From Booklist
Gr. 6-9. In the American Women at War series, women get their due as the patriots, soldiers, and spies that they have been since the country's inception. The series begins with a look at women's roles during the Revolutionary War. The titles here cover more recent exploits. The most fascinating, naturally, is Payment's Spies. Among the women discussed are Virginia Hall, nicknamed the Limping Lady of the OSS because of her wooden leg; Aline Griffith, a fashion model and a spy during and after the war; and entertainer Josephine Baker, whose long residency in France helped her form an underground network. The exploits of these women and three others jump off the pages in Payment's well-written (and documented) accounts. The format is dull, but the photos have been thoughtfully chosen, including personal ones along with scenes from movies made about the subjects' heroics. In Gulf War the photos are more generic, and the subjects more numerous. But the writing is strong and the book not only covers the work of brave women but also provides context, as in the inset about service women and the customs of Saudi Arabia. Both eye-opening books provide solid introductions to the war, time lines, glossaries, bibliographies, and source notes. Ilene Cooper
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