When my father, Odysseus, and his men sailed off to the Trojan War, they were confident their gods favored a quick victory. Instead, the siege of Troy lasted ten years. After Troy fell, the survivors made their way home to Sparta, Mycenae, Pylos, and elsewhere in the ancient Peloponnese. Neither my father nor any of his troops arrived home with the rest. We waited for years as the news grew worse. Odysseus was dead, we were told,or imprisoned, or, worst yet, he had married another woman and abandoned my mother Penelope, my brother Telemachus, and me.


If he is alive somewhere, his thoughts may wander to Penelope and Telemachus, but he won’t be thinking of me. I am the daughter he doesn’t know exists. Odysseus went off to the Trojan War when his son, Telemachus, was barely old enough to walk. His wife, Penelope, was a teenage bride, and is now a young wife, mother, and queen who has to try to rule Ithaca without him.


I was born seven months after he left. I am a hero’s daughter and a princess of his realm, but I have lived my entire life without a father. I’m nineteen now, and still waiting.


All over the world, and throughout history children grow up as I have. This website will focus on the children of those men and women who have gone off to fight America's wars, and provide information and resources for all who care about military families and want to help.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Of Thee I Sing

If you are looking for a book to give a child during the holiday season, you might want to consider President Obama’s children’s book, Of Thee I Sing. Written by Obama before he took office, the book celebrates a country "made up of people of every kind," where individuals across the spectrum make unique contributions.
The group includes five women and eight men, ranging from our nation’s legendary heroes such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln; to civil rights leaders Martin Luther King and César Chávez; to artists Georgia O'Keefe, Maya Lin, and Billie Holiday; and to a wide range of others including Sitting Bull, immigrant American Albert Einstein, Jackie Robinson, Neil Armstrong), Jane Addams, and Helen Keller.
Each of these, Obama writes, "made bright lights shine by sharing their unique gifts and giving us courage to lift one another up ... to work and build upon all that is good in our nation."
"Have I told you that they are all a part of you?" he asks his daughters, to whom the book is addressed. "Have I told you that you are one of them and that you are the future?"
Barack Obama has already established himself as a successful author of adult books with both his memoir "Dreams from My Father" and his political book "The Audacity of Hope" enjoying solid sales around the globe.
Of Thee I SIng, features features illustrations by popular children's book artist Loren Long ("Otis") as well as collaborations with other notables including Madonna and Frank McCourt.
But here’s the best part: Obama will not receive any profits from the book. All post-tax proceeds from sales of "Of Thee I Sing" will be donated to a scholarship fund for the children of soldiers who have been killed or disabled.  You can buy a beautiful book and know that not a token donation but all the proceeds will be helping others.  And by the way, if you are considering buying Sarah Palin’s new book, please note that she has expressed no such generosity.  Last I heard, the profits from her best seller are all going to her.
Posted by About AART at 7:04 AM

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