Book Review: Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson

The moment a new novel releases from Joshilyn Jackson, you should be all over it. Many, many people have come to realize this, several books into Jackson's career. For one thing, Jackson's latest effort, Someone Else's Love Story, was named one of Amazon's Best Books of the Month for November 2013. Among other honors, the book has also been named an early #1 Pick for Indiebound's Next List in December 2013.

I mentioned Jackson and her newest heroine Shandi, mother to three-year-old Natty, in my last post about Jackson's novella My Own Miraculous. (I also mentioned Jackson's previous novels and linked to my reviews of them, so click on over in a bit after you've read all about SELS.)  Someone Else's Love Story  falls directly into chronological order behind My Own Miraculous.

Once Shandi accepts that Natty is more than a tad bit special, her father and stepmother decide he should be in a fancy preschool that matches his high abilities. They offer use of a townhouse in Atlanta, closer to both Shandi's college classes and more education options for Natty.

On the way to Atlanta with best pal Walcott, Shandi is jolted out of her moving fog and lands directly in the pathway of a cupid's arrow:

I fell in love with William Ashe at gunpoint, in a Circle K.

It was on a Friday afternoon at the tail end of a Georgia summer so ungodly hot the air felt like it had all been boiled red. We were both staring down the barrel of an ancient, creaky .32 that could kill us just as dead as a really nice gun could.

I thought then that I had landed in my own worst dream, not a love story… And yet, seventeen seconds later, before I so much as knew his name, I’d fallen dizzy-down in love with him.

I’ve never had an angel on my right shoulder; I was born with a pointy-tailed devil who crept back and forth across my neck to get his whispers into both my ears. I didn’t get a fairy godmother or even a discount talking cricket-bug to be my conscience. But someone should have told me. That afternoon in the Circle K, I deserved to know, right off, that I had landed bang in the middle of a love story. Especially since it wasn’t— it isn’t— it could never be, my own.

The story that follows is Jackson's best work to date. That's saying something given that Backseat Saints and A Grownup Kind of Pretty are among my favorite novels of all time. We follow Shandi and William through a tale both current and steeped in personal histories, his and hers. Jackson writes of their separate heartaches with aplomb and grace. Each character in the novel, as always, is wonderfully flawed yet immeasurably sympathetic. You will be rooting for Shandi, Walcott, and William -- and perhaps even an antagonist or two like William's long-time female friend who despises Shandi from the get-go.

Joshilyn Jackson is at her finest in Someone Else's Love Story. It's a definite addition to your Christmas list for some lucky recipient.

Related Links:

• Joshilyn Jackson's website
• Joshilyn Jackson's blog
• SheReads November 2013 Book Club Pick Site (with links to dozens of reviews by fabulous bloggers)

Why I Didn't Finish The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes (Yet)

Let me preface this entire post by saying this: the first part of The Girl You Left Behind is phenomenal. I have fallen entirely into Moyes's war-torn setting, a tiny French town occupied by German soldiers. The characters fairly jump off the page: Sophie Lefevre, narrator and lead heroine, her sister Helene, the children, the other townspeople, Herr Kommandant and the German soldiers. Moyes writes beautifully, a master of the craft leading her readers bit by bit into her created world.

I cared far too deeply for the characters; I think that was the beginning of my being undone by this novel. I should probably also mention here that historical fiction, and in particular war-time novels, are by far my least favorite genre. I'll blame this on my mom: she could never enjoy a war novel or movie. Along with her fear of birds (although we've both come a long way on that one), she passed on to me a lack of ability to read or view fictional accounts of war. The list of things I've abandoned or avoided as a result are long:

• Saving Private Ryan (I walked out of the theater; I later refused to view it in junior year history in high school and took an alternate assignment.)
• The Sandcastle Girls by Christ Bohjalian (He is one of my favorite authors, and this was a wonderfully written book I couldn't continue reading because of the descriptions of the Armenian genocide -- and his newest book is set during World War II, so I most likely won't read it either, although I'm sure The Light in the Ruins is every bit as fantastic as his other work.)
• Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear (I read several of the books in this series before I simply couldn't handle the period of time after WWI when the novels are set.)
• The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers (Despite some of the most glowing reviews out there, I have not been able to force myself to pick up this award-winning book set during the war in Iraq).

The list could probably go on. But you get the idea. Wonderful, award-winning movies and books simply fall off my radar if war is part of the story.

