Bayswater’s Find of the Week on the Used Book Floor

This week's "Find of the Week on the Used Book Floor" takes us to Fountain Valley, California, via the military. Don't see the immediate connection? Let us explain.

Hidden between pages 171-172 of a 2007 copy of the book, "Frost/Nixon: Behind the Scenes of the Nixon Interviews," was an 11 year-old brochure from Coastline Community College in Fountain Valley, California. The reader of the book (who was, no doubt, ensconced in whether or not Nixon erased 18.5 minutes of incriminating conversation from a White House tape at that point) had wedged the brochure into the book and made a few notes on it. What makes this brochure so special, you may ask? Upon doing a little research, we found that Coastline Community College (or CCV) is not just any community college. They are known for their Military Spouse Program – a degree path for the spouses of military members and veterans – allowing those providing the most support to our service members the ability to receive a college degree.

This caught our attention, as we had not heard of this program. Specifically designed for the spouse of an active service member who moves around a great deal, Coastline Community College offers discounted classes towards the completion of an associate degree or certificate program. The military spouse program courses are completed in 8 weeks and can be done online anywhere and anytime. Touting a virtual library that spouses can use 24/7 and physical locations across the U.S. that house Regional Military Student Advisors to provide in-person support, the brochure reminded the reader of the Nixon book (and us) that it is not just the service members who make sacrifices for our nation, but the often-relocating families of those military members, as well.

Oftentimes, the finds in our used books cause us to pause and think about a topic or issue that we don't often consider, and this week's military spouse degree program was no exception. While many of us are familiar with how a military member can receive financial assistance towards completing their education due to their service to our country, we may not be as quick to consider how the spouses of our service members, also traveling from base to base, may struggle to receive the same opportunities as many others do to work towards an affordable college degree. Our hats off to not only our service members and their families, but to those who seek to lend them a hand and offer such opportunities that may not have been possible previously.

The copy of “Frost/Nixon” can be yours for $4.99, complete with the Military Spouse Program find. You can catch up with our previous finds of the week from the used book floor at bayswaterbooks.com and on facebook. Better yet, stop by the store in Center Harbor and check out the used book floor for yourself!