Soldier Mom

"Soldier Mom," by Alice Mead, is a novel set in the time of the Persian Gulf War. The story's first-person narrator is Jasmyn, or "Jas," an eleven-year old girl who lives with her single mother and baby half-brother in a Maine coastal town. Her mother's boyfriend, who is the father of Jasmyn's half-brother, is also part of the family equation. Jasmyn's world is shaken when her mother, an Army reservist, is mobilized for the military conflict with Saddam Hussein. The novel covers some important themes: the sacrifices and adjustments that family members must make when a military reservist is deployed; the importance of communication, especially letter writing, between a deployed soldier and her family; and the impact of televised war coverage on family members. Mead looks closely at some of the very down-to-earth practical concerns that Jasmyn's family faces, such as working a schedule around child care. Jasmyn's anxieties and conflicted feelings over the stressful situation are also key elements of the story. Jasmyn is a tough but sensitive heroine, and I found it particularly interesting to read a story about the impact of war on a non-traditional family.

I wanted to read this book because my dad is in the Army. When he was away in training, a lot of things changed. I can't imagine how bad it would be if my mom had to go away- every single thing would be hard in my life then. One of the other reasons I wanted to read this book is that I am about the same age as Jas and I also love basketball. I was really glad to find this book. It taught me that you should be really nice to people before they go away. Jas felt terrible that she was mean to her mom right before deployment. She had to grow up in a hurry because she had a baby brother, and the mom's boyfriend was irresponsible. She realized how much work her mom does every day and she was upset about missing basketball practice. Also, there's a mean girl in her class who teases her and makes fun of her boyfriend. I got really into the story and wanted to find out what would happen. I would recommend this book to 5th graders, especially if they have a family member in the military. By HG.

My grandaughter is 10 years old. She has been watching the news and hearing stories about parents going away to war leaving their families behind. It has concerned her greatly. One day we were at the book store and happened upon Soldier Mom. We decided to read it together. Soldier Mom gave her the insight as to what happens to those left behind. The story shows how brave the children are while their parents are away. Alice Mead show the effects of the war on our children here at home. The story is very timely, here we are again fighting the same basic war as 10 years ago. I highly recomend this book for families to read together.

I thought this was an honest and unsparing book. Jasmyn's single mom is called up from the army reserves at two days' notice to go and fight in the Persian Gulf, and Jasmyn is left to cope as best she can for an 11 year-old, in the care of her mother's boyfriend Jake, father of her 10 month-old baby brother. Jake does his best, but he isn't Mom, and Jasmyn has to take on family responsibilities that threaten her cherished position as captain of the school basketball team. Like her Mom, she has to balance one set of responsibilities against another and deal with all the emotions they arouse. She feels alternately angry at her mom for leaving them, and guilty for her anger because she loves her mom. Finally, she begins to appreciate how her mom might be feeling about having to go. I liked the honesty of this book, and the way the author makes it clear that soldiers must do their duty - but how that duty affects their loved ones left behind. This book is worth reading for itself, and for the central theme of grappling with responsibilities, but I think it might be particularly good for families with a parent absent on military service.