To to list every book on military women would be a mammoth undertaking - there are literally hundreds out there - even though too many university, state and county libraries fall short in making them available. Perhaps this list will in some small way rectify that egregious omission. I am not in any way selling these books and would hope that readers will use their libraries to obtain them. Authors and publishers please be advised that any book sent to me for review will be donated to the Southeast Branch of the St. Johns County, Florida, Library.
So here, in no particular order, and with some bias on my part, is the list.
RECOMMENDED READING LIST:
"Women in the Military - An Unfinished Revolution"
by Maj. Gen. Jeanne M. Holm, USAF (Ret)
is, in my opinion, the definitive work on the underlying politics of the subject.
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"Ground Zero - The Gender Wars in the Military"
by Linda Bird Francke, a clear look at the issues involved in the continued resistance to women in the military.
| "Battle Cries and Lullabies"
by Linda Grant DePauw.
An absolute "must" for anyone
interested in women in war
from prehistory to the present.
An excellent reference book and
neatly told story all wrapped in one.
Long overdue! |
"The U.S. Army in World War Two - Special Studies - The Women's Army Corps"
Mattie B. Treadwell. Written in 1954 this volume describes the inception of the WAAC and the WAC and reports on their trials and triumphs in typical military style.
An Uncommon
Soldier: The Civil War Letters of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, alias Private Lyons Wakeman, 153rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers.
This is the only complete collection of letters from a Civil War woman soldier from the time of her enlistment until her death in 1863. Ed: Lauren Cook Burgess
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COL Bettie Morden's excellent history of the WAC is
newly available on line through the Center of Military History.
WAC History 1942-1978
"Hostile Fire"
Philip Bigler. The story of the life - and death - of Lt Sharon Lane, killed by hostile fire in Vietnam.
"In Defense of a Nation - Servicewomen in World War II"
Edited by Maj Gen Jeanne M. Holm, USAF (Ret). A compilation of the accomplishments of servicewomen in all of the branches during the war.
| "American Women in World War One"
Lettie Gavin.
A wonderfully detailed look at
all of the women who served in WWI.
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"And the Flag was Still There"
Lois Shawver. An interesting look at the ridiculous attitude against gays in the military from the perspective of modesty.
Read my review at: "A must-read" for closed minds."
"Warriors Without Weapons"
Donna Dean. A Navy veteran's view of the victimization of women in the military.
Read my review at: Victimization
"Proud To Be"
Kelly Flinn.
The controversy from Kelly Flinn's side of the story - how an accomplished B-52 pilot could have her career ruined over a simple mistake being turned into a circus by the ineptness of her superiors.
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"Patriots in Disguise"
Richard Hall. The stories of women warriors in the Civil War. An excellent look at the women who were there - well researched and nicely done. One of my favorites by a Civil War enthusiast who has recognized the contributions of women.
| "Side-By-Side" - A Photographic History of American Women in War. by Vicki Lewis. An excellent mix of history and photographs spanning all of the years that women have served.For an excerpt and reviews for this book: (Note - this will open a new browser window, to return simply close it.)
Book Info |
| "Arms and the Woman" Kate Muir. An outstanding perspective on the trials and tribulations of being a woman soldier in a man's world. Well researched from both the British and American points of view, the book is both iconoclastic and realistic.
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 | "They Also Served - Military Biographies of Uncommon Americans".
Scott Baron.
Delightful vignettes on celebrities and politicians who served in the military. An all too short chapter on women but Scott tells me he's remedying that in his next book due out soon -
"At High Risk -Women In Combat". |
| "My Navy Too"
Beth Coye.
While the characters within the book are
fictitious, the stories and situations are based on
the authors' experiences in the U.S. Navy.
"Serving In Silence"
Margarethe Cammermeyer.
This important book provides a fresh view of the military, and
of the overarching injustice of the Pentagon's stand on gay and lesbian personnel.
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| "Call Sign Revlon"
Lt. Kara Hultgreen, the Navy's first fully qualified female fleet fighter pilot, was only
29 when her Tomcat slammed into the Pacific Ocean in 1994. Kara's mother takes
readers behind the headlines to tell the story of this remarkable woman who made
history. She draws from journals Kara kept from the time she entered the Navy, and
from interviews with her friends, peers, and commanding officers.
Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
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"To Serve My Country, To serve My Race"
Brenda Moore.
