Kate Braestrup

Anchor and Flares is fantastic. It was also a good reminder for me of why Kate Braestrup's earlier book Here If You Need Me, is one of my favorites. Although Braestrup's writing falls under the category of memoir, it is always much more. In Anchor and Flares, the pivotal event of her oldest son's decision to join the Marines sets the stage for a wide-ranging and incisive commentary on men and women, parenting, violence, military service and other kinds of service, prayer (she is a Unitarian Universalist chaplain), and a host of other topics. Anticipation of her first grandchild is also a thread that Braestrup weaves through this narrative, complete with letters she writes to her son (the marine) and his wife to pass on what wisdom she has gained from parenting four children--both with her first husband, and as a widow--and two step-children. Braestrup's Unitarian Universalism is more Christian than not, but her writing is very accessible to nonbelievers like me, and her analysis of several Biblical stories and religious ideas were enlightening and insightful. Finally, on top of all the sheer smartness (she's a big history buff too) and good writing, Anchor and Flares passed the "it made me laugh and it made me cry" test, which for me is a reliable indicator of good stuff.… (mere)