Brat Life - Growing Up Military in Fiction and Nonfiction

With hundreds of thousands of current and former military brats in the United States, their lives as children of service members are surprisingly little documented. Reading about the experiences of fellow brats can help these children of warriors understand both themselves and the unique world in which they were raised. Learning of the challenges that these children face will also help the general population consider how to honor and to help those whose lives were shaped by the military without volunteering or being drafted.
This book explores the military brat experience as reflected in novels intended for adults, adolescent fiction, autobiographies and biographies, and highlights the common elements: frequent moves, the ever-present sense of danger, the potential loss of the service member, and isolation from the larger civilian world. By understanding the lives of brats, we can better understand the very real costs--beyond the lives of service members themselves--that families bear in the name of our collective freedom and security.

List of contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction: Looking Inside the Walls of the Fortress

One.¿ÒI rarely give up my vigilance, and I have no idea what it is I am waiting forÓ: ­Book-Length Autobiographies

Two.¿ÒBlanket of riskÓ: Shorter Autobiographical Narratives

Three.¿ÒOur fathers are military officers first, and fathers secondÓ: Young Adult Novels of Brat Life

Four.¿ÒMilitary brats don't have hometownsÓ: Adult Novels About Brat Life

Five.¿ÒA Secure BaseÓ: Famous Brats and Their Life Stories

Conclusion: ÒWarriors [and Their Families] Have a Right to Reclaim Their LivesÓ: The Price We Pay and the Solutions We Can (But Do Not) Offer

Bibliography

Index

About the author

Caren J. Town is a professor of English at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia.

Product details

• Authors: Caren J. Town, Town Caren J.
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 18
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 23.02.2024
• EAN: 9781476676968
• ISBN: 978-1-4766-7696-8
• No. of pages: 173
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 229 mm x 9 mm
• Weight: 231 g
• Illustrations: Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Other languages / Other literatures; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Security (National & International), English, HISTORY / Military / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / Children's & Young Adult Literature, United States of America, USA, Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers, Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers, Children's & teenage literature studies, Other Warfare & Defence Issues, Other warfare and defence issues, Children’s and teenage literature studies: general, LITERARY CRITICISM / Novel as Form