The Long Way Home

by Jessica Scott

My name is Jessica Scott. I am a soldier. I am a mother. I am a wife.


In 2009, Army second lieutenant Jessica Scott deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. She thought deploying was the hardest thing she'd ever do.

She was wrong.

This is the story of a mother coming home from war and learning to be a mom again. This is the story of a lieutenant making the grade and becoming a company commander. This is the journey of a writer persevering through a hundred rejections. This is the story of a soldier learning to be a woman again. This is the story of a wife waiting for the end of a war.

This is the journey as it happened, without commentary.

This is her blog. There are many blogs from the Iraq war, but this one is hers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, War, Memoir, Contemporary, Book Club, Sociology

343 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2013

About the author

Sign up for Jessica’s newsletter https://jessicascott.net/subscribe/

Jessica Scott Jessica Scott is a USA Today bestselling American author of more than 20 novels, including Because of You which launched Loveswepts Digital Imprint in 2011 as well as Homefront, and Before I Fall. She is an Army veteran, a veteran of the Iraq war, the mother of two daughters, a small zoo consisting of too many cats, dogs and the occasional domesticated rodent, and wife to a retired NCO.

Her novels comes from her personal experiences as a soldier, a mother, and an army wife and often explores themes of family, the legacy of war, challenges of military life, and includes contemporary military romances, psychological suspense, and nonfiction works.

Follow Jessica

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaScottAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicadscott09/


She's also written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View Regarding War, and IAVA. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)/New Dawn and has had the honor of serving as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas twice.

She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.

Author photo courtesy of Buzz Covington Photography


Learn more at https://www.jessicascottbooks.com

Reviews

[Kame · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I never know why I’ve gone through a situation but I’ve always tried to accept that where I am is where I’m supposed to be. I’m supposed to be learning something from what I’m doing”

I had the pleasure of reading Jessica Scott’s memoir To Iraq and Back. It was a poignant and honest account of her year in Iraq deployed along with her husband, thousands of miles away from their daughters. A Long Way Home is a continuation of that journey; it covers the next two years of her family’s life, their struggle to adjust to being a family again, and through her husband’s deployment back to Iraq after being home for a year. All I can say, I am in awe of military families.

We have seen the joyous reunions on the news and on websites, but unless you are a part of a military family or know one you probably don’t have an idea what reintroduction into family life is like. I know I didn’t. I cried with Jessica as she wrote about her daughter’s first day of kindergarten while she was deployed, I also cried when, after a few days of being reunited with her children, her youngest questioned if her mother loved her. As a working Mom I identified with Jessica when she spoke of the “Mommy box”, a place you pack away the emotions until you can deal with them, and as a wife I understood her work to survive each day during her husband’s deployment. If this all wasn’t enough she did this all while making her journey from aspiring author to published author.

“The darkness is out there. Closing our eyes to it only makes us blind.”

It is with this philosophy that Jessica opened my eyes to what it means to be a soldier in today’s Army. Her writing is from her heart. She gives freely of herself to show us a glimpse of her life. The care and concern she has for the soldiers under her command is evident and inspiring. She illustrates you can use your personal pain to aid someone while still accomplishing your mission. You can be a soldier, a Mom and a wife. Even though I am not in the military or a military wife I took away lessons in how to be a better Mom, and was reminded to appreciate each day I have with my husband. Life can be messy, it can be a challenge, but if you are honest with yourself you can take each challenge and learn from it. This book is a wonderful example of how one remarkable woman learned from all her challenges, kept her family and marriage intact and met a lifetime goal. It’s an inspirational read.

