Civil War Doctor: The Story of Mary Walker (Social Critics and Reformers) [Library Binding]

Carla Joinson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Born in 1832 and brought up by parents with liberal views on women's dress and careers, Mary Walker decided at 21 to study medicine. When her repeated requests to serve as an assistant surgeon in the Union army were denied, she worked without official recognition or pay. In 1865 Walker became the first woman awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. It was revoked in 1917, when Congress revised the requirements, but she refused to return the medal. This well-organized biography not only presents the facts of this interesting life but also provides a good deal of background information on social norms during the period, both in the text and in multipage inserts, such as one on nineteenth-century dress reform. Though occasionally the writing is repetitious or ambiguous, many readers will find this an eye-opening piece of women's history. Source notes and lists of books and Internet sites are appended. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Library Binding: 128 pages
• Publisher: Morgan Reynolds Publishing (March 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599350289
• ISBN-13: 978-1599350288
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #526,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deserves a place on any advanced elementary-level bookshelf, January 9, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Civil War Doctor: The Story of Mary Walker (Social Critics and Reformers) (Library Binding)

Mary Edwards Walker was the daughter of a freethinking New York farmer and abolitionist who at an early age became determined to live life on her own terms, shunning women's fashions, wearing men's clothing, and eventually becoming a medical doctor in an era where women couldn't even vote. Her pursuits would take her to the forefront of battles during the Civil War and her story deserves a place on any advanced elementary-level bookshelf where women's biographies and history are featured.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Myth of a Doctor, August 31, 2010

By 

L. S. Brooks "NAM VET" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Civil War Doctor: The Story of Mary Walker (Social Critics and Reformers) (Library Binding)

This book is filled with so many errors concerning Mary E. Walker it isnt worth the effort to buy and read it. I don't know where the author got the facts for the book, but she sure makes a lot of mistakes...

Just one, one chapter is entitled: the Congressional Medal of Honor.....there is no such award.....it is the Medal of Honor......very poorly researched...

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative biography!, April 19, 2007

By 

J. Galvin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Civil War Doctor: The Story of Mary Walker (Social Critics and Reformers) (Library Binding)

This biography highlights Mary Walker's lifetime dream to become a doctor when women weren't even allowed to vote yet! Historical background fills this intriguing look at Mary Walker's life and really places the reader in her time. Readers will enjoy a look back in time to see what women wore, what was going on in the world, and just what Mary Walker had to deal with in her lifetime. An interesting biography about an amazing woman!