I finished the memoir 90 seconds ago. The first thing I want to write is a thank you to the author for sharing her journey. At points I felt like I was highlighting more text than not. Clearly that is a sign of a great writer and storyteller. I will be ferociously cheering for MyLinh.

So pleased to have had the opportunity to be an advanced reader for a forthcoming book by a remarkable author, Mylinh Brewster Shattan, making her publication debut. It is an exquisite memoir that is intimate and inspiring, thoughtful and thought provoking. I was impressed by her ability to weave a rich tapestry of memory, myth, motherhood, self-reflection, and lineage -- her own and that of the USMA "Long Gray Line:. Mylinh navigates the narrative with a strong presence while, simultaneously, leaving room for the reader to feel their own feelings and think their own thoughts. Raising Athena is a book that lingers - in the best way. It vividly evokes the multi-generational experience of one family while speaking to all families. She makes the past present in a manner that encourages one to revisit and rethink their personal narratives thus enriching the memory and their lived life in the process. Highly recommend! You can read more about her (and her book) here: https://treehouseletter.com/raisingathena/

Raising Athena is a thoughtful and deeply personal reflection on family, faith, and the emotional realities of military life. I felt honored to read an early copy of this captivating story!

One of the book’s greatest strengths is the way it weaves together multiple perspectives—particularly those of the author, her daughter, and other graduates. The result is an honest look at the pride and challenges that often accompany the military profession. "Getting Religion” and “Final Roll Call" stand out to me among a stellar cast of thought-provoking chapters that use this expert juxtaposition to explore questions of faith, loss, and the meaning of it all ,

As a member of the Long Gray Line, I cannot understate my recommendation for Raising Athena. It is a wonderful read that invokes the humblest pride for and reflection of our Rockbound Highland Home. Read immediately! And Beat Navy!

Reading Raising Athena reminded me, in very different ways, of three books that have stayed with me: David Goggins’ Can’t Hurt Me, Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, and Angela Duckworth’s Grit. Like Goggins, MyLinh Brewster Shattan writes about endurance and the discipline required to keep moving through hardship. Like McCourt, she brings an unflinching honesty to memory, family, and the long shadow of childhood. And like Duckworth, she shows that perseverance is not just an abstract virtue, but something forged over time through struggle, identity, and purpose. Yet Raising Athena is not derivative of any of them—it is very much its own work: a thoughtful, deeply personal memoir about service, legacy, and the emotional complexity of motherhood.

What stayed with me most is how fully human this memoir is. It is reflective without being self-important, emotionally honest without ever feeling performative, and deeply moving in the way it explores courage—not as bravado, but as duty, sacrifice, and love carried across generations. This is one of those rare books that is both intellectually engaging and deeply felt. I absolutely loved it, and I would highly recommend it to anyone drawn to memoirs about resilience, family, service, and what it truly means to live with grit.

The highest compliment I give a writer is that while I read, I'm unaware of the writing. MyLinh's words do their job, painting a picture without getting in the way. She is a master at this. While the subject is weighty, the reading is effortless.

Christine Hansen, parent of West Point cadet, class of 2021

I was lucky enough to meet MyLinh when our journey started back in 1987 at West Point. Raising Athena brought me vividly back to some of our collective struggles & forging of friendship as Gators in G-2. Her writing style allowed me to walk next to her and experience some of her perspective - and then stop & have a conversation about it. It is striking how things have changed for women in the military over the past 30 odd years with still work to do - you see a lot of that here. Excellent work, Laundry Girl.

Overall, I went into this one not totally sure what to expect, but the story pulled me in pretty quickly. It had such a strong, captivating feel right from the start, and I found myself wanting to keep reading to see how everything would unfold.

I especially liked the tension and retelling between every single character.. There was that constant push and pull that made everyone’s dynamic really engaging, and it added a lot to the overall story. The mix of danger, magic, and suspense kept things interesting the whole time.

There’s something about this kind of story that’s just so easy to get wrapped up in, and I found myself fully invested in both the characters and their journey.

I think MyLinh’s story is a story worth telling, one spanning generations of selflessness and courage, of love and endurance through hardship. This ruminative and honest grappling of haunting questions surrounding parenting, death, the future, the past, and our place in a world of rapid change makes for a more than compelling read. This is not only a book for military families alone to read. MyLinh’s story is about hope, progress, and finding peace in turbulent and trying periods of life, of staying grounded and present as the past and the future tug at you from both ends. I hope this book finds those who seek comfort in the journey of watching those they love become their own people, individuals who, like the author, will come to have regrets about choices made or unmade that come to define, in small or large part, the person they become.

Raising Athena was a pleasure to read. As the father of five daughters who are now adults, I was reminded of the hopes, fears, dreams and challenges in raising them. Am I doing the right thing? Are they going to be secure, well grounded individuals? It was intriguing to see the separate journeys of MyLinh and her daughter, Cara, with similar experiences, but a different set of rules thirty years apart. There was a terrific combination of pathos and humor to keep me engaged. MyLinh either has an extraordinary ability to recollect the details of her life or her research is impeccable. Probably both. I learned things that I never knew about West Point. And I went to school there! I highly recommend the book!

MyLinh delivers a raw and captivating look into her experiences as a cadet, a soldier, and most notably into her vulnerabilities and experiences as a mom of cadets and soldiers. It is a perspective only very few have, and even fewer can capture in words through masterful writing. As a classmate, company-mate, and close friend of Mylinh's, I found it fascinating to read Mylinh's perspective on events that occurred both in my presence and purview. Mylinh does not hold back. But most importantly, Mylinh's book truly succeeds in providing a cathartic perspective and roadmap for past, present, and future female cadets and their mothers.