Brat Life: Growing Up Military in Fiction and Nonfiction

Although there are hundreds of thousands of current and former Military brats in the United States, very little about their lives as children of service members has been documented. Reading about the experiences of fellow brats can help these children of warriors understand both themselves and the unique world in which they were raised. Becoming aware of the challenges that these children faced (and still face) will also help the general population consider how to honor and to help those who served in the military without ever having been drafted or volunteered.

Chapters focus on novels intended for adults, adolescent fiction, autobiographies and biographies, and explore the common elements of the brat experience: frequent moves, the ever-present sense of danger, the potential loss of the service member, and isolation from the larger civilian world. By understanding the life of brats, we can better understand the very real costs--beyond the lives of service members--that these individuals pay for our collective freedom and security.