War Ready: In My Father's Shadow showed us a glance in a life full of goodbyes and impermanence.

There are several fiction and nonfiction works available that explore life during and after war. It mostly revolves around a soldier, physicians, politicians, and a variety of other characters. What sets Mary Lou Darst's story remarkable is that she showed us a child's perspective of life as a military daughter.

Mary Lou Darst was born in August 1943 in Houston, Texas, to a military dependent family. Carl Kennedy Hughes, her father, joined the Army Air Corps in 1940 and was promoted to secret operations agent for the US government. Her mother, who was born in Houston, began traveling after she married her father. Darst detailed her family's story as she grew up while traveling from place to place in her beautiful and heartfelt book, WAR READY: IN MY FATHER'S SHADOW.

Darst narrated their early years as they followed and traveled with her father in many countries in WAR READY: IN MY FATHER'S SHADOW. They lived in Alaska, Virginia, Japan, Texas, and Germany, among other locations. Every time they transfer to a new place, they must adjust to new people and cultures. It's tough for a youngster to grow up and never actually stay in one location. Not only does she face difficulties, but her experiences also have an impact on the rest of her family.

During that period, Darst talked about her own struggles. Being the daughter of a soldier put a lot of pressure on her. She expressed her loneliness because of her lack of a permanent home and a constant friend. Most significantly, she portrayed the pain of saying goodbye to friends they met in these countries. She also wrote about her father and how the war changed him as well as her mom who kept them all together despite everything.

“My life consisted of always starting over; there was never any ending.” – Mary Lou Darst

You can't help but feel sad for those whose lives have been severely impacted by the battle. WAR READY: IN MY FATHER'S SHADOW is a story about a girl who is navigating the regular teenage roller coaster emotions while also being a military dependent family member. A girl who simply wants a permanent and normal lifestyle. It's a story of preservation and resilience in a world where you never know what will happen next.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Lou Darst received her bachelor's degree, married, and moved to Galveston, Texas, where she learned to cook. She will be confined to one place for the first time in her life. Twenty-eight years later, she returned to school and earned a bachelor's degree in literature, a master's degree in intercultural studies, and a bachelor's degree in visual and applied design. She taught English language arts and English as a second language at public schools and three community colleges.