Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Everything you can expect..., October 26, 2005
...from a self-published book. Plowing through the poor punctuation, grammar and non-existent editing rewards you with a glimpse into one sad woman's life. Its amusement value is about one dollar at a garage sale.
Try Today's Military Wife by Lydia Sloan Cline if you're looking for actual information about military life.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
At least it is a good coaster..., March 15, 2006
For anyone interested in reading a book about the military, I recommend going elsewhere. This book is full of factual errors, author impressions, and short-sighted pessimism that are, at best, misleading.
My wife picked up this book AT THE BASE LIBRARY (how sad). After reading it for about 20 minutes, she said to me "This is horrible!" Being a faster reader than her, I picked it up and tried to skim through it. The first thing that struck me was the unnecessarily aggressive writing style of the author...then I got past the first paragraph and realized it was much worse.
Ms. Martin was a military brat (as was I), but unless she dealt with the finance office, planned moves, or any other major facet of military life, that truly has little bearing on how to live life as a military wife. I have been in for less than 3 years and already have 3 tours in the Middle East, 2 formal training assignments, and am about to go to pilot training. I say this not to denigrate Ms. Martin, but to show I have a little more credibility than Ms. Martin when it comes to the descriptions of the military she depicts.
I think the biggest mistake in this book are her "truths." All of these "truths" are misleading/false and are only backed up by bitterness, a limited 4 year experience, and very little factual information. While I am sure that some people might FEEL the same as Ms. Martin, she doesn't seem to present any facts, only inuendo and opinion. While I can tear apart all of her "truths", I will focus on only three.
"Truth #1: The recruiter lied to you"
Most recruiters are honest. There are many who stretch the truth, but most will give you a fair shake. In addition, if you don't get it in writing and you sign without reading the fine print, sorry, but just like a new car, YOU are stuck with it under the conditions by which you signed. My advice, read the fine print and have a lawyer present if you are being promised ANYTHING.
"Truth #4: The US Constitution does not apply to your husband
...They can do whatever they want because your husband belongs to them...the military treats everyone the same: as if they are disposable and don't matter
"
This is patently absurd. The military is a government agency and responds as such, but it does not mean that you have no rights. You can participate in election campaigns, you have freedom of speech (but cannot divulge classified info), you can worship how you please, you can keep and bear arms (when not on a controlled federal installation such as a base or airport), you can vote on whom you please, etc. ad nauseum.
Just because you don't like
it and your husband is busy, doens't mean he doesn't have rights. The government does not OWN you. You are NOT a slave. They cannot force you to do a LOT of things. However, you took an oath to obey the orders of those appointed over you. If you didn't believe it, you shouldn't have said it and agreed to it.
"Truth #6: The military reserves the right not to pay you."
You may make a mistake in paperwork or commit a felony, but when your company docks your pay, it may suck, but it is not "not paying" you. If commited of a felony in ANY court, they can garnish your wages to recoup losses. If anyone in the military docks you enough pay to bankrupt you, they will be wasting valuable manpower. It was not your money to begin with; keep track of your finances, take your time filling out your paperwork (don't be afraid to ask questions), and you won't have these kinds of financial problems.
Other "truths" with problems
"11. You will not "pick" your duty station" (you can give them a list, but as long as it is on that list, you can get it. 97% get something on your list. Sorry, not everyone spends 4 years in Hawaii. That's life.)
"13. You are moving to the ghetto." (Rarely do you have to live on base. It may not fit your budget well, and you may have to pay more, but you choose where you live in your community, not the military. Make your own choice and priorities)
"15. There is no such thing as a good duty station or assignment." Every assignment has plusses and minuses. Making the most of what you have is what makes it good. Focusing on the negatives ensures you will not have a good time at your assignment.
"16. Ceremony is more important than life itself" plan ahead and this usually isn't an issue. If your wife is giving birth, you won't be at some stupid formation for a promotion ceremony.
In short, this is a horrible, misleading book that is best used as an expensive piece of kindling. 1 star is the lowest rating I could give it. It should be in the negative range.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Pessimism Abounds Here!!!, July 6, 2005
If you want a sarcastic, (read: mean spirited) look behind the scenes of a jaded military wife that seems to dislike the military, then look no further, for you have found the motherlode.
The pessimistic tone of this book is very demoralizing, and I can only hope it isn't being sold in your PX, for surely it would send even the toughest of military wives running for the nearest divorce lawyer.
Hilary Martin does the impossible with this book, with her sad attempts at humor dragging the tone of the book even further down into the depths of cranky regret.
I am ashamed of this book, and only hope that the outlooks of other mil. wives are more upbeat.
Don't buy it. I promise you will regret it.
Refunds should be offered on this to every unsuspecting customer that had the utter misfortune to actually pay for it.
(note: I only gave it one star because the Amazon system demands a rating and doesn't have a "negative star rating")
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