Summary
“Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.”
My Thoughts
I read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah in 2015 and absolutely loved it. The book drew me in and broke my heart. It was such an immersive experience, and I felt then as I do now that Kristin Hannah does quality research for her books and really writes well.
Her newest book, The Women, began in 1966 on Coronado Island, California with Frankie, and we witness her coming of age as she embarks on the journey to become a nurse in the Army Nurse Corps. I appreciate how the author didn’t shy away from the very unsavory aspects of the war and allowing the reader to take a front seat with Frankie to witness many of the horrors of the Vietnam War, as well as the recruitment injustices as they pertained to both gender, race and class. As a black woman with military family members, I am very aware of the recruitment of black and brown men and women to serve in the US military. The author also leaned into sharing how the US government, falsified the details of the war to the American public, in order to recruit and send more young men to harms way.
The reader also feels the gut punch when we see the reception of the vets when they return to America. The popular opinions changed while the men and women were away, and they did not receive a hero’s welcome. One can only imagine how that compounded to the detriment to the psyche of the men and women who served. We watch when Frankie returns home how everyone wants her not to talk about her time there and move on.
We also got a glimpse into the inequality of mental health services for vets from Vietnam. They only wanted to provide services to men who served in combat roles. So that excludes women and men that served in medical capacities in the war. Despite the daily exposure to horrific fatalities and bombings, the nurses were not ‘qualified’ to receive the services.
One beautiful aspect of the story is the deep friendship of the women in the story. Particularly the other nurses Frankie met in Vietnam. They became her lifeline and helped to validate her experiences.
I have so many strong feelings after reading this wonderful book. I highly recommended it.
