Book About Soldiers’ Wives Wins First Place in Midwest Book Awards
A Year of Absence wins Best Current Events title of 2005

St Paul , MN: A Year of Absence: Six women’s stories of courage, hope, and love by Jessica Redmond (Elva Resa, Nov 2005) was awarded First Place in the Current Events category of the Midwest Book Awards in a May 10, 2006 ceremony at the Minnesota Humanities Commission in St. Paul.

The nonfiction book brings to life the stories of six women whose husbands go to war in Iraq as part of the U.S. Army's First Armored Division, based in Baumholder, Germany. Through tearful goodbyes, long-awaited communication from the front, and joyful yet troubled reunions, Redmond captures what life is truly like for many families of deployed soldiers: the ever-present fear of death, the pressures of single-parenthood, and the strength and comfort that come with the support of close friends.

Judges for the category commented that A Year of Absence “deals honestly and sympathetically with the untold story of the spouses of the soldiers in the Iraq War. There is much more pain…family trauma and financial hardship than we realize when we talk euphemistically about ‘collateral damage’ of the war. Jessica Redmond tells this real life story with sympathy, pathos, humor, and realism. It fills in the blanks of this war, which is so much on the minds of the world.”

Earlier this year, A Year of Absence was awarded the 2005 Gold Medal for Best Nonfiction Book by Military Writers Society of America.

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ELVA RESA PUBLISHING LLC is an independent publisher based in St Paul, Minnesota, whose mission is to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Other military family titles include Surviving Deployment: A guide for military families by Karen M Pavlicin (April 2003) – awarded 2005 MWSA Gold Medal for Best Reference Book, Deployment Journal for Kids by Rachel Robertson (July 2005), and Heart of a Hawk: One family’s sacrifice & journey toward healing by Deborah Tainsh (May 2006). For additional information, visit www.elvaresa.com.

Buy this book at www.militaryfamilybooks.com