The Warrior Hardcover - 2008

by Richey, Frances

A heartwrenchingand powerfulmemoir in versefrom a mothergrappling with thereality of her sonat war in Iraq

Frances Richey's son, Ben, whom she raised by herself, graduatedfrom the West Point Military Academy in 1998. He became aGreen Beret, and then went for two tours of duty in Iraq, often onmissions that were so secret that he had to remain incommunicadofrom everyone, including his mother.

The Warrior is an urgent and intensely personal exploration ofwhat a mother is feeling as her only son goes off to war, as she saysgoodbye to him, misses him, prays for him, and waits for him tocome home. At the book's heart lies a mother's love for her son ason from whom she feels distant, both literally and metaphorically,for she is opposed to the war in Iraq, but nonetheless realizes thatshe needs to understand, support, and accept the choices her sonhas made in his life.

A poignant, accessible, and emotionally arresting book toldin twenty-eight poems, The Warrior speaks to the world of thosewho wait while their loved ones are in combat or in dangerouscircumstances. It is also concerned with the love and pain that constituteclose relationships, in particular that between a mother andher son. Richey gives readers a window into a world they mightnot know, but a world that nonetheless touches all our lives. AndThe Warrior will bring comfort to those who have waited, and arewaiting now. Whatever readers feel about the war, all will want toread this moving work for its power and the universal emotions offamilial love it portrays with piercing insight.