In 2003; Pat Tillman; serving in the US Army; hastily wrote a "just in case" letter to his wife; Marie. When he returned on leave before his departure to Afghanistan; he placed the letter on top of their bedroom dresser. For months it sat there; sealed and ever-present; like a black hole through which Marie knew her stable life would be pulled if she ever had reason to open it. Then; in April 2004; Marie's worst nightmare came true. In the days following his death; it was Pat's letter that kept her going and; more than that; it was his words that would help her learn to navigate a world she could no longer share with her husband. In THE LETTER; Marie's talks for the first time about her journey to remake her life after Pat's death. In it; she recalls meeting and falling in love with Pat when they were kids; his harrowing decision to join the army after 9/11; and the devastating day when she learned he'd been killed. She describes how she withdrew from the public spotlight to grieve; learning along the way the value of solitude; self-awareness and integrity in the healing process. And; finally; Marie recounts her work to rebuild her life; including founding The Pat Tillman Foundation; an organization established to carry forth Pat's legacy of leadership; and her decision to step back into the public eye in order to inspire people to live with meaning and purpose.Filled with the lessons Marie learned and the wisdom she gained since Pat's death; THE LETTER is both a heartrending love story and an inspiring tale for anyone; young or old; whose life has taken an unexpected hard turn -- and who struggles to get back on the right path.
#261906 in Books 2011-11-01 2011-11-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.25 x 1.04 x 5.48l; .81 #File Name: 0425243079400 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. How these women could have survived such conditions....By SMurrayI really really loved this book! The descriptions of the conditions that the characters lived in broke my heart - not sure how these women could have survived even a few days in those conditions let alone years and years. But; they were tough women with unstoppable spirits and I especially liked the line in the book that reads "Ludlow consistently practiced the 11th commandment - Do what ever it takes to provide for your child."The book really makes you think and see what was really going on with the 'classes' in England/Scotland/Ireland between 1800-1875; and how far we have come in the past 150-200 years; in prison reform; medicine; and women's rights - heck; human rights! The descriptions of the polluted conditions in London; along with the beauty; yet almost uninhabitable terrain of Tasmania and Melbourne were so vivid and really placed you right in the heart of those times. And the stories of the women's journies across the sea from England to Tasmania - it was amazing anyone was able to walk off those ships after 4 months being kept in the bowels of the ships. The story does show; and it's so hard to believe that people could be so cold; manipulative; hard-hearted and dismissive of other humans just because they were poor. But the best part is that the story shows how no matter how horrific the conditions you place people in; you can't break their spirit or their pride and the desire to survive is overwhelming.This is a great great book if you want an inside view of what took place during that timeframe - I feel like I learned a lot and have a new appreciation of Australia; Tasmania and how it was 'really' settled!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Returned kindle version for refundBy desertwiffieI so wanted to stick with this book and find out more about the ladies involved; but just cannot stand the torturous; adjective-heavy writing. I just finished reading a book about the only all female concentration camp in Germany in WWII; and for all it's suffering and agonizing detail it didn't come close to matching this for exaggerated descriptions. Just not my kind of writing; but it might not bother someone else less irritated by florid prose.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Best History of Women Transportees to AustraliaBy J. BlakeneyThis book deserves 6 stars. Deborah Swiss has done a magnificent job of work covering not only the personal history of women transported to Australia during the latter part of the1800s but also a wonderful profiling of those chosen personalities. We meet five of the most courageous; tenacious and gutsy women one is ever likely to find in fiction let alone in a factual biography. We follow them from children in the UK; marveling at their ability to survive in such poverty and want; and travel with them aboard doubtful crowded ships of exile to Van Diemens Land. We suffer with them in the Women's Factory in Hobart and rejoice when they fight back against the system that holds them liable for trivial offenses. And finally we celebrate with them when they ultimately gain their freedom; find partners; have families and move on throughout colonial Australia to help make our history. Very highly recommended.
