Mamie's Button provides a glimpse of the all-to-common journey of boyhood into the realities of a world gone astray. From his innocence to the barren landscape of Afghanistan, Rudy Carmichael is pulled into the familiar and the tempting, but through it all, the unconditional love from Mamie, his grandmother, guides him away from the parched land and to the oasis of life.
The button, a prized remnant from long ago, is given to Rudy as a constant reminder of Mamie's steadfast love and, becomes for him, a symbol of trust and hope in his life to come.