Only by reading this book about African American women in World War Two can you even begin to understand the double-edged sword of discrimination that these women had to endure while serving their country in the WAC. | 
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| We Band of Angels Elizabeth Norman.The Untold
Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese. The only group of American military women captured and
imprisoned by an enemy. For excerpts, reviews, photos and a timeline for this particular book: (Note - this will open a new browser window, to return simply close it.)
Book Info
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"Hornet's Nest" is the
account of one of the Navy's first female fighter pilots, Missy Cummings. The
story begins as she graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy and enters the
Navy's extremely demanding and dangerous jet pilot training.
Her first tour in the Philippines seems surreal as she describes the
sexually charged and predatory atmosphere condoned on U.S. foreign military
installations. For more please visit:
Book Info
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A Time Remembered - American women in the Vietnam war.
Olga Gruhzit-Hoyt
The Vietnam War was the longest American war. At its height, over half-a-million U.S. troops were "in country". More than ten thousand American women served in Vietnam. This book features 26 of the women who served - telling their own stories. | 
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 | The real story of Major Rhonda Cornum's experiences as a prisoner during Desert Storm (not the righteous ranters distortion of fact) is told in her own words in this excellent book "She Went to War". It is a remarkable narrative by a courageous military officer - who happens to be a woman, wife and mother as well as a physician, pilot and soldier.
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"Ultimate Power - Enemy Within the Ranks" by Linda Fischer. This revealing book describes one woman officer's experience with sexual assault and harassment in the military. It is the story of psychological coercion, betrayal, and institutional abuse of power that puts a full spotlight on the dark side of the male dominated power structure within the U.S. military.
For more please visit:
Book Info
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| "Gender Camouflage" Women and the U.S. Military.
Francine D'Amico and Laurie Weinstein.
This book, just released, explores the women who are both "insiders" and "outsiders" with the U.S. military. All through the book analytical chapters are interspersed with first-person narratives by women who have "been there, done that!"
So watch out - here comes the ego-trip!
One of the narrative chapters is the expurgated version of some of my experiences in the Air Force.
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"Quiet Heroes" |
Quite Heroes is the story of brave
Navy nurses during the Korean War.
The Valkyrie review is controversial
because the book is a dichotomy to me.
It's a great read, wonderfully told but.... | 
"Valkyrie" |
"Stateside Soldier" |
"Stateside Soldier" and "Letters Home" use similiar formats but from two distinct eras.
One is set in 1944, the other in more "modern times".
Each in its own way gives the reader a wonderfully clear view of Army life for a young woman. | 
"Letters Home" |
"All the Daring of the Soldier" |
"All the Daring of the Soldier",
by Elizabeth Leonard,
is a great resource
about women in the Civil War.
"Secret Weapons" is an unbelievable
tale about women used as spies,
without their knowledge. | 
"Secret Weapons" |
 | "No Time for Fear" Voices of American Nurses in WWII
Diane Fessler's book summons the voices of more than 100 women who served as nurses overseas during World War II, meticulously compiled and transcribed in more than 200 interviews with American military nurses of the Army, Army Air Force, and Navy who were present in all theaters of WWII.
A "must read" for all students wanting to experience the reality of women in war. |  | Women At Risk: We Also Served is about women who served our country since before World War II to present day. All branches of the military are included, officers and enlisted personnel, as well as women who volunteered as civilians going to a war zone, and those that stayed stateside. Included are clerks, drivers, heavy equipment operators, nurses, USO and ARC volunteers, and more. They tell us why they volunteered and how their lives were changed More than sixty women are profiled in this book. |
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"All This Hell" Evelyn Monahan and Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee
This account of the nurses' imprisonment adds a vital chapter to the history of American personnel in the Pacific theater. Lt. Col. Madeline Ullom, one of the captured nurses, remarked, "Even though women were not supposed to be on the front lines, on the front lines we were. Women were not supposed to be interned either, but it happened to us. People should know what we endured. People should know what we can endure." When freedom came, the U.S. military ordered the nurses to sign agreements with the government not to discuss their horrific experiences. Evelyn Monahan and Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee have conducted numerous interviews with survivors and scoured archives for letters, diaries, and journals to uncover the heroism and sacrifices of these brave women.
