The Women by Kristin Hannah (2024 fiction)

This is just as good a read as all the other Kristin Hannah books. Twenty-year-old nursing student Frankie McGrath has been raised to understand that women are born to be wives and mothers, and possibly to take on “female” jobs like nurse or secretary. Her brother, by virtue of being male, has the chance to become a hero when he enlists to join the Vietnam conflict. However, he loses his life early on, and Frankie determines that she can transfer her nursing skills and her courage to join the military as a nurse. Even enlisting is difficult, but she is able to join the Army, and with a minimum of practical training to add to her nursing degree, she finds herself in Vietnam and in the middle of a war. The first half of the book takes place in Vietnam, and includes the prejudices but also the hard work and sacrifice that Frankie faces. The descriptions are sometimes graphic (which they need to be in order to convey the continuing peril). After serving her time, as well as an extension, Frankie comes home to find that not only is she not considered a hero, but her family and the government don’t even acknowledge that she was in Vietnam at all. The second part of the book outlines Frankie’s struggle to resume her career and co-exist with her family in a country that seems to abhor anyone who served in Vietnam. She suffers from PTSD. The VA will not help her. Her only sources of encouragement are the two friends and fellow nurses who served with her. Eventually, the Vietnam Memorial is built, and the nurses achieve some recognition, but it is hard-fought. Even though I lived during this time in our history, I have to confess I did not know that most of this was happening to the returning troops, so I am grateful to Ms. Hannah for telling this story.

Reviewed by Ginger Russell