The Day After He Left for Iraq: A Story of Love, Family, and Reunion

The Day After He Left for Iraq has 85 ratings and 23 reviews. Abby said: I'm pretty familiar with the staying-home part of a deployment myself because my.
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It will get under your skin, there are parts of the book you will never forget. Every American should read Seligman's book so they can understand how devastating deployments are to soldiers and their families. As an Army wife, reading this book gave me my first I am not alone moments. Read this book because it will give you insight into the lives of military families, also read it because it is a well written. Seligman's pulls no punches and makes no apologies and the end result is a deep and moving work.

I applaud the author for her courage in sharing her real emotions. Beautiful book, one of my favorites. One person found this helpful. I absolutely love how this was written. The author took an extremely emotional experience and let me experience that with her.

The Day After He Left for Iraq: A Story of Love, Family & Reunion by Melissa Sel

She let me in on every detail of her deployment. As a military spouse, I wanted to read this book, to see if her deployment was comparable to my deployment. IT was, however, she knew how to name the emotions I was feeling, and had no clue what they were. I have read this at least 10 times, and will continue to use it as a resource. Definitely recommended if you want an inside look into a military wifes side of deployment. Great book as well. This was a great book. The delivery was fast and the book was in great condition. Would do business again. I had the honor of being seated next to the author at an event held at our military installation several years ago.

She struck up a conversation and we talked like we were old friends; I'll never forget that. I had no idea at the time she was the speaker for the event I was attending that day, until she excused her and stepped to the podium to speak. I'm sure my mouth probably dropped open. I hadn't read her book at that point, but I got online an ordered it after that though. My husband was downrange at the time and I remember not being able to read it all until he was home safe and sound.

Not for lack of trying, but because her words were coming off the page at me when I tried, raw, emotional, and very much too close to home. It's an amazing book, one that struck a chord with me, like it has with so many others. We weren't alone, this women put our fears to rest. We weren't crazy, irrational, or alone, we were just experiencing natural human emotions to our circumstances. And, she made it okay for us to speak of them, because we then knew others felt the same way. Thank you so much for that, Melissa! Thank you for sharing your experiences!

It was very powerful because she was so transparent. Being a military spouse myself, it was hard to read in a way because it was so real, but I couldn't put it down. It would have been helpful if she had shared at the end how to deal with your emotions in a more healthy way than she did She mostly stuffed her emotions until she almost had a nervous breakdown. I'm glad I read it, but it was pretty heavy. This is a great resource for those who want to catch a glimpse into the sacrifice that military families make--the soldier, the spouse and the children.

It shows the heart-wrenching range of emotions experienced throughout the deployment cycle, although not every spouse will have quite as dramatic an experience as the author.

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I hope many non-military people will read this book. If you think you know the story of Army wives, think again. This book takes you through every gut-wrenching step of a deployment from the soldier's family's viewpoint. Wives and children pay the highest price when daddy leaves for war. Author Melissa Seligman doesn't hold anything back, freely sharing sorrow, worry, anger, depression, and recovery.

When you sit down to read this book, don't expect to get up without finishing. Grab your handkerchief, and maybe a stiff drink, and as you read remember the thousands upon thousands of American families who are living the same story. See all 15 reviews. Most recent customer reviews.

Published on July 1, Published on August 28, Published on June 29, Published on April 2, Published on December 4, Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. Set up a giveaway. Every journey of love is different.

Every struggle to keep that love solid and moving forward is ever more difficult. Thank you to Melissa for sharing such a raw and extremely personal battle with us all. Sep 26, Shana rated it really liked it. Boy, was I wrong! I believe this is why they say you should never judge a book by its cover! Seligman allows the reader into some of her most excruciatingly painful thoughts, and effectively demonstrates that life is certainly not peachy for the family left behind when a service member deploys.

At times I felt as if I was right there with her, feeling the guilt, the terror, and experiencing the moments of triumph. I cried with her over and over again. This book should be read by anyone who wants to know how deployment affects a family. There are currently so many families who are going through similar experiences, and they need their voices heard too. After reading this, I have gained an incredible respect for military families and the challenges they face. Jan 24, Catherine rated it really liked it Recommends it for: His first deployment is Afghanistan.

