Title: Home from Iraq
Author: D.D. Anderson
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-9845-6923-3
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Pages: 21
Reviewed by: Beth Adams
Pacific Book Review
Author D.D. Anderson has done something rather remarkable in the illustrated children’s book Home from Iraq. Rather than writing all of the sentiments and emotions portrayed in the book about a father going to Iraq in the Army, then returning home with amputated legs, the dialog stays focused on the perception of the situation from the eyes of a young son; realizing his father is his best friend and enjoys camping and fishing with him.
The illustrations take on a level of subliminal projection showing the mother being pregnant at the time the father leaves for his tour of duty, and having a newly born sister upon the father’s return. Also no mention is made about the loss of the father’s legs while in Iraq, except for the phone call made from the Army telling the mother of an injury and the hastened return of her husband for medical treatment; yet the illustrations show exactly what had happened. This juxtaposition of story and illustrations make for a very impactful and powerful story, while keeping the reading level at a single-digit age level.
As far as the narrator, being the young boy is concerned, all he wants is his father to come home so they can do fun things together. There is no political message or lesson of war within the boy’s text; he simply wants to enjoy camping and fishing with his dad. Although at one point D.D. Anderson mentions the dad wants to return to Iraq and continue helping the people who were so nice to him after his injury, it shows an immense amount of bravery having a warrior desiring to return to battle with prosthetic legs.
D.D. Anderson pays tribute to President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at the forward of this book, as no doubt the author has military ties, and the military has benefited by the recent policies of providing more funding for armaments and veteran health care. The pictures of the dad, albeit simply drawn, show a steadfast optimism in his eyes, and the support of the mother also exemplifies the traditional military family structure.
The boy is seeing the will power and strength of his dad handling his physical condition without remorse but rather with newfound pride and fortitude provides the lesson within the theme of this book. All of these qualities makes Home from Iraq to be an extraordinary book, worthy to be a part of any well-rounded children’s library.
