Non-Fiction

Title: Iraq: Providing Hope
Author: Eric Holmes & Michael Parkhouse
Genre: Non-Fiction, Anthology
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1587522527

Over fifty people tell their stories of what they did and what they saw in Iraq. This is a diverse group from military, civilians, government workers and Iraqis. This composite paints a true picture of what is going on in Iraq. These stories bring out the details that headlines and sound bites cannot. To get a complete picture, this book is a must.

Title: Help! I'm a Military Spouse--I Get a Life Too!: How to Craft a Life for You As You Move With the Military, Second Edition
Author: Kathie Hightower & Holly Scherer
Genre: Non-Fiction, Reference, How To
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1597970670

Help! I'm a Military Spouse is not a book about being the perfect military spouse. And it's not about rebelling against military life. It's about creatively taking advantage of the military life's opportunities to fulfill one's own dreams. Military lifestyle columnists, workshop presenters and longtime military spouses themselves, Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer show how to tap into the richness and possibilities of a life with the military. Their positive, practical tips include:

-Five keys to happiness for a life with the military
-Fifty tips to maintain energy and lower stress
-Seventy creative and practical ways to follow one's dreams

Updated to address the latest issues, this ultimate self-help book is for anyone engaged to someone in the military, for the new military spouse, and for the longer-term spouse frustrated by the unique challenges of the military lifestyle.

Title: THE LADY AND THE TIGER: A memoir of Taiwan, the Republic of China
Author: Patricia Linder
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1418437743

Patricia Linder's newest book The Lady and the Tiger gives the reader and in-depth account of life in a foreign country during a politically uncertain time. The setting is Taiwan, Republic of China during the last days of the Mutual Defense Treaty in 1979. To the west is communist China, determined to reclaim this island it calls "a rogue province" and thereby, impose communist rule on what has been a democracy for thirty years. Rear Admiral James Linder, representing the U.S. government as the Commander of Taiwan Defense Forces, has been given the job of protecting the Republic of China from any such incursion. The Linders, acting upon official Department of Defense orders, take up residence in Taipei and the countdown begins. As the author deals with the challenges of the ways of the Far East, the time grows shorter for the safety of the Chinese and Taiwanese they have come to know and care about. On December fifteenth 1978, the Carter Administration abrogates the Treaty that guarantees Taiwan's safety, thus leaving the Island vulnerable to a communist attack. Riots ensue and lives are threatened.This is the story of a virtually unknown chapter of American history.

Title: Touching the Ancient One: A True Story of Tragedy And Reunion
Author: Rupert Pratt
Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1587365812

On February 5, 1954, an Air Force C-47 broke apart over the Susitna Valley of South Central Alaska and fell onto Kesugi Ridge. Six miraculously escaped, survived bone-chilling cold, and were rescued through the efforts of pilots Cliff Hudson and Don Sheldon. Unacquainted with one another before the accident, the Air Force men bonded in the hospital. Forty-two years later, the survivors and their families, the families of the victims, and rescuers came together for a reunion in Dayton, Ohio. It was a meeting that would change their lives.

This is a true story, told by one of the survivors. Rupert Pratt's book celebrates life and friendship—themes set appropriately against the backdrop of Kesugi, "The Ancient One."

Title: Marines in the Garden of Eden – The Battle for An Nasiriyah
Author: Richard Lowry
Genre: Non-Fiction, History
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): B001OMHTES

On March 23, 2003, in the city of An Nasiriyah, Iraq, members of the 507th Maintenance Company came under attack from Iraqi forces who killed or wounded twenty-one soldiers and took six prisoners, including Private Jessica Lynch. For the next week, An Nasiriyah rocked with battle as the marines of Task Force Tarawa fought Saddam's fanatical followers, street by street and building to building, ultimately rescuing Private Lynch.