There are thousands of stories about men going off to war. There are just as many about women staying at home trying to hold down the fort while the men are at war. Home Front is not one of those stories. Jolene joined the military at 18. She had nothing. Her parents were dead, not [...]

Tags: family problems, grief, identity, law, marriage, mental illness, parents, ptsd, war
Filed under: Book Review

After Rose’s mom dies of cancer, Rose finds one of her mother’s famous Survival Kits in a closet. Her kit includes an iPod, a picture of peonies, a crystal heart, a paper star, a box of crayons, and a miniature kite. Unfortunately, some music, art supplies, and pictures aren’t going to work any magic themselves. [...]

Tags: alcoholism, death, family problems, grief, romance, sports
Filed under: Book Review

When I first heard about Stewart Lewis’ You Have Seven Messages, the first thing that came to mind was the movie One Missed Call. Now, I have not seen One Missed Call, but I think I can safely say that You Have Seven Messages is, in fact, nothing like it. For those of you whose [...]

Tags: coming of age, dating, death, family problems, grief, music, mystery, photography
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The small, sleepy southern town of Lily, Arkansas goes into a frenzy when a birdwatcher thinks he spots a Lazarus Woodpecker, a species thought to be extinct. (“Lily is the kind of place you’d like to move to some short time before you die. If at any other time in your life you think you [...]

Tags: coming of age, family life, grief, kidnapping, mystery, religion, small town
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David Levithan’s newest book, Every You, Every Me, is a collaborative work with photographer Jonathan Farmer. In the spirit of collaboration, I read and reviewed this book with Isaiah Vianese in a series of email exchanges. Melanie, I just finished Every You, Every Me. My feelings about the book are mixed, so I thought I [...]

Tags: grief, mental illness, mystery, photography, stalking
Filed under: Book Review