When Moyes wrote characters I loved, and set her novel during a world war, bad things were bound to ensue for them, no? I knew this, yet I hoped against it. A third of the way into the novel, I had to stop reading. Although it was a fantastically-written book, it and I simply did not agree with one another. 

My hope is that someday I can overcome this (somewhat crippling, when it comes to excellent fiction) aversion. Until then, I'll leave the reading of books like The Girl You Left Behind to others. For some glowing reviews from readers who finished Moyes's novel, please click below:

• USA Today
• Entertainment Weekly
• LA Times
• She Reads October Book Club Selection (with 30+ reviews by the She Reads Blogger Network)

And, the author's website:

JojoMoyes.com

Book Review: The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

Confession time, y'all: for all the books I've read in my lifetime, I don't think I'd ever read one set in Australia. In fact, the only thing I can think of when relating fiction to Australia is the terribly scary 2005 horror movie set there -- Wolf Creek. Since that wasn't exactly a glowing account of the country (according to Wikipedia, "the story revolves around three backpackers who find themselves held captive by a serial killer in the Australian outback"), I was delighted to find The Husband's Secret a marked change from that description of the country. 

Liane Moriarty's Australia is largely Catholic, and her focus is on the cities of Sydney and Melbourne. The novel follows the lives of three women: Cecilia, Tess, and Rachel. Cecilia finds a letter from her husband, marked "only to be opened in the event of my death," disrupting their perfectly organized life. Tess hears a confession from her husband's lips, then moves her son miles away to live with her mother. Rachel misses her dead husband each day, but not more than she misses her daughter. The intersection of the three women's lives is tied to the secrets each witnesses and holds. 

Moriarty's novel could probably be titled simply Secrets, rather than The Husband's Secret, for it seems everyone has something to hide. Cecilia keeps her husband's secret with devastating results. Tess has her own secrets after moving back into her mother's house, ones that could affect her marriage more than her husband's confession. And Rachel has held a secret close to her heart for many years, a secret that could lead to her daughter's murderer being brought to justice.

Any description of The Husband's Secret sounds highly confusing and complicated. All those secrets, right? Who can keep up? However, it was a most entertaining novel, and not confusing at all to read. In fact, it was quite engrossing -- a page-turner within a piece of chick lit. I hesitate to tell you more about the plot, because I don't want to give anything away. Part of what made it so enjoyable to read was the way the events unfolded and the manner in which each piece of the story came to light. 

All those secrets can feel a bit overly dramatic, but each could happen (and has happened) to people in real life. It is a work of fiction, after all, and much can be forgiven if it provides entertainment. The Husband's Secret definitely does not disappoint in that realm.

Related links:
Liane Moriarty's website
The Husband's Secret on Amazon
SheReads September Book Club Selection

She Reads Book Club Book Review: The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski

The March pick for the She Reads Book Club is a southern tale steeped in a mixture of voodoo magic, Catholicism, and full-flavored roux. Wonderful and strange, Rita Leganski's debut novel The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow is sure to delight, sadden, and touch the soul every reader.

Set in the mid-twentieth century in a fictional town in Lousiana, Leganski's novel tells the story of Bonaventure Arrow. An exceptional young man with an auditory gift, Bonaventure is born into a world of sorrow. When tragedy strikes his family weeks before his birth, Bonaventure takes on the weight of the mourning, guilt, and longing his family members feel. Bonaventure is different from other children; he cannot speak, but he hears the sounds that come from blades of grass, rocks, and bird feathers.

To say too much more about the plot would ruin the book. Leganski breaks all kinds of "rules" for writing fiction, but prevails nonetheless. The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow was a novel I wanted to devour in one sitting, yet spread out over several days so that it would last. From her chapter titles to her writing style, Leganski wrote a novel that is perfect in every way.

Breaking the "show, don't tell" rule was a leap of faith, but one that paid off in the end. While much of the novel is "told" to the reader rather than "shown" in descriptive writing, Leganski creates the perfect voice for this brave novel -- a third-person narrator that the reader depends upon. Through this objective, omniscient eye, the characters come to life in all their wonderfully-flawed glory. Some remain lovable still, and some the object of further scorn, but this daring narrative distance allows their true colors to shine.

