The Inside Scoop on Bonnie Amos’ Reading List

Were you as excited as I was to see a list of recommended books from our First Lady of the Marine Corps, Bonnie Amos? That’s right, the wife of our current Commandant has put together a recommended reading list for military spouses to help provide guidance, information and support through our journey in the Corps.

I participated in a news radio interview with Mrs. Amos; a big thank you to Wendy at My Military Life’s for asking me to participate. Mrs. Amos describes the feedback from her list as being enormous and has been “humbled by the enthusiasm”. She continues when describing the authors she has selected, “These authors do not write these books because they think they’re going to make a lot of money. They write these books because they have a story to tell… because they have a life they are proud of to share with others.”

Mrs. Amos already participated in an author book signing at Quantico, but has some more upcoming events:

• Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, October 26th (Fri) from 10:00am to noon.
• Miramar Air Base San Diego, October 26th (Fri) from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

Are you curious what books made the list? While Bonnie admits that she hasn’t read all the books and received help compiling it, she is confident that the book selections provide a number of resources for military spouses facing a variety of issues from dealing with traumatic brain injuries, deployment anxieties, weight loss, career advice and more.

The following is Bonnie Amos’ reading list in its entirety:

10/12/12

MCX to offer First Lady of the Marine Corps Recommended Reading List Titles

HQMC (MR), QUANTICO, VA – Military spouses now have a new resource for learning how to overcome the challenges of military Service. Bonnie Amos, spouse of the Commandant of Marine Corps, Gen. James Amos has established “The First Lady of the Marine Corps Recommended Reading List.”

To make finding this first of its kind in any Service collection easier, a new section in Marine Corps Exchange (MCX) main store book departments will feature the books. The official launch date for this initiative is Oct 15. But due to the limited availability of some titles and limited space at some locations, not all titles will be available at all locations. Requests for large quantities of books for clubs or organizations should be addressed with the local MCX store manager. Marine Corps libraries will also be adding the books to their collections.

Many of the books on the reading list are written by military spouses who share their experiences and offer tips on how to find military resources and avoid learning things the hard way. The reading list contains books for new spouses, for those facing their first move or deployment, about understanding the effects of post traumatic stress and living a healthy lifestyle, as well as ideas on how to follow your own dreams while you follow the military. The collection also has books for military children.

According to Karen Macdonald, MCX buyer for Stationery, Books & Magazines, “ this new collection is similar to the Commandant’s Professional Reading List which features books that are recommended reading for Marines in order to help them progress through their careers. In the same way, Mrs. Amos hopes that The First Lady of the Marine Corps Recommended Reading List will help military spouses be successful regardless of the challenges they may face living a military lifestyle.”

Macdonald added that there are several special events scheduled during October. On Oct 20 at 11:00 A.M. to 1 P.M., Mrs. Amos will be at the MCB Quantico MCX main store along with authors Holly Scherer (1001 Things to Love about Military Life and Help I’m a Military Spouse), and Shannon Maxwell (Big Brain Boss and Our Daddy Is Invincible). On Oct 26, 10:00 A.M. to 12:00P.M, Mrs. Amos will be at the MCRD San Diego MCX main store along with Mollie Gross (Confessions of a Military Wife) and Shellie Vandevoorde (Separated By Duty, United By Love). On Oct 26 at 2 P.M. to 4 P.M, Mrs. Amos will again be at MCAS Miramar MCX main store with Gross and Vandevoorde.

Connecting to the community and being a support arm to Commanders is at the heart of the MCX mission. In 2011, MCX returned a dividend of $47.5M to support MWR programs. The MCX also employs many military family members, 29% of MCX employees are family members. MCX supports the community everyday with programs like “Our Cost is Your Cost” where we sell items important to the military family at MCX cost, like bread, milk, diapers, baby food and baby formula as well as provide an overall market basket savings of 24% compared to retailers outside the gate.