SURVIVING MILITARY SEPARATION: 365 Days [Paperback]

Marc CB Maxwell (Author), Val J. Laolagi (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2008

Family members know that today, military separation is common and that long deployments are the norm. Coping with everyday problems and hardships by themselves is very difficult, and often leads to loneliness and depression. In his day-to-day counseling of military family members, Marc CB Maxwell, a Department of Defense Guidance Counselor and former Army Airborne Ranger, discovered that many members of his military community were unprepared for these separations. Surviving Military Separation: A 365-Day Activity Guide for the Families of Deployed Personnel is the helping hand they need to get through their family member's deployment.

Marc's daily counseling quickly made it clear that his members required something fun, easy to understand, and enjoyable to pass the time. Surviving Military Separation is the first book on the market to provide everyday steps and activities to help guide family members through these particularly trying separations.

Lavishly illustrated with more than 140 pieces of original art by Val Laolagi, Surviving Military Separation is an activity guidebook created especially for family members of deployed personnel. This unique presentation offers 365 days of activities for the entire family. The book's setup allows readers to break down the lengthy deployment into weeklong chunks, which passes the deployment much more quickly by taking it one fun and creative step at a time.

Surviving Military Separation also includes: A section for journal entries for readers to record their thoughts and feelings for a deployed loved one to read at a later time; a calendar section to help family members remember important dates; stationery to write their deployed personnel; and a world map to assist family members in locating their deployed loved one.

Coming on the heels of the military's recent announcement of longer deployments, Surviving Military Separation is both timely and long overdue. Every family experiencing a military separation will find this book indispensable.

Marc CB Maxwell is a Department of Defense Guidance Counselor who works daily with deployed personnel and their families. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Cornell College, a Master of Science degree from Texas AandM-Corpus Christi University, and is studying for his Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma. The former Army Airborne Ranger is the recipient of several awards, including the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. An avid sports fan, Marc co-founded the Sports by the Numbers series. The first book, University of Oklahoma Football: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports (Savas Beatie, 2007) was awarded the American Authors Association Golden Quill Award. Marc, his wife Christine, and their daughter Meredith are currently stationed overseas in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Val J. Laolagi (illustrator) graduated from Santa Clara University with degrees in Computer Science and Art. He has been in the High-Tech Industry for fourteen years and has been an artist since a very young age. He lives in El Dorado Hills, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Savas Beatie (January 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932714235
• ISBN-13: 978-1932714234
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT RESOURCE FOR ANYONE WITH A LOVED ONE IN THE MILITARY, January 7, 2008

By 

Hillary (APO, AE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SURVIVING MILITARY SEPARATION: 365 Days (Paperback)

I have been following this book since my spouse deployed 2 months ago. There are many amazing activities that I would not have thought of. For example, on Day 28 - List All the Positives In Your Life. With the stress and feelings of being overwhelmed that can come with a deployment, it's easy to focus on negative things. Doing this activity helped me change my focus, and it's something I try to do everyday now.

I especially like how this book is organized into 1-week segments with a place to journal some of my thoughts at the end of each week. As I move forward in this book, I look forward to new ideas and I'm reminded of the progress I've made so far.

This book is a great resource for anyone going through a military separation; moms, dads, kids, spouses, friends or significant others. It doesn't matter what branch you're affiliated with or the length of separation.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource for the military family, February 12, 2009

By 

Courtney (Yokohama, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SURVIVING MILITARY SEPARATION: 365 Days (Paperback)

I was given this book to review and couldn't put it down. Our Family Readiness Group plans on using this book to help our families deal with deployments. As a former military brat and now a military wife, I know what to do during a deployment but seeing it in black and white with cute graphics just makes it seem easier. It is very user friendly with simple ideas to help loved ones left behind stay busy and focused on the positives in life. Having the book divided into weeks and then into daily assignments helps families tackle one day at a time, which is really the only way to handle the separation. Thank you, Marc Maxwell, for creating this book for our military families.

2.0 out of 5 stars Lots of suggestions for people with time to burn., October 8, 2011

By 

Teresa L. Karels "TK" (Cottage Grove MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: SURVIVING MILITARY SEPARATION: 365 Days (Paperback)

Having a full time job and two children this book will be donated. Lots of suggestions for the person with lots of free time and family support. My friends laughed when they opened it.