The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow broke my heart into a million pieces more than once, yet it also somehow filled my soul with hope in the end. Bonaventure's innocence and the goodness that shines through him will cause in readers a renewed sense of faith in humankind. The novel is about many things, but at its core it is the story of one brave young man and the people who love him.

Leganski has written a novel that is far from anything else -- it is a magical tale that begs to be told. For more thoughts on this beautiful book, visit the She Reads Book Club March Selection page, where bloggers from all over the web have linked their reviews. To join in the book club discussion, click here. If you'd like to read the first chapter, HarperCollins has a preview of the book here.

The She Reads pick for April is Patti Callahan Henry's new novel And Then I Found You. I am super-excited about this one, as I LOVED Henry's last novel Coming Up For Air. Look for my thoughts on the new book in the next few weeks!

SHE READS BOOK CLUB Book Review: Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler

I was honored to become part of the She Reads Blog Network last fall, and this is the title chosen for their February Book Club. Most bloggers link up towards the beginning of the month; I'm just a little bit late this month, as I'm just now getting back into the swing of blogging about anything at all! You can read more reviews of Calling Me Home by clicking here. You can join the book club discussion over at She Reads after you've read the book yourself!

A bit about the book (from the author's website): Sixteen-year-old Isabelle McAllister longs to escape the confines of her northern Kentucky hometown, but after her family's housekeeper's son rescues her from a Newport drunk, the boundaries seem smaller than ever.

Falling for a black boy in late 1930s Kentucky isn't just illegal, it's dangerous. Signs at the city limits warn Negroes, “Don’t let the sun set on you here.” Despite repeated warnings, Isabelle and Robert disregard the racial divide, starting a chain of events that threatens jobs, lives, and generations to come.

Decades later, black hairstylist Dorrie Curtis agrees to drive her elderly white client cross-country to a funeral. Over the years, Miss Isabelle has become more than just a customer, but the timing couldn't be worse. First, Dorrie's seeing a man she's afraid she could fall for, but one thing is more obvious than ever: Trust is not her strong suit. Second, she knows her teenager's in big trouble; he just hasn’t told her yet.

When a phone call from home confirms Dorrie's fears, Miss Isabelle's tale of forbidden love illuminates Dorrie’s dilemma, merging the past and present in a journey with unexpected detours and a bittersweet destination.

How I felt about the book (and why you should read it): Julie Kibler's Calling Me Home could have been just another tale of race relations in the south. I am going to fully admit that when I read the description, I thought, 'Great. Driving Miss Daisy, The Help, and To Kill a Mockingbird, all rolled up into one and redone for the upteenth time.' I couldn't have been more wrong.

First of all, the two main characters grab you and don't let go. Dorrie and Isabelle are two of the most engaging characters I've been introduced to in a long time. They aren't perfect, but neither are people in real life. Although we know Miss Isabelle during two different periods in her life (young adulthood and as an elderly woman), and Dorrie only as an adult, Dorrie is every bit as dynamic in only the present day.

Another aspect of Calling Me Home that I enjoyed was the way Kibler told her story. Varying between present day and flashbacks, we are introduced both to Dorrie and Miss Isabelle as they take a road trip north and to Isabelle as a young woman in the 1930s. Ostensibly a story Isabelle tells Dorrie as they drive, the 1930s story line becomes every bit as important -- perhaps more so -- as the present day plot. Kibler strikes the perfect balance between the two stories, building suspense by switching time periods, on more than one occasion. The technique certainly worked on me, as I raced to finish the book and find out how both stories concluded.

While this isn't necessarily a tale of happily-ever-after, it mirrors real life and will  nevertheless leave readers satisfied in the end. Calling Me Home is a book I would recommend to anyone seeking a good story, those who like stories about race relations in our country, and those interested in relationships. Because at its heart, the novel is just that -- a story about human relationships in all the various forms they take: mother-child, friendship, romantic love, and even the sometimes instantly-deep relationship strangers form when they meet during happenstance and show kindness to one another.

About the author: Calling Me Home is Julie Kibler's debut novel. She grew up in Kentucky (among other places) and moved to Texas to attend college. I always think novels ring more true when the author writes what he or she knows. Case in point, this novel and its setting. The inspiration for the story came from Kibler's own family. She learned that her grandmother experienced a similar situation to the one Isabelle faces, and that inspired her to create a fictional version. She is currently at work on her next novel. You can learn more on her website, where you will find links to connect with Kibler on your favorite social media site.