I received an ARC of this book from Jessica Scott, I am very grateful and this is my honest review.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book received a lot of good reviews, but I couldn't get through it. Rather than a memoir of a soldier/wife/mother's return home after a year in Iraq--what I expected from the book description--I found it to be a poorly written blog of a woman complaining, incessantly, about not being able to get any of her books published.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently had the pleasure of getting a digital advance reading copy of The Long Way Home from Jessica Scott in exchange for a review. I’ve been following her writing career since she released Because of You, which I had bought at the time but hadn’t had a chance to read yet given the size of my TBR pile. She’s active on Facebook and I know a good number of the people she’s working with in her writing career, such as editor Sarah Frantz (whose website I host) and cover artist Shawntelle Madison (who is an active member of Romance Divas, a community of romance writers that I help administrate).

I have to say that I don’t typically read non-fiction books pretty much ever, with the exception of writing reference books or technical reference books. I never was one for the many biographies that my parents had me read while I was being home schooled, and since I’ve been on my own, I’ve never had a lack of fiction books to occupy my time. Quite the opposite; I’ve had a huge lack of time compared to the mounds of books in my long TBR pile (somewhere around 400 books at this point according to GoodReads).

With both of those disclaimers out of the way, I can say that I was absolutely riveted by this book. I started reading just a little bit, curious about it but intending to go back to the fiction book I’m currently working on after a chapter or two. Once I finished that, I was intending to go back to the ARC so that I could write the review for Jessica.

Yeah, so that didn’t happen. I read the book straight through, unable to put it down. It is at times humorous, heart-warming, and heart-breaking. Her writing is real and vivid, and paints a very candid picture that we rarely have the privilege of seeing… the chaos that is involved in the life of a soldier returning home after serving in war time. There have been many books written about soldiers serving in wars, but very few (at least, that I’ve ever heard of) about what happens after they return home. I think that the fact that she is a writer helps her memoirs immensely, as they are the exact opposite of the dry historical reads that most memoirs I have read have been.

In her case, both she and her husband ended up being deployed at the same time. They had to leave their two daughters with her mother while she was deployed for a year, and a good part of the book covers how she had to pick up the pieces of the fractured relationships in their family. Once she says in one of the opening chapters that she was prepared for her daughter to tell her that her daughter didn’t love her anymore, but was completely shocked and heartbroken when her daughter told her that she didn’t believe that she loved her daughter. From that scene on, I was hooked– I had to know how things turned out, and how they got past that as a family.

You get to see her coming back to her role as a mother, and rebuilding her family in the absence of her husband. You get to see the development of her writing career and the struggles she faced along the way (including one of her major writing proposals being denied by the Army ethics committee). And you get to see her as she steps into the role of commander of Fort Hood… and juggles the other two parts of her life as well. And how she deals with the guilt of having left her children behind, even though it was a necessary sacrifice in the name of her country.

This is one of the best books that I’ve had the honor to read this year, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. This is truly one of those books that I wish I could give more than 5/5 stars.

She covers many different topics during the course of the book, including some that are political. However, she approaches each of these from the perspective of how they affect the military, not from the platform of any political party. It’s refreshing to see someone discuss political topics without having any idea what party they belong to, because they left that bias at the door before starting the discussion.

Once I finished with it and sent her some of my comments, I promptly went and read Because of You and the novella sequel Anything for You, both of which I enjoyed immensely as well. I’ve also picked up To Iraq and Back, which is her memoirs of her time serving on that Iraqi deployment, and I’m looking forward to reading it greatly. Jessica is now one of my “must-read” authors, and I recommend that others take the time to get to know her work as well.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and enjoyed To Iraq and Back, and was very happy to learn the story would continue in The Long Way Home.

Ms. Scott has brought us with her practically every step of the way on her journey. Never did I imagine how hard the trip would be to return to children, home and every day life.
The media shows pictures of men and women hugging their loved ones, everyone in tears saying their good byes. They also show triumphant pictures of those same men and women returning to open arms and now happy tears. What we don't know is what's really happening to our soldiers on their return to " normality". The author gives a peek into this mystery.
It was so heartwarming to hear her speak of the respect owed to our Viet Nam veterans , who returned to no waving flags or bands playing. My husband is a Viet Nam veteran. Ms. Scott I thank you for your recognition of these honorable men.

