Bombshells: War Stories and Poems by Women on the Homefront Book

Cultural Writing. Poetry. Essays. Women Studies. No one voice can entirely convey the emotional toll a soldier's military service has on loved ones. Here are 38 voices. Step into the experiences of homefront women spanning from World War II to the Iraq War-mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, fiances and friends-who, in their own words, tap into the reservoirs of unconditional love required of everyone who has ever loved a soldier. Share their wide range of feelings from the stress of giving up a loved one to military service, to the anguish when warriors are killed in action; from the anxiety of long separations, to the upheaval that can accompany living with wounded veterans. Glimpse other nuances of the military lifestyle like searching for personal identity and viable concepts of home in the face of deployments and frequent relocations. Each piece tells a unique story, and collectively they illuminate the pathos of this unsung microcosm of American society, and manage to uplift us in a way only raw honesty can.