I Love a Man in Uniform: A Memoir of Love, War, and Other Battles

This, simply put, is a really good book. It's far, far more than a military wife memoir--Burana goes through a period of serious depression and doubt, leaves her husband, and finds herself looking back over the whole--call it first half--of her life in a way that I think everyone needs to do in order to grow up--and I mean grow up in a good way. The military--like any institution, like marriage, like work, like life--isn't perfect, and she has to learn to love it and live within it not by ignoring its imperfections, or by "embracing" them, but by accepting them. The first third of the book is spent getting to know Burana, and when things start happening, you find that you've fully invested--you understand that she wasn't able to tell you much about how she felt while her husband was deployed because she herself wasn't sure how she felt, or how to balance that with how she felt she should felt. It's not a book about his journey, but about hers. A really excellent memoir. On the surface, we share no obvious traits--I am not a military wife, I haven't suffered from the traumas she shares, I was never a Goth kid or a stripper--but I identified with Burana and thought I grew, in some small way alongside her. I highly recommend this book.

Lily Burana's generous transparency about our Army and herself makes this book a fabulous read. Honesty and authenticity are endemic of good character and good leadership--the most important lessons taught at her beloved West Point. As Burana courageously shares deeply personal insights in this book, the reader is treated to sometimes funny, sometimes painful, but always honest and always authentic glimpses of service culture--its imperfections as well as its glory. Her insider's view of post traumatic stress turns her pain into a treasured segment of mosaic for those who want to understand the effects of abuse and the continuing postwar sacrifices of many Soldiers and Marines. It's a priceless practical case study about fighting depression with treatment and conquering suicidal impulses, and I suspect it will save someone's life. The ending pulls together the entire work as a lesson in hope--and who doesn't want to learn that?

Having read other books by Lily Burana, I knew "I Love A Man in Uniform" would be sharp, entertaining, and laugh-out-loud funny - which it is. What I didn't know was how tremendously moving it would be. The author presents an honest warts-and-all examination of both the Army's role in the world and an independent woman's role in marriage. This is a book that combines a self-fellating walrus and a stripper with hemorrhoids with a serious exploration of mental health issues and an Army insider's admission of why Abu Ghraib is a disaster for America and the world. Burana tackles every subject with a fresh, sassy voice backed by a serious sense of honor. The result is a surprising, touching tribute to both marriage and the Army, compelling even to an old anti-military-establishment cynic like me.

Lily has written a brilliant, behind the scenes book of what being an Army Wife is truly about. This is the real story, and not the Lifetime Network version. She is not afraid to talk about the things that some in the Army only whisper about. I admire her courage and honesty for allowing us a look inside her family's life. She tells a story that needs to be told, about the ravages of PTSD and the unseen damages that can't be splinted, stitched or easily solved. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any and all who want to learn a little more about what it means to serve and sacrifice.

This book is hysterical !!! I've always had a healthy mistrust of the military and thought anyone who was a part of that world would automatically be some loser who cant think for themselves. This book shows the human side of being a soldier's wife but without the trite sentimentality or knee-jerk patriotism of most military related memoirs. She is a smart, sarcastic, savvy modern woman who manages to keep us cracking up while teaching us about what its like to fall for someone who's from a whole different world. I want to buy a copy for everyone I know - somebody call Oprah!