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Home and Away: A Story of Family in a Time of War
David French, potential independent candidate for the 2016 presidential election, and his wife Nancy deliver a powerful story of what happens when a person--or rather, a family--answers the call to serve their nation. David French picked up the newspaper in the comfort of his penthouse in Philadelphia, and read about a soldier - father of two - who was wounded in Iraq. Immediately, he was stricken with a Why him and not me?
David was a 37-year-old father of two, a Harvard Law graduate and president of a free speech organization. In other words, he was used to pushing pencils, not toting M16s.
His wife Nancy was raising two children and writing from home. She was worrying about field trips and playdates, not about her husband going to war.
HOME AND AWAY chronicles not just a soldier at war, but a family at war - a husband in Iraq, a wife and children at home, greeting each day with hope and fear, facing the challenge with determination, tears, and more than a little joy.
David was a 37-year-old father of two, a Harvard Law graduate and president of a free speech organization. In other words, he was used to pushing pencils, not toting M16s.
His wife Nancy was raising two children and writing from home. She was worrying about field trips and playdates, not about her husband going to war.
HOME AND AWAY chronicles not just a soldier at war, but a family at war - a husband in Iraq, a wife and children at home, greeting each day with hope and fear, facing the challenge with determination, tears, and more than a little joy.
272 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2011
4 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
David French
9 books85 followersA staff writer at National Review, an attorney (concentrating his practice in constitutional law and the law of armed conflict), and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is the author or co-author of several books including, most recently, the No. 1 New York Times bestselling Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can’t Ignore. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, the past president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), and a former lecturer at Cornell Law School. He has served as a senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice and the Alliance Defending Freedom. David is a major in the United States Army Reserve (IRR). In 2007, he deployed to Iraq, serving in Diyala Province as Squadron Judge Advocate for the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, where he was awarded the Bronze Star. He lives and works in Columbia, Tennessee, with his wife, Nancy (who is also a New York Times bestselling author), and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 30, 2011
Book Summary: David French picked up the newspaper in the comfort of his penthouse in Philadelphia, and read about a soldier - father of two - who was wounded in Iraq. Immediately, he was stricken with a question: Why him and not me?
This is the story of what happens when a person - rather a family - answers the call to serve their nation. David was a 37-year-old father of two, a Harvard Law graduate and president of a free speech organization. In other words, he was used to pushing pencils, not toting M16s.
His wife Nancy was raising two children and writing from home. She was worrying about field trips and playdates, not about her husband going to war.
HOME AND AWAY chronicles not just a soldier at war, but a family at war - a husband in Iraq, a wife and children at home, greeting each day with hope and fear, facing the challenge with determination, tears, and more than a little joy.
My Review:
In this book David and Nancy recalls their separate lives lived while David served in the military many, many miles away from his family. I liked the reading format. Each chapter is rotated between David and Nancy, both providing stories of their day to day life while away from each other.
David stories are full of his experiences as a military solider and how his professional career as a lawyer was beneficial to the military.
Nancy stories was full of her day to day life as a mother of two small children and the wife of a military solider. She shared her emotional struggle to maintain her life while coping with the thought of being a temporary single parent. Nancy learned to handle some of the finances of the house which had always been David's responsibility. She also learned to depend on others for help when need.
It was interesting learning about war in Iraq while reading David's stories. Reading his chapters took you inside of the walls of Iraq culture, its people and even the arrest of men that was linked to Al Qaeda. One thing I will not forget is why the left hand is considered unclean in Iraq. Read the book to find out.
The best part of this novel is the Homecoming. David comes home. Not quite what you would imagine or anticipated it to be. The world changed Davids perception about a lot of things. Not only did his wife notice a change in him, but his friends and even David was aware. They seemed to easily argue about small things. Conflicts and misunderstandings was a part of their marriage now. David had to adjust to going back to a job he was familiar with yet felt strange being their While in Iraq, David carried a gun most of the time while working and felt weird not having it with him as he returned back to his job. Civilian life was going to take some adjusting.