Book Review: The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March

Readers dive into books for many different reasons. Some pick up books to learn information; others choose books that allow them to enrich their literary knowledge; still others seek books that allow them to escape. Avid readers probably do all of these, and many more, in their search for good reading material.

A bit about the book: Mia March's novel The Meryl Street Movie Club is the perfect novel to read for escape. Its strong female characters and engaging plot sucked me into its own private book world for several days this month. Although technically it could be called (the often dreaded term) "chick lit," I found that it fit that genre in the best sense possible.

Sisters Isabel and June are summoned to their family's Maine bed and breakfast by their aunt Lolly. She and their cousin Kat welcomed the girls into their home when an unspeakable accident claimed the lives of the sisters' parents and Kat's father many years ago. During that difficult time (which took place during all three girls' teenage years), the trio grew further apart rather than closer together. None of them has been particularly close in the years since. Instead, they've all gone on to lead very different lives.

Isabel settled into an upper middle class existence with her husband; June raised her son as a single parent; and Kat remained at the bed and breakfast, helping her mother. Each of them is surprised by Lolly's request. Lolly has never been much on family gatherings, other than at major holidays. However, once at the inn, they are rocked by a revelation none of them expected -- and a request none of them can ignore.

Why you want to read it: Simply put, Mia March writes fascinating, realistic characters you will come to love. Each woman has her own issues, and time spent together at the bed and breakfast is exactly what they never knew they desperately needed. Rather than providing a break from their everyday lives, the time they spend at the inn together in the next days days and weeks actually moves each of their lives forward in a profound way.

Intertwined with the novels chapters, told from the women's various points of view, are "movie nights" at the inn, primarily with films starring Lolly's favorite actress Meryl Streep. The women (and bed and breakfast guests who join them from time to time) discuss themes in movies as varied as Out of Africa and The Bridges of Madison County.

The bottom line: March takes what could become a trite, tired storyline and pumps new life into it. Although other "women's club" books have been done (i.e. The Friday Night Knitting Club, or the Jane Austen Book Club), none is so satisfying a read as this one. Isabel, June, Kat, and Lolly became important to me as a reader, their lives entertaining rather than tiring. I cared about each of them, individually and as a whole family. The Meryl Streep Movie Club was a delightful read.

About the author: This is Mia March's first novel. Her second novel, Finding Colin Firth, will release next  summer and features the characters from The Meryl Streep Movie Club. She is a single mother living in Maine with her elementary-school-age child, and (proof that we may well be long-lost soul sisters) cites Anne of Green Gables as one of her favorite childhood books. You can connect with March on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads.

SheReads.org: I was fortunate enough to read this book as part of the September Book Club Selection for the She Reads Blog Network. To read other bloggers' thoughts on the novel, click over to the September Book Club Selection page.

Book Review: Dare Me by Megan Abbott

A bit about the book: Megan Abbott's latest novel Dare Me has been making the rounds on blogs and in newspaper and magazine reviews throughout the last month or so. In Dare Me, Abbott takes on the world of competitive cheerleading squads. Not your mama's squads of old with simple clapping and cheering, Abbott's squad is focused on gymnastics, stunts, and winning.

Like the previous Abbott novel I read (see my review of The End of Everything), Dare Me delves into the darker parts of adolescence. Beth and Addy have long been best friends. Their relationship works because Beth is a bosser and Addy is a follower. For as long as anyone can remember, Addy has followed in Beth's footsteps, for good or bad. Until, that is, last summer. During cheer camp, Addy and Beth had a falling out of sorts, one that everything thought would end their friendship. However, much to their fellow cheerleaders' surprise, Addy and Beth made up and were once again a team to be reckoned with.

Enter their new cheer coach, called simply "Coach" by the girls. Coach is daring and different, a figure who the girls both admire and fear. Except for, of course, Beth. Narrator Addy falls under Coach's spell, drifting further and further from Beth. Things spiral quickly out of conrol, leading to an ending no reader would guess ahead of time.

Why you want to read it: Bloggers and reviewers agree: Megan Abbott can write. She draws readers into her story web and doesn't let go until the last drop of blood is drawn. She writes adolescence with a straight-forwardness many writers avoid entirely or sugar-coat. Her characters are well-written and highly interesting.

