Found Art: Discovering Beauty in Foreign Places

by Leeana Tankersley

Found Art is a memoir of the year author Leeana Tankersley lived in the Middle East with her Navy SEAL husband during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After a whirlwind courtship, a move across the world, and the unexpectedly difficult re-entry from a year overseas, Leeana finds her life (and her soul) has been changed forever. With an artist's eye, Tankersley uses each chapter to piece together moments and memories from her journey--a handwritten...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031029133X
• ISBN13: 9780310291336
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Artful, refreshing

What is unique about Found Art: Discovering Beauty in Foreign Places is that the focus is of the book is on the author's journey of the soul which so happens to coincide with her life as a Navy Seal wife. Here is not a book covered in camo or flags, but instead its beauty lies in deep self-reflection, healing and courage that would give any reader cause for inspiration. Leeana's technique is artful and refreshing, her story is masterfully woven. When my husband went active duty, I said goodbye to a life of complacency and my faith has never been more challenged and subsequently rewarded. With each move I find each foot placed in two worlds, and with resolve I have to let go of the world I have come to know and love and in faith plunge into another unknown. With each deployment I have to surrender my "Isaac" to the altar knowing he was God's before he was mine. I, too, have found God in hidden and unexpected places, in the joys but more so in the struggles. Thank you Leeana for sharing your story and reminding me that we all have a story...a rich and beautiful story. Your book is truly a gift. Benita Koeman Founder, Operation We Are Here

Fantastic! Easy read....

I had this book recommended to me by a friend who knows that I have been experiencing some personal growth opportunities....and I ordered it. I received it TODAY, and I finished it TODAY......some 8-10 hours later. It was well written, interesting and REAL. It was refreshing to see that someone else has gone through this, and as someone who has spent much time in India, and never really understanding what had happened to me while I was there....and Leeana summed it up and brought perspective to me. WOW.....for that alone the book was worth it! I am looking forward to going through the study guide and questions at the back, but, for now, I am tired.... Rarely do I pick up a book and read until completion....this was one of them.

A top pick for memoir collections that focus on world travel

Art knows no form. "Found Art: Discovering Beauty in Foreign Places" is the artistic memoir of the wife of a Navy SEAL as she reflects on her journeys through the world alongside her husband. Offering many poignant ideas, drawing on the elegance that she often sees in the plainest of things, her words offer much to the discussion. "Found Art: Discovering Beauty in Foreign Places" is a top pick for memoir collections that focus on world travel.

A beautiful and compelling journey - I love this book!

I could not put this book down! It is beautifully written, a moving memoir of dealing with change, God, marriage and oneself. Leeana is adept at communicating about the hidden places of the heart in a way that is palpable and memorable. You'll get an insiders view about life overseas (the author's deployment with her Navy Seal husband to Bahrain). Leeana paints such vivid pictures of the smells and sights of exotic Bahrain along with all that churned in her soul during that time. You'll be transported to a different place as you read. During times in the desert (literally in Leeana's case), people can hear God in an all together different way. You don't have to be a military wife and/or living overseas to relate to this memoir (although those readers will definitely enjoy this book). All of us have experienced change, felt out of place, wanted to be nearer to God - and the book touches all these tender places. I cannot recommend this beautiful book enough! A great gift for yourself or a loved one.

Something Beautiful

I loved this book. Found Art is the story of writer and soon-to-be mother, Leeana Tankersley, who also is the wife of a Navy Seal who keeps her moving...literally. Just when she and her husband get settled in a new area, it's then time to fold-up-the-tent and move again; a life many soldiers' wives are likely accustomed to. She writes of days living in Bahrain in a conversational, contemporary, and refreshing voice, spending her days molding a life for herself in a strange land amongst strangers. She ends up having life lead the way instead, absent of plans. Although the desert world of the Middle East is as foreign as east is to west, the culture awakens her soul like never before. The call to prayer amongst the Muslim world hits her heart like no sermon has ever done deepening her love of Jesus. Most of the book paints an interesting picture of modern day Bahrain, but the book is more a story of personal growth and the author is a likable figure throughout. You feel her disconnect upon arriving in the Middle East then slowly see her transformation from stranger to reluctant resident to familiar native. I like, in particular, the parts of the book in which she speaks of frustration: with herself; the perfectionism in our culture; and the pains of war. The words were raw and sad, but as with faith, very powerful. Page 191: "Maybe someday, as I continue to heal from the shame that still revisits me at times, I will be healed enough to walk out to the shoreline and create something beautiful for myself and God without the fear of what others might think." I think she has.