Synopses & Reviews
Kate Braestrup's life was transformed by the loss of her husband; now Kate faces the possibility that she may lose her son.As a young mother Kate Braestrup discovered the fierce protectiveness that accompanies parenthood. In the intervening years--through mourning her husband and the joy of remarriage and a blended family-Kate has absorbed the rewards and complications of that spirit.
But when her eldest son joins the Marines, Kate is at a crossroads: Can she reconcile her desire to protect her children with her family's legacy of service? Can parents balance the joy of a child's independence with the fear of letting go?
As Kate examines the twinned emotions of faith and fear-inspired by the families she meets as a chaplain and by her son's journey towards purpose and familyhood-she learns that the threats we can't predict will rip us apart and knit us together.
Review
Praise for Here If You Need Me
Review
"Bracing and lovely... She brings the same mix of raw feeling, bravery and tenderness to her work in the field. It's hard to imagine a better companion with whom to sit out an agonizing wait or study the lessons of loss and a self-mended heart."--Martha Fay, More Magazine
Review
"A must-read for any parent who has tried to answer a child's hard questions or for anyone who has struggled to find meaning. Best of all, this remarkable true story is told with uncommon candor, grace and humor... This is one search-and-rescue you won't want to miss."--Martha White, Christian Science Monitor
Review
"A superbly crafted memoir of love, loss, grief, hope and the complex subtleties of faith."
--Jane Ciabattari, Washington Post
Review
"Kate Braestrup is funny, reflective, and--above all--honest. In Anchor and Flares, she has proven, once again, that she is a writer upon whom nothing is lost, even when her mind is reeling."--Phyllis Theroux, author of Night Lights: Bedtime Stories for Parents in the Dark
Review
"Kate Braestrup is at the very top of her game with
Anchor and Flares. She's working to understand the very heart of parenthood--the weave of attachments that make it almost impossible to do what we know we must: let go."
--Kelly Corrigan, author of Glitter and Glue and The Middle Place
Review
"Reading
Anchor and Flares is like having a fiercely compassionate and comically no-nonsense best friend meandering with you through meditations on faith, war, death, and parenting.
Why? Why? Why? Braestrup asks a million times, in a million different ways. Sometimes the answer is courage or grief or hope. But usually it's love."
--Catherine Newsman, author of Waiting for Birdy
About the Author
Kate Braestrup serves as chaplain to the Maine (Game) Warden Service. She is the author of a novel,
Onion, and several bestselling memoirs. She has written for
O, the Oprah Magazine, the
New York Times, More Magazine and the
Huffington Post. She lives in Maine with her husband, Simon van der Ven, and their six children.