Critique of My Own Novel 'American Boys'

     I apologize, because as much as I wanted to write a book that was true and real in every sense of what life is for the average American who is not privileged, like my own family, me, my kids, my brother, his daughter, and some of my children's friends and their hardships, I ended American Boys on an unrealistically happy note.  The reality of life would not even have been that good, even though there were still problems.
     Being an avid reader and a patron of the state library for the blind, I was tired of reading about rich people with unrealistically happy lives.  This is what led me to Stephen King, and historical fiction on things such as Auschwitz survivors and lynchings of black people in the twenties, while Theodore Roosevelt was president, although he of course was not responsible but according to my readings portrayed as a racist. 
     I named my first son Theodore, not really after the president, but the Greek meaning, 'gift of God.' 
     I think in reality things are worse than my book, American Boys.  The saddest thing in my book besides Daniel and Nicolas's illnesses, and Lizzy's struggles to make ends meet and find the right man, was the death of Daniel's best friend Adrien in Iraq.  My kids have had friends die too.  They have also had friends join armed services.  
     There are other causes for dying.  Lizzy's parents both being still alive and both as nice, to me is unrealistic, having had a father die in my youth and a mother very cold and in some ways heartless.
     I wanted things to be happy and normal, but normal does not exist, unfortunately.