The Women
Written by Kristen Hannah
Most of us have either lived through the Vietnam war or had relatives who served in the war. Others have seen movies based on that war. I myself grew up during the sixties and early seventies. I was lucky that none of my brothers were drafted during that era. Two of my brothers had already served and had families so they were not drafted. My other brother was the right age to be drafted but I am not sure how he didn’t get drafted. Maybe it was because he was in college at that time. I also had a brother-in-law who was stationed in Germany and managed to avoid the war in Vietnam.
Many of our young men were drafted and served in Vietnam. Thousands and thousands were killed in that war. But there was little to no mention of the women who served in Vietnam. The nurses, doctors, red cross women and many others all served their country in Vietnam. But those women were not considered to have seen combat.
That is what the book “The Women” is about. It’s about women who served as nurses in Vietnam. It’s particularly about one woman who joins the Army Nurses Corps. Her brother had been given a party in his honor before he left for the war. Frances (Frankie) had always been extremely close to her brother. She considered him her best friend. Frankie decided she would join as a nurse. After being turned down with the Navy and the Air Force, she signed up with the Army Nurses. Ironically, her brother is killed before she leaves and she is devastated by the loss of her brother. Frankie’s enlistment causes a strain with her family. She was raised to get married and have children. She was not raised to go off to war.
Frankie experiences things she would never have dreamed as a sheltered young lady. But she soon adapts as well as she can, forms close friendships with other nurses and even falls in love. But in wartime, friendships may last a lifetime but love can be a short lived thing as she finds out.
After doing two tours in Vietnam, she returns home. The country is protesting the war. Veterans are not welcomed. She finds that people including her parents don’t want to talk about the war or her service in the war. Frankie finds that fitting in anywhere after the war is almost impossible for her.
This book details Frankie’s struggles to adjust in the world after the war. She finds it difficult to understand why women are not considered war veterans. Women, like the men she helped to save, also played significant roles. In fact, it was often said that no women ever served in the Vietnam war and many people believed this.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend reading this book. Of course, growing up in the Vietnam era, I knew some of what happened to veterans. I understood how hard it was for them to return to a country that had sent them to war. This country then learned to hate veterans who had fought in this war. They were mistreated and called baby killers. I liked the characters very much. It was very interesting to see Frankie change from a spoiled rich girl to a capable nurse who saved lives.
This book was in my book club and at first I wasn’t certain if I was going to read it. I am just really not very much into the Vietnam era when it comes to books and movies. But this book was different and an awesome book. I truly enjoyed reading this one.
Copyright:
Linda Hosler
July2025
History Lovers Corner 