When I read Because of You I loved it. Two scarred individuals finding each other and healing. It was very impressive to read the heart and soul, sweat and tears she put in her joy of writing. You could feel the excitement in her " voice" telling us about her second trip to RWA. Not only that, but gave us tips on make up, shoes, and even where to get business cards!

I was fascinated by this journey of wife, mother and soldier. I laughed, cried, and realized this was something that I could never have done. It doesn't matter your career, leaving your children, your home , and walking into a situation that can cause your death, or the death of your husband is for most of us, beyond our comprehension. She went sadly but proudly, willing to do her duty for the country she loved.

The total journey ends on a joyous note. Her husband is home, not going back and it's Christmas time.

I have said it many times, and say it with my heart and soul. Thank you for your service Jessica Scott.

[Charlotte Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica Scott is a soldier, mother and wife. After returning home from a deployment in 2009, she realizes that leaving her kids was not the hardest thing she’s ever done but that coming home is.
The Long Way Home is a collection of Jessica Scott’s blog posts about her life after coming home from the Iraq War. This novel tells the story of a mother coming home to her young daughters and having to figure out how to be a mom again. A story of a writing trying to write a novel that she can sell. The story of Jessica’s life after coming home.
This novel gave me an inside look at a lifestyle many have not had first hand experience with. Although most of the military terms were foreign to me, I was very capable of understand and enjoying the blog posts Jessica wrote. I found myself learning a lot about military life, both professional and personal, and wanting to know more.
There was a lot more to this story than just the military part. I found myself tearing up and wanting to hug my daughters when reading about all the struggles Jessica’s daughters were having adjusting to their mom being back home with them. I also wanted to hug Jessica and give her any and all support that I could.
I want to end my review Thanking Jessica Scott. Not only for her service but for sharing her story and opening my eyes to the hardships that making a military choice can bring. I will now not only thank the military personal I know for the service but for their sacrifices also.
I highly recommend this novel.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Long Way Home is a look at the life of a woman who happens to wear many hats. Jessica Scott is a wife, a mother, a writer, and an officer in the military. The book, written in blog form, shows the demands of her chosen duty in the military, and that of her husband, have affected her two young daughters. Add the stress of the desire to become a published author,and the stress level rises.

Although, I am not familiar with most military terms Jessica uses, most are easy to comprehend. The book gives an insider look at how many decisions are made, and how they affect not only her family, but those of her fellow soldiers. I have learned more about the workings of the military from reading this book, and other work by Jessica Scott. In the end, The Long Way Home shows how much a year, or more, can change a person.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book absolutely wasn’t for me. It might be for you, but it was the wrong book for me.

I thought it was a book about a woman, a soldier, and a mother, particularly during her transition home after a window of active service. That’s the majority of how it is pitched. I made it a quarter of the way through, and found that most of what I read is about a writer who wants to be a published author, who gives tips on how to run social media and gripes about not getting published/ how hard the industry is. I am 100% not interested in THAT book. Also, either the blurb changed from when I downloaded the ebook or I really missed it, but the book is a series of chronological blog essays… basically the length of long FaceBook posts in 2021. I spend enough time doomscrolling already that I certainly don’t want or need my books to be more of the same (whatever someone happened to think of and post about next based on random events in their world).

So this just isn’t the book for me. If you like essays and want to be a writer (with a side of soldier and motherhood), then it might be a much better fit for you.

[Carol & Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was a good book

[Judyspadoni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not my cup of tea

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first stumbled upon Jessica's work through another author's recommendation & fell in love with her Coming Home series & her strong military characters. As I said in my review of To Iraq & Back, I generally don't read non-fiction. That being said, Jessica has become the exception to that. She has become one of my “must read” authors (both fiction & non-fiction). Jessica's stories have given me a small insight into what our military personnel may have experienced or felt while they were away from their loved ones. And while I know everyone’s story is different, having several friends that have served or are currently serving in the military and who have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan themselves, I am very thankful to Jessica for even the smallest glimpse of the struggles & challenges that they may have faced.

