Title:                Me, My God, My Country

Author:                        Arthur Desmarais

ISBN:               978-1-4389-3804-2

Publisher:         AuthorHouse

Me, My God, My Country is a wonderfully well-written and insightful work from this new author, Arthur Desmarais.  Easy to read and enjoy, Arthur deftly delves into his own inner passions and subconscious ideals of a life and country that keeps us all in a constant quest for change.   Arthur, in his writing, shows himself to be a great talent of intellectual fortitude. 

Arthur starts us on a journey from 1958 Manchester, New Hampshire where he began life in a middle-class American family.  He came from a family of military men from his father to his uncles, who served from World War 11 to the Korean Conflict, which influenced his life from early childhood. Acting out their heroes, he and his childhood friends played their war games.

As he grew older and the Vietnam conflict began, Arthur began to question his childish ideals of war and just how much honor could honestly be found where a government forged their own truths about what lay behind their reasoning for getting our young men involved against insurmountable factions.  Then came the invasion of Iraq and what he felt amounted to another Vietnam—a war that might well have needed to be fought, but as with Vietnam, was fought for all the wrong reasons. 

Arthur makes many friends that also influence his life and teach him many things about himself in the process.  At thirteen Arthur spends a fun-filled and educational summer trekking through the Southern states in a great circle loop back to Manchester with his brother and cousins in a red Volkswagen bus with a camper top.  The different cultures of the Amish in Pennsylvania fascinated him as he watched in awe of their horse drawn carriages clip-clopping down the blacktop roads—doing their own thing.  He soaked up the varied and beautiful scenery through South Carolina and wonderful Charleston where the Civil War began and on through Georgia and Northern Florida and eventually on to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park . A trip to fill the dreams of any young boy.  

Arthur’s most memorable friendship that developed during his high school years was with a boy that he called Pudgy.  They bonded and became close knit throughout their lives together—Art, the conservative, quiet, shy, follower and Pudgy, the outgoing, devil-may-care leader who enjoys life to the fullest.  Pudgy seems to teach Art that there is sometimes more to life than just getting by day to day.  Pudgy is a person who takes the lemons and makes lemonade.  Pudgy joined the Marines and Arthur, the ultra conservative, joins the Army Reserve.  But their friendship goes on beyond their service years. 

This is a wonderful book filled with heartfelt emotions and idealism.  A truly great read from beginning to end.  Thank you, Arthur Desmarais, for sharing your life’s hopes and dreams with us all.

Reviewer:        Sandra E. Graham, author Amos Jakey and Nicolina Published by American Book Publishing.  Visit my website: http://www.sandragraham-articles-books.com  to learn more about my writing.