Their children are mentioned in the book. Both parents share with readers a few statements the children made in relation to their Dad being away serving the country as a military serviceman. Only they can convey to readers their true thoughts. This was a good read. I did experience slow pace reading in some parts of Nancy stories.
Book cover design definitely depicts the story line. This is a Good read with a reading rate of 3.0
This is the story of what happens when a person - rather a family - answers the call to serve their nation. David was a 37-year-old father of two, a Harvard Law graduate and president of a free speech organization. In other words, he was used to pushing pencils, not toting M16s.
His wife Nancy was raising two children and writing from home. She was worrying about field trips and playdates, not about her husband going to war.
HOME AND AWAY chronicles not just a soldier at war, but a family at war - a husband in Iraq, a wife and children at home, greeting each day with hope and fear, facing the challenge with determination, tears, and more than a little joy.
My Review:
In this book David and Nancy recalls their separate lives lived while David served in the military many, many miles away from his family. I liked the reading format. Each chapter is rotated between David and Nancy, both providing stories of their day to day life while away from each other.
David stories are full of his experiences as a military solider and how his professional career as a lawyer was beneficial to the military.
Nancy stories was full of her day to day life as a mother of two small children and the wife of a military solider. She shared her emotional struggle to maintain her life while coping with the thought of being a temporary single parent. Nancy learned to handle some of the finances of the house which had always been David's responsibility. She also learned to depend on others for help when need.
It was interesting learning about war in Iraq while reading David's stories. Reading his chapters took you inside of the walls of Iraq culture, its people and even the arrest of men that was linked to Al Qaeda. One thing I will not forget is why the left hand is considered unclean in Iraq. Read the book to find out.
The best part of this novel is the Homecoming. David comes home. Not quite what you would imagine or anticipated it to be. The world changed Davids perception about a lot of things. Not only did his wife notice a change in him, but his friends and even David was aware. They seemed to easily argue about small things. Conflicts and misunderstandings was a part of their marriage now. David had to adjust to going back to a job he was familiar with yet felt strange being their While in Iraq, David carried a gun most of the time while working and felt weird not having it with him as he returned back to his job. Civilian life was going to take some adjusting.
Their children are mentioned in the book. Both parents share with readers a few statements the children made in relation to their Dad being away serving the country as a military serviceman. Only they can convey to readers their true thoughts. This was a good read. I did experience slow pace reading in some parts of Nancy stories.
Book cover design definitely depicts the story line. This is a Good read with a reading rate of 3.0
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June 29, 2011A book co-authored by spouses is by no means a rarity – unless they are on opposite sides of the world and one is fighting a war.
After thirty-seven-year-old Philadelphia attorney David French made partner at his law firm, he decided to enlist in the army. When he told his wife, Nancy, she gripped a bar stool with white knuckles. An article in the newspaper about a wounded soldier fighting in Iraq with a wife and two children at home prompted David’s act of patriotism.
David passed a humiliating physical, moved his family to Tennessee near the support of his mother, survived a background check and in April, 2006 became a JAG officer. He survived basic training (not without a bout with poison ivy) and learned how to wield an M16. When Nancy came to pick him up, he told her he was bound for Iraq. They both cried. The night before he left, he and Nancy tucked the kids into bed with the usual routine of a recitation of, “In Him we move, and live, and have our being.”
The memoir juxtaposes Nancy and David’s voices in alternating chapters. They tell us their emotional, physical and psychological journey through this unfamiliar terrain.
No more the recipient of a string of emails detailing his family’s goings-on, David longed for the occasional webcam communication enabling him to see as well as talk to his wife and kids. A part of a military operation as big as Fallujah, however, cut him off from all communication with family. His life was filled with violence, the death of friends, poverty-stricken Iraqi towns and amazing numbers of unsupervised children. He bolstered himself with Psalm 91, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Even JAG’s see combat.
