The Letter

"Marie Tillman's elegantly written memoir weaves together a love story with the life affirming lesson that grief's tributaries can flow toward healing and acceptance. This book reminds us that it's possible to move past trauma without forgetting or letting loss define you. This is a must read for anyone who has worked to overcome life's sorrows and embrace its triumphs with grace."—Lee Woodruff, New York Times bestselling author of In An Instant and Perfectly Imperfect

"Marie Tillman's gentle memoir of love and loss is an important reminder to all that life isn't measured by its length, but by its depth."—Regina Brett, New York Times bestselling author of God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours

"The Letter is a candid, eloquent account of unthinkable loss, its incapacitating aftermath, and Marie Tillman's long, lonely journey back to daylight. Graced with illuminating vignettes of her marriage to Pat Tillman, the ambivalent Army Ranger who was killed in Afghanistan by his comrades, The Letter is both a heart-rending elegy for an extraordinary man and an indispensable road map through the wilderness of bereavement. It's a brave and wonderful book."—Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild and Where Men Win Glory

"Marie Tillman's moving memoir, The Letter, is a story of profound courage. It takes courage to walk out into the unknown to reclaim one's life after a tragedy. It takes courage to live in a public way with such private pain. And it takes courage to share one's journey with an open heart knowing that it will bring comfort and connection to others. Marie's courageous example will inspire so many to recognize their own power to be architects of change."—Maria Shriver, Journalist, Author & Activist

"In this moving debut memoir, the author describes her struggle to deal with grief and to come to terms with the cynical abuse of his sacrifice...An inspiring account of the author's difficult decision to become a public advocate for military families."—Kirkus

"In this thoughtful memoir...[Marie Tillman] successfully honors her husband's legacy while offering solace and hope for those in anguish."—Publishers Weekly