a sappy romance novel) but I told him he'd like this one. Grade: A

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy. I was not obligated to write a positive review.