Nancy wanted David to return “not just to an intact family, but to a better family.” She bought a dog. A southern woman, her ferocity paid off when she bettered their financial situation with a “spend less, make more” philosophy. Friends plied her with gift cards so she could maintain a semblance of normalcy by taking her children, Austin and Camille, out to dinner. Online forums helped her repair their Saab and cope with her husband’s absence. She found friends and spiritual support at Zion Presbyterian Church.
Even though military family jargon is “we’re all in this together,” David and Nancy French lived completely separate lives during his time in Iraq. IChat, gift packages and webcams can’t replace the togetherness of marriage. Their love did survive the war. They both realized, however, that we live in a fallible world and the only real healing that takes place is that from God.
Hatchette Book Group graciously provided the review copy for this reader’s unbiased appraisal.
Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont
http://www.hollyweiss.com
September 9, 2011
The premise of this book was intriguing: conservative lawyer decides to enlist in the aftermath or 9/11 and gets sent to Iraq for a year. Written in alternating perspectives between the husband who deployed and the wife who stayed home, it tells the story of what that year was like.
But this was one of those books where I felt like, despite some chapters that were very well done, it didn't quite come together. It was interesting to see how the relationship played out during this difficult separation, and it was good to get the perspective of a "civilian" deployed to Iraq, but the the writing styles and personalities of David and Nancy were very different and this made it hard for me to get into the flow of the story.
Each had their strengths, and weaknesses, but the transition was often rather jolting. From serious and straighforward writing about living in a war zone to jovial and sarcastic commentary on home life (even when discussing serious subjects Nancy's first instinct is humor and sarcasm). And the chapters dealing with Nancy and the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney feel very odd years later. I understand they were a big part of their lives but it just feels weird (even as Romney is running again).
All in all, I think your enjoyment of the book will depend on your appreciation of the style and perspective of the authors. I enjoyed reading about how a deployment impacts a family and how this unique family handled it. But the challenge of mixing the two voices and sides of the story into one narrative made it disjointed at times.
But this was one of those books where I felt like, despite some chapters that were very well done, it didn't quite come together. It was interesting to see how the relationship played out during this difficult separation, and it was good to get the perspective of a "civilian" deployed to Iraq, but the the writing styles and personalities of David and Nancy were very different and this made it hard for me to get into the flow of the story.
Each had their strengths, and weaknesses, but the transition was often rather jolting. From serious and straighforward writing about living in a war zone to jovial and sarcastic commentary on home life (even when discussing serious subjects Nancy's first instinct is humor and sarcasm). And the chapters dealing with Nancy and the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney feel very odd years later. I understand they were a big part of their lives but it just feels weird (even as Romney is running again).
All in all, I think your enjoyment of the book will depend on your appreciation of the style and perspective of the authors. I enjoyed reading about how a deployment impacts a family and how this unique family handled it. But the challenge of mixing the two voices and sides of the story into one narrative made it disjointed at times.
October 1, 2011
I'm enjoying a period of reading memoirs, so I liked this modern-day story of a lawyer husband (37)who enlists in the Army with the intent of going to Iraq and his writer wife who is home raising two children "in the frozen tundra of Ithaca, New York." Details are given of their separate lives, but the emphasis of the book is on how they stay connected while separated. David is involved in front line battles. Nancy's life gets much more casual: (going to church) "...we just looked like we'd crawled out from under the nearest overpass." and "My social skills deteriorated faster than Michael Jackson's nose."
A chapter of special interest to me was Nancy's experience in the church choir and the ongoing battle of songs. The choir director preferred hymns written before the Civil War because of their "elegance and lack of sentimentality." "The absolute bane of her existence was the prolific hymn writer Fanny J. Crosby, who wrote three songs a week during her lifetime so that there were 8,000 possible ways to torment Anna any particular Sunday. "Basically the complaint against post-Civil War songs was that they were focused on the song writer's moral and emotional state instead of on God's unwavering faithfulness."
A couple of conclusions: "...mixing men and women in combat environments just begs for drama." and "Iraq is a violent place. It just is."
