Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey through Heartache to Activism [Hardcover]

Cindy Sheehan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 19, 2006

"Writing this book is the second most difficult thing I have ever done, next to burying Casey."

On April 4, 2004, Cindy Sheehan learned that Casey, the eldest of her four children, had been killed in Iraq, where he was serving in the United States Army. After struggling through crippling grief for three weeks, she came to an epiphany: "I will spend my life trying to make Casey's sacrifice count for peace and love, not killing and hate."

"Peace Mom" is the heartfelt and profoundly moving story of Cindy's journey to activism. She recounts the dark days following Casey's death, when it seemed her life would never have meaning again. She tells of her June 2004 meeting with President Bush, and how that encounter ultimately set her on a path that would take her to hearings in the Capitol, test old friendships and family ties, and culminate outside Crawford, Texas, in a monthlong peace action that would draw thousands of supporters and worldwide attention.

Here are the stories Cindy has never shared before about her own experiences at the center of a media firestorm, the life-altering events that were sparked by her simple act of defiance one hot August day in Texas. Going behind the headlines and sound bites, Cindy writes candidly about the toll her activism has taken on her own life and her family, as well the unforeseen rewards her quest for peace has brought. Through days of rage, despair, laughter, and tears, Cindy has found ways to celebrate the life of her son Casey and give meaning to his death. Her story points the way to a future of peace and justice for the world and for our children.

Heartrending and powerful, "Peace Mom" is at once an honest account of one woman's triumph over loss and a clarion call to all those who wonder if they can make a difference.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Cindy Sheehan, mother of the late Specialist Casey Sheehan, U.S. Army, is cofounder of Gold Star Families for Peace, an organization devoted to families who have lost loved ones in Iraq.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books; 1St Edition edition (September 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743297911
• ISBN-13: 978-0743297912
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,026,216 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shouldn't Matter Whether You Agree or Disagree, July 21, 2009

By 

J. Johnson "JGJ" (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey through Heartache to Activism (Hardcover)

I bought this book in the store after picking it up and reading the front and back cover. When I finished it, I had to look up the reviews to satisfy my curiosity. Before I did that, I predicted 2.5 stars. I figured half the people can relate to what this poor mother had to endure (I am one of those) and the other half cannot relate and will therefore be enraged by her strong points of view. It's human nature. I could spend hours and pages commenting on the comments but I am not going to do that.

I believe what Cindy wrote came from her heart. I believe that whether you agree with her viewpoints or not, there is so much value in her courage to expose the rawness of the human condition. If you believe in the military and the U.S. and its government, then let's rejoice in Cindy for asserting her first ammendment rights as she so bravely has done. And she did it at the risk of receiving death threats and further trauma to her family from those who cannot peacefully oppose her views but want to do so violently. Violence will never solve this world's or this country's problems. Has it ever? The definition of insanity is to continue to do what you've always done and expect a different result.

Life is a progression of experiences and our wisdom comes at various milestones of it. I can easily see how some people would be enraged by what Cindy discusses. Some people cannot relate and therefore, will judge her harshly. And for some, they need to believe death this way is for an honorable cause because denial is a coping mechanism that keeps the human mind from going insane.

Ask yourself this question: If the president wanted to send my son to Iraq or Afghanistan, would I be grateful to have such an honorable mission bestowed upon my son? If you can answer yes, then by all means encourage your sons to go. That way, there will never be a shortage and my boys will stay home. And they will not have to endure the lies and deceit fed to them by individuals who can't admit they were lied to because their egos are too big to admit they were fooled. Instead, they will pass the lies on and believe them. It makes it so much simpler that way.

I wish I could bring Cindy's son back for her. I know she does too. I wept for him and Cindy so many times throughout this book that I almost couldn't see the words on the page at times. God bless you and your family, Cindy, and I hope I get to meet you someday. I have two sons, 9 and 15. And they will have to kill me before I let them join a cause to die so someone else can get rich and prosper as quickly and as easily as possible, and then walk off a free criminal. It is a disgusting and despicable, corruption-filled bureaucracy. And anyone who wants to negate otherwise hasn't lived long enough yet to feel it personally. Once you do, you'll get it.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, but won't turn any hearts, November 14, 2007

By 

J. Peiser - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey through Heartache to Activism (Hardcover)

Peace Mom is a powerful first hand account of one mother's struggle to find truth amidst violence and anger. Cindy Sheehan should be commended for her honesty and fiery energy that has arisen from her own personal tragedy; however, as a reader I was often annoyed and distracted by her poor grammar throughout her autobiography. At times, it seemed as if Sheehan wanted to fit her entire story onto one page. Too often, she digressed in the middle of a paragraph and then caught herself by saying, "more on that in the next chapter." She also decided to leave out much of her personal history or wrote it off as "abusive." This ambiguity left me wanting to know more about her past, so that I could better understand her metamorphosis into the "Peace Mom." Despite these misgivings, I felt that her palpable, simple writing was an effective way to describe her emotional state at crucial moments such as the day her son died, or the day she began Camp Casey.

The chapter describing when she learned of her son's death was extremely poignant, but her pain was overshadowed by her anger toward the Bush administration. Her brash writing will obviously draw harsh criticism from the right and won't turn any hearts of those who are pro-Bush because of the offensive language she used to describe them. Also, I doubt this book will make any moderates still on the fence about Iraq (if any still exist) decide to become anti-war since she comes off as a bit manipulative and self-centered. This fact alone makes me wonder how many more people she would truly be able to reach and affect if she employed a bit more grace and tact.
It is unfair to call Sheehan a puppet or someone trying to take advantage of her son's death because by simply reading about the impact her son's death had on her life, a reader will see that she truly is a mother who cared deeply for her son. This book, although not Pulitzer Prize worthy by any means, reminds Americans that it is our right to protest and question our government's decisions.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Mother and Patriot, August 1, 2007

By 

Sean Mulligan (Alpharetta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey through Heartache to Activism (Hardcover)

I love Mrs Sheehan's book. She is very thoughtful and intelligent. She has done a good job of teaching herself about the realities of U.S. and world politics. Those people who gave this book a one star review most likely never read the booka and they should try getting their information elsewhere then Fox News.