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MWSA Review
The SouthWest Writers have produced another good anthology titled Unbreaking the Circle. With 119 short stories, poems, and articles, I found this collection of writing well worth my time to read. The stories tell of personal experiences or the experiences of family members. Most are a reflection of the impact of war—some sad and a few humorous. The many poems follow a similar theme. All tell stories of service, either directly or indirectly. Many stories use letters sent home by soldiers serving abroad in combat, and others use excerpts from diaries or personal experiences. While reading, I could see pride in many and disenchantment in others. This is an anthology that is worth reading, and I recommend it to everyone who has an interest in combat's impact on those involved and their families back home.
Review by Bob Doerr
Author's Synopsis
The circle often serves as a symbol of completeness. But military service often breaks circles—of place, time, relationships (with others and with self), and sometimes of life—breaks borne by family members and caregivers as well. Unbreaking the Circle is an anthology of recollections by those three groups, stories which range from pride in service, to the trials of combat and their echoes into civilian life, to sacrifices made, unexpected moments of humor, and life-long bonds formed. Funded by a grant from The New Mexico Arts & The Military program, the anthology was a project to promote healing by the authors, and forge stronger connections with those around them: to re-forge the circle of community broken by silence born of fear, since expressions of their experiences—so deeply seated as to be inseparable from their identities—can only be made at risk of having not only their work... but themselves... misunderstood or rejected.
Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Other—Anthology/Collection
Pages/Word count: 365 / 97,000