A chapter of special interest to me was Nancy's experience in the church choir and the ongoing battle of songs. The choir director preferred hymns written before the Civil War because of their "elegance and lack of sentimentality." "The absolute bane of her existence was the prolific hymn writer Fanny J. Crosby, who wrote three songs a week during her lifetime so that there were 8,000 possible ways to torment Anna any particular Sunday. "Basically the complaint against post-Civil War songs was that they were focused on the song writer's moral and emotional state instead of on God's unwavering faithfulness."
A couple of conclusions: "...mixing men and women in combat environments just begs for drama." and "Iraq is a violent place. It just is."
March 19, 2012
I have been following David and Nancy French on their social sites and love their honesty and hearts when they shared that despite the horrifying challenges of the year away, both Nancy and David believe volunteering was the right decision. "After what I’ve seen and done and experienced, I'll never be the same person again. The person that left for Iraq is not quite the person who came back. I'm not the same father. I’m not the same husband. I’m not the same friend. I don't know if I’m better or worse. But I do know that I’m different."
"But I also know - to the very marrow of my being - that it was right for me to go. It was my purpose in life, my wife's purpose and my children's purpose that we would do all that we could to help our country win this war. Even if the cost was high."
"But I also know - to the very marrow of my being - that it was right for me to go. It was my purpose in life, my wife's purpose and my children's purpose that we would do all that we could to help our country win this war. Even if the cost was high."
August 4, 2011
I won this book on the Goodreads "First Read" program. Thanks!
LOVED this! I think it should be read by every American who wants to understand the great sacrifice made by our military men and women...and also by their families.
Nancy French describes her life, as the wife of a deployed soldier, with humor and candor. You will fall in love with her and identify with the challenges she faces. Her husband, David, describes in alternate chapters, the life of a soldier in Iraq.
I fell in love with these two people, who were so generous to share their story with us.
LOVED this! I think it should be read by every American who wants to understand the great sacrifice made by our military men and women...and also by their families.
Nancy French describes her life, as the wife of a deployed soldier, with humor and candor. You will fall in love with her and identify with the challenges she faces. Her husband, David, describes in alternate chapters, the life of a soldier in Iraq.
I fell in love with these two people, who were so generous to share their story with us.
July 7, 2011
I enjoyed reading this very true story. What a sacrifice David and Nancy French made for their country.
Their lives are led by God and when David felt he was being called to serve in his Countries War effort, he decided he had to go to Afghanistan. This is the story of how their lives changed and their experiences during this time.
The chapters in this book are written by David and Nancy and their experiences during this Chapter in their lives.
I highly recommend reading this book!
Their lives are led by God and when David felt he was being called to serve in his Countries War effort, he decided he had to go to Afghanistan. This is the story of how their lives changed and their experiences during this time.
The chapters in this book are written by David and Nancy and their experiences during this Chapter in their lives.
I highly recommend reading this book!
August 23, 2014
This was an interesting nonfiction book written by a husband and wife together. The husband decided he needed to join the Army and how that played out in their lives and their marriage. Parts of it were difficult to read because war is scary and since I have a loved one in the Army it hits too close to home.
January 23, 2015
He is the ADF Counselor in Columbia, TN. Went to Lipscomb then Harvard. She is sis of Mary Kate Brown (m. Josh). David's story of joining military and going to Iraq. Her story is of staying home. His was very interesting. Hers not so much: way too long on getting a dog and church hymns. Glad to get his perspective and hear that Americans in Iraq are helping and do give rights to detainees.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2016
I received this book in a Good Reads Giveaway... which is the only reason I read the whole book. Most of this book is boring. Maybe if the book was shorter? I like the story, I guess maybe there are just a lot of pointless details mentioned. I enjoyed about the last 5 chapters I guess..
October 7, 2011
Excellent book told in alternating chapters by the two authors. Easy to foll"ow. How war impacts a family with small children and the hardships faced by both parents on both fronts. Home and Away: A Story of Family in a Time of War" by Nancy French.
August 10, 2013
This book was very helpful in understanding what military families go through during deployments.
August 3, 2025
They really know how to tell a story. I’m anxious to read other books by them.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews