Go on a date with a soldier turned police officer? Me? And discuss Gandhi's experiments with truth with a gun-toting Republican? The last thing Berkeley-dwelling peace activist Sophia Raday expected was to fall in love with a straightlaced Oakland police officer. As someone who had run away from cops dressed in riot gear at protests, Sophia was ambivalent, to say the least, at the prospect of dating Barrett, who was not only a cop but also a West Point graduate, an Airborne Ranger, and a major in the Army Reserve. During their courtship the two argued about many of the matters that divide the United States, things like drug policy and race relations. Startled by the freedom she found in a relationship of differences, by the challenge of sparring with Barrett, and by his steadfast acceptance of her, Sophia unwittingly fell in love. Then, just when Sophia believed her family was starting a new chapter with the birth of their son, came September 11. Barrett's belief that he must always stay in Condition Yellow--the terminology coined by his favorite Guns & Ammo writer for a state of alert in which you realize your life is in danger and you may need to shoot someone--was suddenly in the forefront of their lives. Sophia and Barrett began to confront, on a very personal level, their differing viewpoints on polarizing values like fear, duty, family, and patriotism. When Barrett's military duties escalated along with the country's, Sophia found herself in the surprising position of military wife, living on an army base during the 2004 elections, and struggling to find peace with herself and her husband in this new world. It was a struggle that would continue up to the point of Barrett's deployment to Iraq. Love in Condition Yellow not only provides a vivid, poignant portrait of this unusual union, but also tells the larger story of how love doesn't necessarily come from sameness, and peace doesn't necessarily come from agreement.

“Captivating, insightful, effortless to read, I could not put this American love story down. Raday deftly weaves a poignant and highly entertaining tale of a marriage that sutures across various fractures in the American body politic. A meditation on love, fear, conviction, and letting go, this book will resonate with anyone who has struggled with differences in love or with family and friends.”

Caroline Paul, author of Fighting Fire and East Wind, Rain “A witty, heart wrenching, candid portrait of bipartisan romance in a country at war. As we follow this story of love between a peace-seeking idealist and a police officer/Army Reserve soldier, we find ourselves longing not only for the success of their relationship but also for the repair of our nation. Raday gives us an insightful snapshot of our war with Iraq, a fascinating view of military and police life from the inside, and a page-turner of a love story all in one breath. Read it and sigh with satisfaction.”

Sybil Lockhart, author of Mother in the Middle: a Biologist's Story of Caring for Parent and Child "This deeply engaging memoir by 'a military wife in Berkeley' offers a critical lesson for our time. With a stubborn refusal to disregard those whose beliefs she so passionately struggles against, Sophia Raday demonstrates the value of incorporating difference in the creation of a durable bond. Love in Condition Yellow is so fresh and funny that you won't expect it to make you want to cry too, but it will."

Alexandra Marshall, author of Gus in Bronze and The Court of Common Pleas “All marriages are a bit of a journey to the foreign country that is another's mind and heart, but Sophia's Raday's remarkable Love in Condition Yellow takes us on a true adventure: into a marriage that is both riven and strengthened by political differences that run nearly as deep as those that divide our country. Raday shows us the empathetic imagination behind true respect for those with whom one differs, and in her clear-sighted portrait of the complexities of marriage, she may show us what love is, as well.”

Julia Scheeres, author of Jesus Land “Incrementally, bravely, honestly, Raday takes the reader into a territory where love and war trump politics. With an open heart and mind, she offers a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look into what its really like to be a soldiers wife during the Iraq war. As in the best memoirs, the reader is enlightened and enlarged by a true life thats rendered faithfully and artfully for the page.”

Karen Propp, co-editor of Why Im Still Married “Compelling, lively, and insightful. Having married into a foreign cultureone that melds American law enforcement and the United States ArmySophia Raday has written a witty, nuanced memoir that is both a love story and an anthropological expedition of discovery.”

Rick Atkinson, winner of two Pulitzer prizes and author of An Army at Dawn

As an activist, Raday ran away from cops dressed in riot gear. Then, much to her surprise, she fell in love with one. "Love in Condition Yellow" tells the story of their uncommon marriage.