To Iraq and Back

To Iraq and Back is the latest release from author Jessica Scott. From the back cover.~

From bestselling novelist Jessica Scott comes the emotional first person journey to war and back again. 
 
In 2009, Army second lieutenant Jessica Scott deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. It was a year of many firsts. 
 
This is the first person journey through a combat tour in Iraq, through being a woman in the army and learning to be an officer in the unforgiving environment of a brigade combat team. This is the journey of a writer, learning to find her voice. This is the journey of a mother, confronting the emotions of leaving her children. This is the story of an inexperienced lieutenant, growing into a leader. This is the journey as it happened, without commentary.
 
This is her blog. There are many blogs from the Iraq war, but this one is hers.

I was given a copy of To Iraq and Back from the author with the promise of an honest review. I knew the book would be about Jessica’s deployment to Iraq, I even had read some of her blog while she was deployed, but I had no idea how much the story would grab me.

My first thought is I have never said thank you enough to all the men and women who serve in our armed services. I can’t think of a harder job on earth than one where you go into battle to protect your country, family and friends knowing you might not come back. Jessica’s story ripped me open completely. When she was talking about being away from her daughters, I could feel her pain. While I have family members in the Army (retired now), I really have never talked to them about their deployments much. Not sure if it is their choice or mine, so I liked having my eyes open from someone willing to share their front line experience. Again makes me so grateful for all those who serve. Jessica also shares both her success and mistakes while in Iraq, as well as her feelings about loss while there. Add in her writing process, and her talking about her support system back home, and I was totally drawn into the story.

I’ve been a fan of Jessica Scott since I read her debut novel Back to You came out in 2011. To Iraq and Back is Jessica’s story about her life and after reading it, I’m an even bigger fan. I actually met Jessica at RWA in Orlando in 2010 and she had her daughters with her. I’d “met” her on twitter and she was super nice to me when I went a little fan-girl upon meeting her in real life. The official release date for To Iraq and Back was December 10, 2012 and is available at Amazon in both print and digital formats. For more information about Jessica’s books, check out her website.