His second deployment, and where this book begins, is Iraq. Seligman writes with honesty and rawness of her feelings and emotions while David is in Iraq and she is living in their home on base in Upstate New York with their two-year-old daughter and infant son. The book reads more like diary entries in unembellished fashion as she shares her journey through the process of her altered life. She bares all in writing of David's return home for a two week leave and return to Iraq and the anxiousness and strain when he returns home again as they struggle to return to daily routines.

There are many stories focusing on men at war, but little mention of the families left behind and their hardships. This book provides valuable insight into the sacrifices of military spouses. Feb 02, Kristy rated it it was amazing Shelves: Reading this book was hard as this is my life minus the children, which I believe the lack of children make a deployment harder. These are the emotions and the fears that I go through every other year when my husband deploys.

I wish more people in the civlian world would read this book, to catch a glimpse into the life of a military spouse. To have your heart drop when you get an unexpected knock at the door, to not be able to sleep until the wee hours of the morning because you're so full of an Reading this book was hard as this is my life minus the children, which I believe the lack of children make a deployment harder. To have your heart drop when you get an unexpected knock at the door, to not be able to sleep until the wee hours of the morning because you're so full of anxiety and for those like us who don't have children because he's never home long enough and when he is the stress of deployments is just too much.

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May 15, Kathy rated it liked it. Melissa Seligman tells it like it is. Not only does she portray the loneliness and stress of a young mother with a baby and a 2-year-old, but her keen awareness and her responses to her children's reactions to their father's absence is also detailed. She doesn't mince words when describing her own fear and terror during these months. Because they were able to speak almost daily with her husband via videophone, Melissa was also able to experience and accurately describe many of his thoughts and e Melissa Seligman tells it like it is.

Because they were able to speak almost daily with her husband via videophone, Melissa was also able to experience and accurately describe many of his thoughts and emotions about the separation.

Editorial Reviews

This is a great book to read if you've ever wondered what it's like to be the spouse of a solider who is deployed. Mar 17, Jessica rated it liked it. The Day After He Left for Iraq is written from the first person perspective of the wife of an active duty military man. This book was pretty hard to read just because her writing is so in the moment and so painful. I can't imagine being separated from my husband for months at a time, much less knowing that he's in Iraq in the middle of a war.

But, even though it was hard to read at times, it was really interesting to see the daily life of a military family and how they deal with deployment The Day After He Left for Iraq is written from the first person perspective of the wife of an active duty military man. But, even though it was hard to read at times, it was really interesting to see the daily life of a military family and how they deal with deployments and reunions.

The Day After He Left for Iraq: A Story of Love, Family & Reunion - Melissa Seligman - Google Книги

Jan 09, Kristina rated it liked it. This book was a tough one for me to get through as we are also preparing for a 1 year deployment to Iraq in the fall. The author's writing certainly depicts a realistic picture of her experience saying goodbye, surviving the year alone with two small children, and reuniting with her husband again. It is a story that needs to be told as so many Americans have no idea what kind of sacrifices soldiers and their family endure while they go about their lives.

This book gives a window into the challen This book was a tough one for me to get through as we are also preparing for a 1 year deployment to Iraq in the fall. This book gives a window into the challenges and struggles that face military families in today's world. Nov 19, Fergman rated it it was amazing Shelves: I gave this book a five. I felt sorry for her. We all know that things are never easy with single moms. I think that if a person reads this book and doesn't show empathy, then that person must have a problem.

Sep 26, Amber rated it really liked it Shelves: I am usually very stingy with my 4 star ratings, but this book was well worth every star. Seligman put the reader right in the middle of her emotions when her husband was in Iraq. I found myself crying several times over the challenges she was experiencing. What a good book! Jan 07, Jennie rated it liked it Shelves: I liked the book.

It was interesting to read a wife's point of view about her husband's absence and how she carried on.

I don't think that deployments are as hard on the families as they are on the soldiers themselves, but I do agree that they are still hard on the families. Apr 26, Marie rated it liked it. I saw this at the library so picked it up. I was just wanting something to read that didn't take a lot of time and this book was okay for that. It had very sad parts and was similar to other books I have read about families going through deployments.

Aug 20, Sue Kozlowski rated it really liked it Shelves: David gets sent to Iraq. Melissa has Amelia, 2, and Elijah, 4 weeks. Live in Syracuse and she is stuck in the house because of so much snow.


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But she comes to accept it. Makes you appreciate every little new thing your child learns. Mar 14, Dianne rated it really liked it. Hard to put down. Not for the feint of heart. Jan 16, Stephanie rated it liked it.