The Women | Kristin Hannah

Before I even knew what this book was about, I was reluctant to read it. I associated Kristin Hannah with romance novels, knowing absolutely nothing about her books. Somehow The Nightingale missed my screen. But back to The Women. First of all, this isn't really a women's book, if that's something that you're thinking. If you lived through the Vietnam war, this is a book you should read. If you know people who lived through the war, you should read it. The Women tells a story that wasn't told about the role of women in the war. (The official line was that there weren't any women in Vietnam.) Did you watch the Ken Burns Vietnam War documentary series? This book is a great companion to that, although, now that I think about it, I don't think women were mentioned in that series (but I could be wrong). It's not an easy read. Hannah's descriptions of the chaos, and the noise, and the mud, and the bugs, and the blood, and the fatigue, and the pure frustration of the inadequacy and futility of what military nurses endured will be disturbing to you. More than one person has told me that they couldn't read it at night. But the story is rich and compelling and it's the truth that needs to be told. But the story of Frankie's (Frances) time in Vietnam is only part of the story. The fight for recognition of her service (even by the VA!) and military benefits owed her as she returned to a country in deep conflict about the war is equally harrowing. Hannah wrote an incredible story.