In The Long Way Home (a follow-up to To Iraq And Back), we accompany Jessica Scott as she adjusts to life after Iraq. Through a series of her blog posts, we watch as Jessica meets the challenge of adjusting to life back in the states…Moving her daughters back to Texas after they spent the previous year with her parents while Jessica & her husband were deployed, Jessica must find a way to reconnect with her daughters & once again discover the balance of being a wife, a soldier, a writer & most importantly a Mommy. And she must do all of this while her husband is once again deployed to Iraq. I found myself laughing & crying along with Jessica throughout the year as she found herself in a different commanding position, during the antics of her daughters, and as she continued to struggle to establish herself as a writer. Jessica also gives aspiring writers some great tips on writing and what has worked (and not worked) for her.

I would highly recommend both To Iraq And Back & The Long Way Home. Both books give us a look at the every day struggles often found within the military and the difficulty of separating life in the military with life as a parent.

Thank you Jessica for your service & for once again giving us this small peek into your life!

[Colleen Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced reading copy of "The Long Way Home" by Jessica Scott after I contacted her about my intention to review the book and potentially use it as a required text in the Contemporary Social Issues course I will be teaching. I am happy to say that I have adopted this book for my class.

"The Long Way Home" is a compilation of blog postings that Ms. Scott wrote upon her and her husband's return from deployment in Iraq. While deployed, their daughters spent the year living with Ms. Scott's parents. Ms. Scott details the challenges of returning from a deployment, relocating her daughters back to Texas, and attempting to balance being a mother, a wife, a soldier, and a writer. She further chronicles her experience when her husband is deployed again for another year. This collection of postings offers insight to the struggle that our soldiers often face in adjusting back to life in the United States after being deployed. For any working mother and wife, attempting to balance family and work is a daunting task and one that is often filled with high levels of stress and guilt. Ms. Scott is honest about her struggle with parenting, work, writing, and her life in general, but she does not whine about the challenges rather she works hard to find solutions to these issues.

At times, I found myself laughing and other times crying as I read this book. To read about the lived experience of a soldier, mother, wife, and writer is truly eye-opening and inspiring. Ms. Scott is a role model for generations to come as she balances her service to her country and her love of her family. She has been an automatic purchase author for me and she will continue to be so as I truly respect her courage for writing about issues that other authors may shy away from in the fiction and non-fiction genres.

[Colleen Isolde · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Long Way Home” is a compilation of blog postings that Ms. Scott wrote upon her and her husband’s return from deployment in Iraq. While deployed, their daughters spent the year living with Ms. Scott’s parents. Ms. Scott details the challenges of returning from a deployment, relocating her daughters back to Texas, and attempting to balance being a mother, a wife, a soldier, and a writer. She further chronicles her experience when her husband is deployed again for another year. This collection of postings offers insight to the struggle that our soldiers often face in adjusting back to life in the United States after being deployed. For any working mother and wife, attempting to balance family and work is a daunting task and one that is often filled with high levels of stress and guilt. Ms. Scott is honest about her struggle with parenting, work, writing, and her life in general, but she does not whine about the challenges rather she works hard to find solutions to these issues.

At times, I found myself laughing and other times crying as I read this book. To read about the lived experience of a soldier, mother, wife, and writer is truly eye-opening and inspiring. Ms. Scott is a role model for generations to come as she balances her service to her country and her love of her family. She has been an automatic purchase author for me and she will continue to be so as I truly respect her courage for writing about issues that other authors may shy away from in the fiction and non-fiction genres.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this wonderful book. It is a continuation of her blog which her first nonfiction book, To Iraq and Back was written about. This is a continuation of her story as a military officer, a mom, and an aspiring author. I have never been in the military so those actions were pretty foreign to me, but I so could relate to her mothering "issues" as well as her journey to becoming a published author. She has a wonderful voice and I am so glad to have been following her on Facebook and Twitter for a couple of years. She really makes you feel like you have become her friend, and I always need a friend like her. Thanks Jessica for sending me the ARC and giving me another reason to read you, and follow you.

