Reporting for Doodie by J.L. Smith

Back of the Book:

Reporting for Doodie: One Grandmother's Story of Commitment, Frustration and Unwavering Love delves into the life-changing challenges of one such single grandmother, while revealing some of the other trials being faced by the members of our armed forces. Divorce rates are rising, as are suicide rates. Soldiers who had custody of their children at the time of their deployment are returning home to find that their ex-spouse has taken away those rights because they could not attend the court hearings. Families and caregivers are being changed by war...some for months...some for over a year...and others forever - if the deployed troop does not return home. The book's author, Judith L. Smith, writes of her own experiences as a result of the dual deployment of her daughter to Africa and her son-in-law to Iraq. Her story is happy, sad and heartwarming all at once, while making the reader really stop and think about this timely and relevant issue facing today's military families. Her experience resulted in a reinvention of herself (inside and out) so inspiring that it caught the eye of the producers of the Oprah Winfrey Show, where Judith appeared in a segment that aired in May of this year.

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Accidentally on Purpose: The True Tale of a Happy Single Mother by Mary F. Pols

Back of the Book:

At thirty-nine, movie critic Mary Pols knew she wanted to have a baby. But never—not in a million years—on her own. When she finds herself unexpec­tedly expecting, she plunges into the greatest adventure of her life. With humor, insight, and compelling honesty, Pols reveals what it means to compromise in the name of love and to find joy in an accidental life, suddenly brimming with purpose.

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