Product Description Thirteen-year old Jake Bennett's life turns upside down when his Army dad leaves for the first of three tours in Iraq. His mom and his six-year old brother seem like strangers to him as his family adjusts their lives to his dad's absences and returns. A Warrior's Son follows Jake through his teen years as he struggles to find a place in his hurting family, while navigating the complexities of girls, sports, and friends through middle school and high school. The story is a testament to the resilience of military families, and to the determination of one boy who must cope with adolescence and the emotional stress of being a warrior's son. From the Author This book came about because of a suggestion by a friend at the Santa Barbara Writer's Conference.  She was impressed with my reading from a yet unpublished book and suggested I write one about a boy growing up while his father is in Iraq. I loved the idea and began writing and doing research. My father fought in WWII and was not in Iraq,  but he often talked about how terrible war was, and it stuck with me. Much of the early part of the book is based on my own experience with my dad in fictionalized form.  The parts about the Iraq war came from research mixed in with my father's experience of war and my own experience from watching the news.There is one anecdote and a poem about Dead Heroes that comes from the protagonists view of war after he watched the movie Troy.  As a writer, I questioned whether the loss of all those lives was worth it since it was the "face that launched a thousand ships" and the war over one women, Helen of Troy.  Whether Helen was a fictional character or not, the movie made me think about war and the many anonymous deaths and injuries from war over thousands of years.  We call them heroes, I often thought, because we want others to fight so they can be heroes. This is not an anti-war book, but it does examine the consequences of war for young Jake and his family in hopes of showing war from their perspective. From the Back Cover Reader Comments·Wow!  Amazing from start to finish. Has a great message.  Trey Kramer- high school senior ·A Warrior's Son shatters illusions about what it takes to be a hero in this gripping story of Jake Bennett and his family who face the Iraq war abroad and its invasion into their lives at home. - Mary Lentz-     Retired Teacher ·I'm sure this book will let people know about the reality of war and what it does to people and families.Luke Urlie - High School Freshman ·Great book....It was hard to stop reading.  I would recommend it to my friends.  David Valentine - High School Freshman ·Loved the book.  Loved the plot.  Worth buying -Jordon Johnson - High School Freshman