However, I can't entirely recommend Dare Me as strongly as others have. It is definitely a page-turner. I was engaged and interested until the last page. But, once again (as with The End of Everything), I can't describe the novel as entirely enjoyable. I heard someone (during a Book Club discussion on Devourer of Books) describe the novel as a car wreck you simply can't look away from. I feel this is wholeheartedly accurate. I did not identify (or sympathize) with the characters; I felt the plot was somewhat unrealistic. Yet, I had to keep reading.

The bottom line: There is no doubt that Megan Abbott has talent. She writes well, and she keeps readers engaged. However, she won't rocket to the top of my list of "favorite authors" anytime soon. While I enjoy a well-written page-turner, I also like to like the books I'm reading and the characters that populate them. I need at least one character who I can empathize with, anyway. So far that seems to be lacking in Abbott's novels, but her writing will keep me coming back to discover if anything changes in the future.

About the author: Megan Abbott is the author of six previous novels, including last summer's The End of Everything. Not only an author, she is also an academic on the subject with a Ph.D. in English and American Literature from NYU. She has taught at several universities, including NYU. She has also been nominated for awards including three Edgars, the Macavity, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. You can connect with Abbott on Facebook and on Twitter.

Mandy's Book Blogger Club: Discussion Post #1 for America, You Sexy B**** by Michael Ian Black & Meghan McCain

I am thrilled to be participating in Mandy's Book Blogger Club, the brainchild of Mandy at the Well-Read Wife. A couple of  months ago, Mandy held a Michael Ian Black Week on her blog, in which she read and reviewed all of comedian Black's previous titles. His latest effort is a partnership between himself and Meghan McCain. Mandy feels so strongly about Black and this book that she purchased 50 copies of the book and distributed them on her own to bloggers who wanted to participate. That's right -- no sponsors! So a huge thank you to Mandy for inventing the Book Club, funding it, and allowing me to participate!

I will be reviewing America, You Sexy B****, the book that resulted from their journey on a month-long cross-country trek to find out how real people in America feel about the state of our nation, later in August. Until then, I'll be posting on some Fridays using Mandy's Discussion Post questions to respond to the book and explore my feelings about it.

[Note: The stars in the title are my own; the authors opted to use the actual word in their book title. I'm toning it down because I think of my blog as friendly to all -- including those who prefer their reading without cursing. From here on out, I'll refer to the book as simply America.. My opinion is that the title should have been a different one, if only for audience purposes. The aim of the book is a good one (see the below paragraph), and I'm afraid there will be people who will dismiss it based on title alone.]

Politics are doubtlessly one of America's "hot topics." You know what they say -- avoid discussions of religion and politics in polite company. It seems that this credo has led us to our current political state: a strongly divided-down-party-lines country, where any discussion results in an argument. One of the aims of the book was to encourage civil discussions between those whose opinions differ, (hopefully) resulting in a little more understanding and a little less tension. If your Facebook friends are anything like mine, I'm sure you've seen this tension played out in comments and posts. It can get downright ugly, with name-calling and mud-slinging rather than honest discussion. We all have a right to our opinions, as we have a right to disagree with others. But can't we be a little more civil about it?

You don't have to be a book blogger or a participant in Mandy's Book Blogger Club to take part in the discussions. Click over to the Well-Read Wife and Mandy's first discussion question post to answer on your own in the comment section. You can also follow the discussion answer the questions on Twitter using the hashtag #MBBCWRW.


The following questions cover pages 1-31 in the book:

1. On page 1 Michael says he feels like America as a nation has lost sight of our “mission statement.” What do you think America’s mission statement should be? Try your hand at writing one!

I would love to believe in the American dream, and in what I believe used to be America's mission statement -- a place where hard work will result in good fortune. Sadly, I'm not sure that's true anymore. When super-wealthy citizens claim that their fortune came from "hard work," I have to disagree -- after all, I doubt they ever worked harder than those breaking their backs doing fieldwork or scrubbing toilets each day. But for them, something clicked. That's not just hard work. It's hard work mixed with lucking into the right circumstances (for more on this, read Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers). It could also be a result of their paying slave wages to the people who worked hard for them, and taking home more for themselves.