Book info: All This Hell |
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Lieutenant Frances Slanger U.S. Army Nurses Corps' unit was the target of a German artillery barrage when one of their shells burst near her. She and three other nurses were hit by shell fragments. On October 21, 1944 Lt Slanger died from her injuries.In Boston, Jewish women veterans of World War II formed an all women chapter of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA and named it the Lieutenant Frances Slanger Memorial Post. Lt Slanger was with the 45th Field Hospital - one of four units that arrived in Normandy on 10 June 1944 - just four days after D-Day. |  | Learn more about Frances Slanger by reading American Nightingale by Bob Welch. Incredibly well researched and poignantly told, the book takes you back and forth from Frances humble beginnings to her service in the Army Nurse Corps. |
"Move to the Front," Presidio Press, is a leadership guide for women based on the military experiences of Col. Jo Rusin, USA. (Ret). Spiced with over 60 stories and examples of her experience, it is filled with common sense solutions that can be adapted to the public work sector. "Move to the Front" should be "G.I. Issue" for all career military women - it's a neat read and in its own way a "survival manual" for women in the military!
Jo Rusin is working on a sequel to "Move To The Front" and invites senior NCO's and Field Grade Officers to contribute their ideas, experiences and suggestions for the next edition.
Here is her request:
Move to the Front: Military Leadership Secrets from a Woman Soldier was
written to give women junior officers and noncommissioned officers the skills to thrive
as leaders in the male dominated culture of the military.
Move to the Front
will give you a head start on learning how to get accepted by men as a player and
a leader, keep up on physical training runs, deal with sexual harassment and
bullies, and how to get the most from your team. These are just a few of the topics covered in this short
easy-to-read book.
Now I am working on a sequel to Move to the Front for
women who know the basics, but are facing new challenges as senior
noncommissioned officers and field grade officers. Experienced women
leaders on active duty today are confronting many pressing issues and I am
actively soliciting their input.
If you have ideas on topics you would like to see covered in the
sequel to Move to the Front, please contact me at jorusin@jorusin.com.
For more information about Jo Rusin please drop by her website - at Jo Rusin Leadership
 | "Diary From the Desert" by Mary E. Stabe is a delightful account of her service during Desert Storm - an entertaining and enlightening read for all ages.
Here is an excerpt:
"There were some Red Cross kits and as soon as I could, I grabbed one and headed for the shower tent. I was so pleasantly surprised to find out when greeted by a blast of steam that these were heated showers. The warm mist was so inviting that I was almost giddy by the time I could slip under the cascading water. I felt so decadent just standing there, eyes shut, letting the water pour over me. I felt like a melting snowman as I let the water dissolve layers and layers of dirt and cold. I could envision a shell of sludge disintegrating at my feet. Sludge that flowed out beneath the pallet I stood on. Sinking into the desert sand from which it came. For the first time in such a long time, I felt light. No weapons, no mask and for one brief moment, no worries. Just the clean rejuvenating warm water trickling over my bare skin."
Visit Mary Stabe
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| "Navy Greenshirt: A Leader Made, Not Born"_ is the story of a female pioneer who struggled and succeeded in the male-dominated world of Naval aviation. When Diane Diekman became an aviation maintenance officer (a "greenshirt") in the U.S. Navy in 1978, her challenges included proving herself professionally before gaining the acceptance and respect routinely granted to men. Find out more at Navy Greenshirt |  |
 | "One Woman's Army" by Janis Karpinski.
Before you "rush to judgment" about former General Karpinski, based on the biased news reporting and the military mumbo jumbo put out by the Pentagon - read this book.
Then look up the words misogynistic and the second definition of myopia!!! |
 | In 2004, Erin Solaro went to Iraq to study American servicewomen Ñ what they were doing, how well they were doing it, how they were faring in combat. In 2005, she went to Afghanistan on the same mission. Having spent time embedded with combat troops and conducting stateside interviews with numerous analysts and veterans, Solaro is convinced that the time to drop all remaining restrictions on women's full equality under arms is now. The Army, the country, the women of America Ñ and of the world Ñ need it.
Erin Solaro's book - "Women in the Line of Fire" tells that story and more!! Visit her at Erin Solaro
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Please note: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is
displayed without profit or payment for those who have expressed an
interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and
educational purposes only. Nothing on this site is for sale nor is it a commercial venture of any kind - it is a one person page for, and about military women - by one retired military woman.
Unless otherwise noted content © 1996 to 2006 by Captain Barbara A. Wilson, USAF (Ret)
