Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives

By Tanya Biank

Book Overview

Under the Sabers is a groundbreaking narrative detailing the complex personal challenges Army wives face, presenting a provocative new look at Army life. Tanya Biank goes beyond the sound bites and photo ops of military life and shows what it is really like to be an Army wife--from hauling furniture off the rental truck by yourself at a new duty station when your husband is in the field, to comforting your son who wants his dad home from Afghanistan for his fifth birthday--she takes readers into the heartsand homes of today's military wives. In the summer of 2002, Army wives were in the headlines after Biank, a military reporter for the Fayetteville Observer , made international news when she broke the story about four Army wives who were brutally murdered by their husbands in the span of six weeks at Fort Bragg, an Army post that is home to the Green Berets, Airborne paratroopers, and Delta Force commandos. By that autumn, Biank, an Army brat herself, realized the still untold story of Army wives lay in the ashes of that tragic and sensationalized summer. She knew the truth--wives were the backbone of the Army. They were strong--not helpless--and deserved more than the sugarcoating that often accompanied their stories in the media. Under the Sabers tells the story of four typical Army wives, who, in a flash, find themselves neck-deep in extraordinary circumstances that ultimately force them to redefine who they are as women and Army wives. In this fascinating and meticulously researched account, Biank takes the reader past the Army's gates, where everyone has a role to play, rules are followed, discipline is expected, perfection praised, and perception often overrides reality. Biank explores what happens when real life collides with Army convention. Biank describes what it means to be a wife and mother in a subculture that is in a constant state of readiness for war. In this hard-hitting and powerful book, Biank takes a close look at the other woman--the Army itself--and its impact on wives, marriages, and home life. This story of strength and perseverance is an eye-opener for those who have never experienced military life and an anthem to those women who each day live the "unwritten code."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312333501
• ISBN13: 9780312333508
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.1" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

A must read for fans of Army Wives

For those who don't know, the characters of Roxy, Pamela, Denise and Claudia Joy can be found in the real life stories of four Fort Bragg army wives. Roxy is based on the story of Rita Odom. Pamela is based on the story of Andrea Floyd. Denise is based on the story of Delores. Claudia Joy is based on the story of Andrea Lynn Cory. It is an interesting read because you will keep finding events in the book that inspired storylines. There is a much more heavier tone to the book than the series but it is still a very good read.

Loved it!!!

I'm a huge fan of the T.V. show, Army Wives, and once I found out it was based on a book I had to read it. I was NOT disappointed. As a future wife to a soldier serving in Iraq, as well as, a former military police soldier in the U.S. Army, I found the book to be incredibly truthful, passionate, exciting, depressing, and uplifting. There are highs and lows, which truly reflect the lives of army wives and the soldiers. I would, however, liked Biank to have depicted the life of a man serving as a husband to a female soldier (as the t.v. show has done). Either way, I recommend this book to any soldier, any military spouse, girlfriend, fiance, etc. and anyone else. We all need to read this book!!!!

I couldn't put it down.

This was a great book. Unlike most of the books I've found on military wives (and I'm saying this as navy wife), it doesn't glorify, whine, romanticize, or over-dramatize the life. Military life and marriage is what it is. I couldn't put this book down, and I hope it doesn't start getting a bad rap now that Lifetime has made it into a typical Lifetime drama (not that I don't watch it, because I do). One warning...this is a hard read. I cried through an entire chapter. It really hits home if you're a military wife, so read it with a box of tissues.

Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives

I had the honor of meeting the author while we served on the OWC Board in Virginia. I wasn't aware that she was an author until my friend informed me, at which point I purchased a copy and read it. I feel she gave a very candid view of military life that many people have no idea about. I applaud her for not sugar coating her story. I hope this book finds its way into the hands of the military community as well as civilian.