WOMEN HEROES OF THE US ARMY

The latest in the Women of Action series celebrates female American soldiers of all eras.

From Margaret Cochran Corbin, who was accepted into the Invalid Regiment after taking her cannoneer husband’s place and being wounded in a Revolutionary War battle, through the development of the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps during World War II to Leigh Ann Hester, the first woman to receive the Silver Star for combat action, 14 vignettes show how women’s participation in the United States Army has become increasingly visible, with women now legally allowed to serve in any position. Staats (Eat Your Science Homework, 2014, etc.) highlights diversity in a few profiles: African American Cathay Williams enlisted in 1866 as a Buffalo soldier, masquerading as a man; Margaret K.C. Yang was a Korean American member of the Women’s Army Corp from Hawaii; and Brig. Gen. Deborah L. Kotulich, still serving, is a married lesbian with children. Calling all the women featured in the book heroes, however, is a bit of a stretch—while some undoubtedly were, others’ stories are less impressive. The third-person narratives are choppy, uneven, and sometimes repetitive, with confusing nonlinear timelines. Important details are buried in passive-voice sidebars, and the book seems better suited for a younger audience than it’s marketed to. Tighter editing would have helped, but the lack of cohesion is disappointing.

For large library collections.