© 2024 Milwaukee Public Media is a service of UW-Milwaukee's College of Letters & Science
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

New Novel Explores The Challenges Families Face When Caring For Wounded Veterans

emilygraytedrowe.com
/
St. Martin's Press

In the days since the Vietnam War, our society has gotten better, if not perfect, at recognizing the challenges faced by veterans returning home from combat.  Their stories have been told more frequently, and more organizations exist to help them readjust.

But a new novel by a Midwestern writer focuses on a lesser-told story – that of the families of wounded veterans, and the issues they face trying to nurture their loved ones back to health. 

Emily Gray Tedrowe is the author of Blue Stars, which tells the stories of two women – one a Madison college professor, the other a working class woman from New York. Each character navigates the issues many face with a loved one injured in combat.

Tedrowe discussed the book and her personal experiences with Lake Effect's Mitch Teich.

"It kind of helped me as a writer to have one foot in each camp," she said. "To have my own political ideas and my own feelings about the war, but also to know exactly what's it's like to be inside a military family and to love someone who is going to war."