And is that the American dream, anyway? I think most Americans would simply like to live their lives comfortably and in relative peace. This means that they have a way to earn money which allows them to eat foods they enjoy, buy gas to drive where they need and want to go, and pay their bills on time. Unfortunately, these (seemingly) simple goals are a daily struggle for some and downright impossible for others -- even among those who "work hard." I don't know that we've lost our mission statement so much as we've made it impossible for regular Americans to achieve the goals set forth in our mission statement.

2. Michael’s Crocs? Hot or not?

What an excellent question! I don't own a pair of regular Crocs, but I do have a leopard print pair of Croc slingbacks and a herringbone print in a ballet flat. I don't wear them often (they kind of make my feet sweat), but when I do, I think they're cute enough -- not to mention comfortable, foot-sweating aside. My dad wears RealTree camouflage Crocs, as well as some with leather tops. If he's happy, I'm happy. And my nephew is absolutely adorable in his dinosaur Crocs. So, with all that being said... I believe there is a time and a place for Crocs. Should Michael have brought a change of shoes for meeting the McCain family? Probably.

3. Were you surprised that the McCain’s Sedona cabins were what many would consider modest?

I suppose I would like to judge the supposed modesty of the cabins for myself. Did it sound like, from the descriptions in the book, they were super-fancy designer cabins? No. Would most Americans consider owning a group of several cabins (note the pluralized version of the word) "modest"? No. Most Americans don't own a single vacation home of their own, much less a compound -- no matter how not-at-all-fancy said cabins were.

4. On guns: Meghan says on pg. 18 “One of the things I was most surprised about when I first moved to New York City was the strange and almost visceral anger a lot of East Coast people have towards both guns and the protection of Second Amendment Rights.” Meghan also says on (page 19) she feels like more restrictions should be placed on just who is able to obtains certain types of firearms. Michael says on page 20, “It seems that we’re more selective about who gets a LinkedIn invitation than we are about the people we let buy firearms.” How do you feel the topic of gun control was handled in the book? How do you feel about guns and gun control in general? Have you ever fired a “zombie killer”?

As for the book, I felt that they both made their points. I'm not sure either listened to the other, although Michael did shoot a gun, showing that he isn't entirely anti-gun. As for myself, I am torn. On one hand, I live in Tennessee, and many of my family members and friends enjoy hunting. That being said, I also know more than one person who has been wounded or killed by a gun -- during an innocent activity such as hunting. Are guns dangerous? Of course they are. Should anyone who wants one be allowed to have one? Absolutely not. 


I'm reading Alafair Burke's first Ellie Hatcher series novel right now, and a ballistics expert in the book mentions something interesting. She says that every gun manufactured in the U.S. could technically have ballistics testing done before purchase. These test results would be entered into a database that law enforcement officers could search when a bullet is found at a crime scene. This sounds infinitely reasonable to me. Before a gun is sold, it undergoes ballistics testing so that if it is ever used during a crime, it can be traced immediately. This hasn't been done, the character laments, because anti-gun control people would have a fit. I see this as an enormous problem. Should people be allowed to hunt? Sure, if they do so safely. Should the government be able to trace guns used in crimes? Absolutely. So I suppose I am not entirely anti-guns, but I am definitely pro-gun control.

5. How do you feel about the disagreement Meghan and Michael have in the bar on the fourth of July? “Freedom Doesn’t Come Free” – Trite or Right?

I think they are both 100% correct. Freedom does not come free -- about that Meghan is right. Members of her family have experienced real-life circumstances that reflect the truth of this statement, not the least of whom is her father, Senator John McCain. American soldiers have died or given their time and effort toward keeping the rest of us safe and free. Every American should acknowledge this and be grateful that this is true.

But I think Michael is also right when he feels the saying is trite -- it's too simple. It wraps up a complicated circumstance into a simplistic statement. Because it is a topic so close to her heart, Meghan seems unable to separate people's feelings for war and their feelings for the military. In my mind, the two do not go hand in hand. I believe we can be enormously proud of our military men and women, want nothing but the best for them, yet also believe some military decisions our country has made were in error. In fact, I might just argue that the very reason many people were against the war in Iraq and in Afghanistan was because they love and respect members of the military. They didn't want our military members losing their lives for wars that they deem unnecessary.

Keep checking back for more discussion questions relating to America and politics in general. Feel free to comment below, if you can do it with civility. I don't mind at all if you disagree with me or with another commenter, but if things get nasty, understand that I may delete posts that contain gratuitous name-calling or other things in poor taste.