Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives by Jim Sheeler

So I really wanted to post this review yesterday, but the site was down for updates or maintenance or whatever Blogger does when it goes down, and I was unable to upload the photo at left. Luckily the site is working again today and I can post again.

Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives by Jim Sheeler is one of the few non-fiction books that I've read in its entirety. It is a book that I think every American should read whether or not you support the war in Iraq--especially in a time when the government limits photos of flag draped caskets arriving at Dover, Delaware. It's easy to be detached from this war, to be ignorant of the sacrifice required of servicemen and -women and their families. This book will bring the war and the freedom we often take for granted in this country and the cost of both in human lives into your home--it's impossible to remain detached from this war after you've read this book.

Sheeler is a reporter who has followed a group of families as they learn of the deaths of their loved ones overseas in Iraq, as they mourn them at funerals and as they struggle to cope with the aftermath the loss wreaks in their lives. The story includes gut wrenching accounts of the fallen and their families and friends from the knock on the door to the funerals. The story also shares a glimpse into the lives of the surviving family members in the months and years following their tragic losses--including the births of two children who will never meet the fathers who were killed in Iraq.

I highly recommend you check this book out. It is available upon request from Lebanon Community Library and Myerstown Community Library.

--Reviewed by Ms. Angie

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