[Cheryl Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a blog. If you don't like to read blogs, this book is not for you. I enjoy reading blogs, while I don't have one of my own yet, I'm thinking about getting one.

I am not, nor have I ever been in the military. I am not writing a book, I have thought about it . She shares with us how hard it is! But so worth it when she got that first contract!

This is Jessica's story. She is a wife, mom, daughter, friend, writer, and in the military. I loved her honesty about her kids. A lot of moms have to work, and they have the guilt and demands of their job along with raising little ones. She shared about life, the ups, downs, and in betweens! My favorite part was when her husband came home! You could sense the excitement!! I want to read her first book about Iraq.

[Annie Nebel nennig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second non-fiction book from Jess was so hard to put it down, that I couldn't! As a military mother, it has allowed me to see a little more than I did for the past 18 years, even if just the female outlook. The amazing juggling act that Jess does between woman, writer, wife, mother and soldier is just that - totally amazing! My introduction to Jess was through the free Kindle edition of To Iraq and Back, offered at Amazon for a brief time. A book I couldn't put down and wanting more when I read it in a day, I then bought The Long Way Home. Jess has an amazing talent of writing, and I feel quite blessed to have stumbled onto her!

[Rosemary K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica Scott has written a compelling book. She describes the joys and problems that she encountered as a wife, mother and a soldier. We've all seen the pictures of the returning soldiers being welcomed by their family but this book shows what happens next. I didn't realize the many emotional issues the family has to deal with. Her desire to become a published author adds to the complexity. Jessica's writing style is so easy to read that I couldn't put the book down. I learned so much. I recommend this book to everyone. It will make you appreciate the sacrifices of our Military Families.

[Liza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Jessica Scott's voice in both her fiction and non-fiction books. Have to say once again I was pulled in and blasted with so many emotions in her latest non-fiction book. Many times I laughed out loud and the stories shared, while other times, I cried right along with Jess. Very moving book and I really think it helped me to better understand what some Army moms go through while deployed and feelings they experienced after coming home to be Mommy again.

Well done Jess!!!

[Brie Eccles · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whole book based on two years worth of blog posts. Even as a Navy kid the lingo was a little difficult to understand, but I liked seeing her viewpoint as she tried to navigate all of the boxes her life fit (and didn't fit) into. Her writing was very straight-forward, like how I assume she would talk. Easy to read and with some feels.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting, and presented a good view of what it's like to be a woman in today's military. But I wasn't fond of the blog format. And the use/overuse of acronyms with the assumption that I knew what they meant got annoying.

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, I cried. Full review to come.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moving read! Gives you a whole new outlook, appreciation and perspective on our soldiers in general.


*Won from Goodreads Giveaway*

[Sharryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible, thought provoking. Kudos to Jessica for all that she does and yet still stays sane.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a compilation of the blogs she wrote during 2010 and 2011. She has a unique understanding of the military woman's life during the Iraq war.

[P.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thought provoking read regarding womanhood, and motherhood.

[Erica Sist · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not a book per se, but rather chronological blog entries. Not as advertised! Very disappointed. The subject matter could have been explored so much better as it is an important one.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

DNF. This author has potential but still needs work on basic writing and composition. The topic is definitely one of interest that needs exploring.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest view of an Army family - the problems of both parents deployed.

[Manda · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding read! This is a collection of blog posts, according to my understanding, and the inside view of military/family life is well stated.

[Shelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not really a book but her blogs. Too much repeating of the same thing.