We have any amazing community of military spouses who have incredible thoughts and experiences to share – and these are just a few of those who have taken action on their dreams and brought these books to life! This lsit is books published by our Spouses of the Year and we highly recommend each and every one of these 12 books.
Sacred Spaces
By Corie Weathers, 2015 AFI Military Spouse of the Year
Corie, a trained counselor, and her husband Matt, an Army chaplain, have pinpointed significant moments they experience independently as sacred spaces. After several deployments, these spaces started consuming a lot of emotional space in their relationship. A 2015 overseas trip to Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf with former U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter helped Corie better understand deployment and lessen the impact of those sacred spaces. Corie’s journey not only took her thousands of miles around the world, but it also took her to the heart of her marriage and allowed her to leave behind her resentment and gain a new perspective of herself and of all military marriages. BUY NOW – $13.24
Olive Drab Pom-Poms
By Kori Yates
It’s time to live for real. As spouses, we proudly support our uniformed spouses in this olive drab world. But God has a bigger vision for us than just standing on the sidelines, waiting for deployment to be over or waiting for the next duty station. He has placed a calling on us and has a plan for our lives regardless of our locations and circumstances. Whether you’re a newlywed, a seasoned spouse, happily married or contemplating divorce, experience the adventure of military life and see what God can do for you. Do more than just survive. BUY NOW
Mommy Retailing
By Lakesha Cole, 2014 AFI Military Spouse of the Year
Marine spouse and owner of boutique She Swank Too, Lakesha draws on her entrepreneurial journey to provide a beginner’s guide to starting a business while being a full-time mom of three. She shares how she built a brand and business despite frequent moves and career pitfalls associated with military life. The book is chock full of solutions for balancing work and mom time, as well as steps needed to start your own retail store. It details business planning and day-to-day operations; how to fund your business; where and how to source merchandise, branding and marketing; how to pick a location; planning a grand opening; and how to use your business to give back to the community. BUY NOW – $13.99
Finding Joy
By Hope Griffin
Finding joy is tough, especially when you don’t even share a ZIP code with your spouse. As a military spouse and mother, Hope has questioned God’s faithfulness and the strength of her marriage. If you’ve ever felt the same way and wondered if you could thrive in a long-distance marriage, open this book. She uses personal experience, examples of others in history and Scripture to explore the possibility of a stronger and more fulfilling marriage. Won’t you join her? BUY NOW – $10.99
15 Years of War: How the Longest War in U.S. History Affected a Military Family in Love, Loss and the Cost of Service
By Kristine Schellhaas
Less than 1 percent of our nation will serve in the Armed Forces. As such, most don’t have a grasp as to what life is like for military families. This book offers a he said/she said perspective about coping with war in modern-day America. It profiles a dedicated Marine and his spouse and the unfathomable challenges and the triumphs from pre-9/11 days through 15 subsequent years of training workups, deployments and other separations. Filled with faith, love and resilience, this story offers insight into how more than a decade of war has redefined what it means to be a military family. BUY NOW – $16.99
Adventures of SuperDuperKid: Friendship Numbers
By El Brown, 2012 AFI Military Spouse of the Year
Meet SuperDuperKid, an 8-year-old with autism spectrum disorder, and his friends. The SuperKids in are diverse in personality and abilities, and enjoy playing together in an inclusive environment. A number concept book based on the KinderJam song, this book celebrates inclusive play. It is co-written by a child on the autism spectrum and his mom. BUY NOW – $12.99
Mama Bear: One Mom’s Story of Optimism, Autism, Advocacy, and Love
By El Brown, 2012 AFI Military Spouse of the Year
No parent expects their child to have autism; no prenatal test can detect the spectrum. The day El received her son’s diagnosis is branded in her mind, and she never wants another parent to go through that life-altering experience alone. She writes to empower and help prepare parents for the challenging, yet promising experience of raising a child with autism. Through storytelling and sharing her diary entries, El provides a positive outlook of love, advocacy and humor with her son affectionately known as SuperDuperKid. This memoir details one mother’s journey of love and acceptance. BUY NOW – $19.95
Stories Around the Table: Laughter, Wisdom and Strength in Military Life
By Terri Barnes
More than 40 writers come together to share their stories and connect people. This book features more than 50 personal essays, including from Sarah Smiley (Dinner with the Smileys), Tanya Biank (Army Wives), Kristin Henderson (While They’re At War), Artis Henderson (Unremarried Widow), Tara Crooks and Star Henderson (founders of Army Wife Network), Jeremy Hilton (Keep Your Promise Alliance) and more. Encompassing spouses, parents children and active-duty service members, each author draws on their own life to illuminate military experiences. Topics include moving and transition, renewing relationships after deployment, sex, romance, caring for special needs, friendship, career challenges, PTSD, and combat injury and recovery. BUY NOW – $14.06
Right Side Up
By Judy Davis
With the constant change, drama and stress of military life, it can be overwhelming. Remember, though, that every challenge and sacrifice you rise above will help you grow into the person you want to be. This motivational personal guide will define your role as a military spouse and tweak your expectations of military life; identify situations that cause you stress and create strategies to calm chaos, deal with drama and respond to change; and find out ways to cut the yuck from your life, make yourself a priority and fully embrace military life. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for a happier life, but exercises in this book will help you create a plan tailored to your needs, personality and insight. BUY NOW – $12.95
The Yes Process: Discover the Journey of Becoming Yourself
By Lori Bell, 2010 AFI Military Spouse of the Year
Leave behind everything you think you know about who “you” is and embark in a lifestyle journey of becoming your true self. This book serves as a blueprint for un-layering, unlearning and detaching from who you think you are based on what you’ve been told. Lori writes the fundamental framework for how to create a life of fulfillment, abundance, passion, grace, ease and flow by using examples from her own life, as well as those she coaches. If you’re unsure of your true purpose or lack clarity of where to go next, this book is for you. Break free from public opinion and live your authentic life today! BUY NOW – $10.99
Fitness SHIFT!: Intimate Journey of Women Who Use Fitness as a way to Shift Their Destiny
By Tiffany Edmonds (Co-Author)
This anthology comprises women who made a heart decision to use fitness as a way to shift their destinies. Each woman shares details of a seemingly never-ending vicious cycle, unhealthy habit or uncomfortable season in her life and describes how she summoned the strength to overcome it and move beyond stagnancy. The common denominator in all of these stories is the change is possible! These inspiring stories will help you make a shift in your life too. You, too, can live life to your fullest, realize change is possible and you already possess the strength to conquer it, eliminate excuses, create a healthy and fit lifestyle at any life season, and grab ahold of your courage to have a successful health and fitness journey. BUY NOW – $9.99
Behind the Scenes: The Tales of Military Spouses Making a Difference
By Cara Loken, AFI 2016 National Guard Spouse of the Year
There are roughly 1.1 million military spouses of the U.S. military around the globe. They are entrepreneurs, volunteers, educators, lawyers, authors, elected representatives, stay-at-home parents and advocates. This book captures the inspirational tales of the military spouses who support those in uniform and continue to make a difference daily. BUY NOW – $13.95