What do you think?
Rate this book
Help! I'm a Military Spouse, I Get a Life Too!: How to Craft a Life for You As You Move With the Military
Help! I'm a Military Spouse is not a book about being the perfect military spouse. And it's not about rebelling against military life. It's about creatively taking advantage of the military life's opportunities to fulfill one's own dreams. Military lifestyle columnists, workshop presenters and longtime military spouses themselves, Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer show how to tap into the richness and possibilities of a life with the military. Their positive, practical tips include:
-Five keys to happiness for a life with the military
-Fifty tips to maintain energy and lower stress
-Seventy creative and practical ways to follow one's dreams
Updated to address the latest issues, this ultimate self-help book is for anyone engaged to someone in the military, for the new military spouse, and for the longer-term spouse frustrated by the unique challenges of the military lifestyle.
198 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2007
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 30, 2020
Great book for military spouses!
July 8, 2010
I received this book for free through MilitaryOneSource, with no obligation (implied or otherwise) to review.
As a military spouse and former bookseller, I've come across lots of books in this sub-genre, ranging from the dense to the superficial. It's with great pleasure that I discovered this gem of information. I've never recommended a "military spouse" book before because I find that a lot of such books are either quickly outdated, written from the perspective of a particular branch, or full of "suck it up and deal with it" attitude.
The strength of this book lies in the authors' willingness to acknowledge that military life has some endemic challenges and that, as human beings, we're allowed to whine... sometimes. But it's also a book that emphasizes that your happiness is under your control. Because its intended audience is military wives(who are still the vast majority of military spouses), the authors are also kind enough to point out that most American women have lots of life goals (some conflicting) and that military life offers opportunities to concentrate on different goals at different times. Written in a conversational tone, the authors include examples of spouses they've met in their speaking engagements and friends they've made along the way.
The book did drag a little towards the end as the authors veered into the more general "self-help" topics. While I agree with them that being able to graciously give and receive help on all levels is fundamental to the military life-style, 4 or 5 chapters centered on aspects of this idea was a bit much and could have been combined. There were also some minor grammatic and punctuation errors that caught my eye as I was reading, but that's a personal pet peeve and didn't detract from the message of the book.
The two best features of this book are the resource sections at the end of each chapter, including military-centric and topical resources, and the authors' interspersing tales of how far military wives have come in recent history (i.e. the last 20 years). Did you know that spouses' involvement used to be on military evaluations?! Or that, for decades, military wives were told not to work (According to the book, 65% work now)!?
All-in-all, this book offers a chance to see not only how far military wives have come as a group, but also how an individual can move ahead with personal goals. Highly recommended to military spouses of all branches; the resource sections alone are worth the price to own the book.
As a military spouse and former bookseller, I've come across lots of books in this sub-genre, ranging from the dense to the superficial. It's with great pleasure that I discovered this gem of information. I've never recommended a "military spouse" book before because I find that a lot of such books are either quickly outdated, written from the perspective of a particular branch, or full of "suck it up and deal with it" attitude.
The strength of this book lies in the authors' willingness to acknowledge that military life has some endemic challenges and that, as human beings, we're allowed to whine... sometimes. But it's also a book that emphasizes that your happiness is under your control. Because its intended audience is military wives(who are still the vast majority of military spouses), the authors are also kind enough to point out that most American women have lots of life goals (some conflicting) and that military life offers opportunities to concentrate on different goals at different times. Written in a conversational tone, the authors include examples of spouses they've met in their speaking engagements and friends they've made along the way.
The book did drag a little towards the end as the authors veered into the more general "self-help" topics. While I agree with them that being able to graciously give and receive help on all levels is fundamental to the military life-style, 4 or 5 chapters centered on aspects of this idea was a bit much and could have been combined. There were also some minor grammatic and punctuation errors that caught my eye as I was reading, but that's a personal pet peeve and didn't detract from the message of the book.
The two best features of this book are the resource sections at the end of each chapter, including military-centric and topical resources, and the authors' interspersing tales of how far military wives have come in recent history (i.e. the last 20 years). Did you know that spouses' involvement used to be on military evaluations?! Or that, for decades, military wives were told not to work (According to the book, 65% work now)!?
All-in-all, this book offers a chance to see not only how far military wives have come as a group, but also how an individual can move ahead with personal goals. Highly recommended to military spouses of all branches; the resource sections alone are worth the price to own the book.
August 21, 2014
I have avoided reading this book for a long time because the title seemed whiny and silly. However, after I saw numerous good reviews, I gave it a shot. This book is full of great advice for setting goals and finding the resources to reach them, even when it may seem that there are impossible obstacles in the way. It talks a lot about crafting a second or third plan when the first is not possible. This would be a good read for anyone looking to reach a goal, not just military spouses.
October 6, 2008
I highly recommend this book to any spouse. It was an amazing read and gave me lots of great information to develop new plans in my life.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews