Customer Reviews

Battle Cries and Lullabies: Women in War from Prehistory to the Present

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Linda Grant De Pauw does a superb job with this engaging account of the History of Women in War. You will find, while reading it, that you annoy anybody within earshot as it is full of interesting facts forcing "do you know's..." every once in a while. For example, do you know the origin of the term 'guerrilla warfare?...'You will find the explanation to this and countless other little mysteries within the pages of this book. There have been other books written on the same topic, for example 'Women Warriors' by Anthropologist David E.Jones, but none with the page turning, readable quality of 'Battle Cries and Lullabies.' If there is ever a time when Women and Warfare is considered a subject worthy of it's own course in the University then Battle Cries and Lullabies would be the perfect textbook. A lively, interesting and colorful account of a much neglected part of world History.

The only thing dull about "Batle Cries and Lullabies" is the cover. When Dr Linda Grant DePauw said something to the effect that "someone has to go out on point to open the field of the history women in war'"- she has accomplished that and then some. The book is neither dry nor boring if you are the least bit interested in the accomplishments, trials and triumphs of women warriors through the ages. I served my country for 22 years, at lesser pay than my civilan contemporaries and nobody cared other than my family and friends - almost two million American women have served - and until the womens memorial in D.C. - few people cared. Sadly many women's studies programs at colleges and universities ignore the history of women in and around the military through the ages. The "miltary minded woman" is an enigma, amazons are dismissed as myth, and young women learn little about the women who fought, tried, died or persevered - from antiquity to Desert Fox. Dr DePauw's book masterfully fills this gap in womens history and takes us from prehistory to third world wars - on a fascinating journey with the likes of the courageous women whom time and historians have forgotten. The research is exceptional, and the notes and bibliography a gold mine. Although I've never met the author, as a retired miltary woman I thank Dr DePauw for this trailblazing book which belongs in the womens studies department of every hallowed hall of academia.

Barbara A. Wilson, Captain USAF (Ret)

Reading the reviews of this book is trip through the fascinating reactions of some men to the idea that they may not have done all of history all by themselves. Squealing like stuck pigs comes to mind.

Interesting, isn't it, how a general's memoirs are hard evidence, a male private's letters home are supporting evidence, but a woman soldier's diary is mere anecdote?

This is a well researched and well written accounting of the different roles women have historically played in times of war. It's VERY readable and chocked full of interesting facts and women who have made an impact on the history of warfare and the world. Prior knowledge of battles or warfare in general is not necessary to fully appreciate this fine work!

Here's a women's history which you'll never find as a text of any Feminist Studies course. The Feminist Movement would just as soon forget their "sisters" who have succeeded in the bloodiest business of men, warfare. None the less, there have been millions who have, and this book ambitiously attempts to mention most of them. In my opinion, it falls short simply because the topic is too massive to condense into one volume. The exploits of Soviet airwomen in combat -- who are curiously omitted from this work -- are in themselves enough to comprise several books. Likewise African amazons among the Dahomey and Ashanti; and Moslem warrioresses from the time of the Prophet to the current civil war in Eritrea. Besides combatants, "Battle Cries and Lullabyes" also attempts to cover female camp-followers and nurses throughout the entire history of warfare. In its effort to retain "readability", the book intersperses legend and anecdote with the drier history. It is a fascinating book which will certainly appeal to military women and to those who appreciate the distaff side of women's history. But ultimately its all too fleeting glances into each of its subjects leave the reader dissatisfied and enticed to know more.

In her introduction to this book Linda Grant De Pauw repeats one of the most famous quotes of military history. Observing the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava Lord Raglan reportedly said, "It is magnificent, but it is not war." A similar statement might apply to this book. It is magnificent, but it is not history. This, however, does not appear too terribly important to the author. Ironically, that could be the saving grace of this book.
Battle Cries and Lullabies hopes to bring to light in a single source the role of women in warfare since before recorded history. To do so requires a lens with a soft focus in order to cover the width and breadth of time. Unfortunately that means that the coverage of any one period is somewhat cursory. It also led De Pauw to accept some conventionally held myths as history and in other places use "evidence" that is more speculation than solid interpretation of recorded history. Despite the fact that the book rests upon some extremely flaky sources in some places, overall the book is important and well constructed. How are these two statements reconciled? Partially by this reviewer's admission that in several areas Ms. De Pauw has no choice but to rely upon these sources in order to meet her stated objective. There are too many gaps in the conventional historical record to adequately record the history of women in war without extensive interpretive guessing. Filling those gaps, or at least pointing out where they exist is one of the most important functions of this book.
Battle Cries and Lullabies is not intended as the definitive statement of the role of women in all war through all of time. De Pauw is up front about this, saying as much in the beginning of the book. Rather, as she points out in her introduction, this is a starting point. By collecting into one book everything that she can of the history and pre-history of women in war De Pauw creates a single source for future historians of the role of women in war to begin their quests. This is an admirable goal, and for all the factual and interpretive faults of the book it does accomplish this task moderately well. This book identified a need and filled that need. In this it is a success.
Unfortunately, this same strong point is one that ultimately causes the most problems. Despite the author's assertion that the book carries no political or hidden agenda, in some places the logic and tone of the author leaks through. As schoolchildren we are taught to avoid non-sequitor logic, ("this does not follow that") but apparently in the halls of academia this rule is sometimes subordinate to a higher goal. For example, in her examination of the role of women in the Roman era Ms. De Pauw states, "Some Roman women, obviously, were capable of bearing arms. Did any of them fight in the ranks? The question is valid; the silence of the sources proves nothing." She then continues on a somewhat speculative analysis of the role of women in that period. She is obviously correct in stating that just because nothing is said about women that does not prove that women were not there. It does not, however, serve as proof of the reverse, that they were there and that there was a vast culturally inspired cover-up as she later seems to imply.
Ms. De Pauw is the list moderator for the academically based on-line discussion group Minerva, a group dedicated to finding and exploring the role of women in warfare. As such she acts as a de facto clearing house for much of the material brought forth from academia on the topic. It is from this role that the book Battle Cries and Lullabies grew and took shape. Unfortunately, some of that shape remains ill-defined and rests upon some extremely shaky foundations. This may be a function of the nature of the topic, or it may be evidence of a well intentioned attempt to be all-inclusive. In either case, the fact that this book cites sources such as spiritualist Richard Heckler's In Search of the Warrior Spirit and journalists like Peter "I-contributed-nothing-to-the-CNN-Tailwind -Story" Arnett leaves the observant reader wondering how many of these other "sources" are suspect in their stories or analysis.
While I cannot recommend purchasing this book to any but those intensely interested in starting their own research into the role of women in war, I do suggest that you might read and develop an understanding of the underlying material that this book brings forth. De Pauw has done a great service in presenting a starting point, in raising more questions than she adequately answers, and in giving voice to millions of women that did not have one before. She has brought much of the military history of women halfway out of the realm of myth and legend and cast light on some previously concealed areas of history. While there are better books on the role and history of women in the military history of the 20th Century, only Battle Cries and Lullabies gives an overview across time.

This book is superbly poslished. I recommend that this book be an introductory text for courses in military history, women's history, and even peace studies. Much of our historical documents are written from a perspective that ignores the contributions of women and people of color. Unfortunately, when a history that does not marginalize these narratives is created, this is often seen as not 'legitimate' or 'fictional'. This is the nature of power within knowledge management, but this can be challenged when we encourage alternative stories to be heeded. Alternative stories are not any less real--they have simply been silenced throughout the telling and retelling of stories and Grandnarrativity. Linda Grant de Pauw writes from a refreshingly radical perspective which throws into confusion the comforting tales of male-only martial valor. Warriordom must be necessarily told as exclsuively a male domain in order to maintain the good order of male-supremacy. This brave, courageous, and polished text confronts the colonizing narratives which seek to uphold women with the exclusively female roles of weakness, carnality, and lack. Dr. De Pauw does not try and cast women as 'men', but women as women who have also partook in good and evil, sin and suffering, peace and violence.

I'd like to agree with the reviewer who noted that men's military menoirs are considered legitimate, while women's are considered to be antecdotal. Frankly, I'm still trying to completely understand why so many people consider the idea that a woman could be a successful soldier, so threatening. This book is not revisionist history- had the author attempted to claim that these wars had never occurred, or that all soldiers were women, than yes, it would be revisionist. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in military issues, feminism, women's issues, or history in general.

A disappointing attempt to write the history of women in warfare. The author tends to make far-reaching conclusions without critical facts. This reader expected much more.

Dr. DePauw's attempt to a single-volume comprehensive history of women in warfare falls short for one major reason -- hard evidence. She relies too much on memoirs and anecdotes without having the hardcore evidence to back up these memoirs and anecdotes. I am sorely disappointed that a professor at GWU, who graduated from Johns Hopkins, would try to pass this book off as real history. She may satisfy the Feminists, but everyone else will be left asked, "Where's the evidence!"