Try free for 30 days

A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Day After He Left for Iraq cover art

The Day After He Left for Iraq

By: Melissa Seligman
Narrated by: Suzie Venable
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Editorial reviews

In The Day After He Left for Iraq, Melissa Seligman documents a painful moment in the life of military families: when a husband leaves his wife and children to go to war. Suzie Venable's tear-jerking, emotional performance beautifully describes the soul-crushing day Seligman's husband was deployed, and the struggles this brave wife endured to raise her new baby and four-year-old alone, accompanied only by the fear her husband may never return. A tale of strength through adversity, The Day After He Left for Iraq serves as an inspiration for every American who loves their country, and their family, too.

Publisher's Summary

Melissa Seligman is something rare in the world of military families - a military wife who is also a beautiful writer. Here she describes her feelings as she watches her husband walk away from her and her newborn, knowing full well that he might not return from the war in Iraq. She experiences saying goodbye twice - both times he left when their children were still infants. While he’s away from home again, Melissa struggles to remember the goodness of her husband and the joy of their life together. Working hard to raise a baby and a four-year old, Melissa tells of the heartbreak and desperation she experiences at home. She watches her daughter clutch a G.I. Joe doll she’s named "Little Daddy", and wonders if the family will make it through.

Hers is a story of sadness and strength, desperation and hope, displacement and unity. It’s a story that anyone left behind (and we have all been left behind) will respond to, one that, unfortunately, is becoming more and more common as the war in Iraq continues. This is a work of timely and powerful nonfiction by a significant new author.

©2008 Melissa Seligman (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

More from the same

What listeners say about The Day After He Left for Iraq

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.