Customer Reviews

E-Mail To The Front: One Wife's Correspondence With Her Husband Overseas

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Wow! Where to start? Before reading E-MAIL TO THE FRONT, I appreciated America's military families in a vague sort of way. Yes, I knew they worried about their loved ones who had been deployed thousands of miles away and that it must be difficult for them to cope with the absence of a missing husband or wife, but I had no real concept of the everyday sacrifices they make on our behalf. This book changed all that!

What is it like to have a toddler and a newborn, move two thousand miles away from your family and friends, and then wave good-bye to your husband for six months? How do you manage to get a job (as a trial lawyer, no less), deal with the usual array of childhood illnesses, feed the dog, mow the lawn, and manage the million and one details of family life while also trying to keep your marriage thriving by having phone sex on monitored lines from thousands of miles away? Read E-MAIL TO THE FRONT, and you'll find out how! Ms. Holliday gives us a look into the real challenges military families face--not the sometimes whitewashed, rah-rah version we see so often in the media. This sometimes funny, sometimes poignant account of how she survived her husband's two deployments will make you want to go up to the next military family you see and say "thank you." And I want to say "thank you" to the author for this wonderfully written, thoroughly entertaining book that opened my eyes to what it's like for the families left behind!

As an army wife, I absolutely adored this book. It's the first book I've read written about military spouses that isn't full of bitterness or rank envy.

Currently going through a year long deployment, I can identify with so much of this book, especially the appliances all breaking at once and the hesitation with using any more appliances for fear they will break too.

As the spouse of a combat arms army man, the only parts that were hard for me to read were when her husband mentioned drinking, going to restaurants, and having a relatively normal life while deployed. However, if you're not a tired and bitter woman like me, you won't even notice.

It's just so refreshing to read about our lives from the point of view of a "high functioning" wife. She's a mature, educated woman who has her own life outside of her husband's. (I'm glad I'm not the only one who balked at everything being sponsor centered at first.)

To the author: A big THANK YOU! To those considering buying this book: Do it, especially if your husband is deployed or about to. Her honesty and sense of humor make you feel like you're visiting an old friend.

I loved this book! The email format made it a quick and fun read, and although Alesia Holliday is a Navy wife, wives of any branch or rank (and especially mothers) can relate to her experiences.

The author is refreshingly honest about the daily challenges she faced during two deployments, from facing her fears for her husband's safety and caring for two sick children while she herself was sick, to the pains of abstinence, and driving an intruding raccoon out of her bedroom! I laughed and I cried, and by the time I finished the book, I felt encouraged and had a sense of peace about my own husband's upcoming deployment.

I can't thank you enough, Alesia, and I'm looking forward to your future works!!!

I sat down to read one chapter--just one--and didn't get up until I finished the book! Yes, it's THAT good! I laughed, I cried . . . and I came away with a new perspective on what the life of a military spouse entails. Alesia's honesty and candor are a refreshing change from the sometimes sugar-coated write ups we get in the media and "chicken-soup" type books.

This is a must-read for co-workers, employers, family and friends of military spouses. The "top ten" lists are worth the price alone.

Looking for a good read--or a great gift? Look no further!

This book may be difficult to find - take the time! A fantastic read. Alesia Holliday has crafted a wonderful representation of the world many of us live in nowadays. She presents her story in an interesting format of email between herself and her husband (with narration at the beginning of each chapter to introduce the topic of that chapter). Illnesses, job changes, children, deployments, and much more. It really runs quite a course, and is highly recommended for anyone with a relative in the military, new (or experienced!) military spouse, or just someone who would like some insight into the everyday life of today's military family. Warning however! Be careful drinking hot liquids while reading this book! I have a sweatshirt that took many washings to get the stain out after laughing so hard that I completely lost control of my coffee mug. Alesia has managed to turn some very stressful moments on their ear by relating it through humor. What an extraordinary woman, and a must-have book. Keep them coming!

This was a wonderful book, probably one of my favorites from the summer so far. I loved the way she shared their experience of deployment. I highly recommend this book!!

I have been a navy wife for 4 years now, and a navy brat since the day I was born. So navy life is nothing new to me. After reading this book, I really knew that there were other women that have the same thoughts/praises/complaints that I did. I would recommend this to any navy wife I come across that hasn't seen or heard of it!

I bought this book during my husband's first deployment to keep me company on the nights when I couldn't sleep. It was a wonderful book!! I couldn't seem to put it down. It made me feel so much better reading someone else's experience. SO many things I found myself laughing out loud about because they were so true. Other times I would tear up at because I knew how she felt.
My only issues witht he book were sections where she blaimed him for being gone. That was pretty upsetting to read and took a little away from the book. Overall I think this is a great book for any navy wife to read!

I am a new to the world of being a military spouse(and in my first deployement at that)....this book helped me realize that i'm not the only one going through this. This book made me laugh and cry, sometimes all at once. It was well worth every penny i spent on it. Strongly suggest to read this book.

As a wife of an Army man currently in Iraq, I was not sure if this was a good book to get, but as I started to read it I found myself in Alesia's situations. I read it cover to cover in one night. By the end I new that I too would get through this deployment. It is a wonderful book for those who really have no idea about the military deployment and all that the families left behind have to go through. Great Book. Thanks Alesia.