Breuer (Shadow Warriors, LJ 5/1/96), a decorated veteran of World War II, here attempts to compile a history of women's participation in the U.S. military since World War I. He presents anecdotal evidence of combat participation (the Gulf War) as well as women's more traditional involvement in the roles of nurse, clerical worker, and WAC, and he explores issues of pregnancy, motherhood, and sexual harassment (e.g., the Tailhook scandal). Lacking an introduction, this volume cannot decide on its purpose. Is it an oral history or a narrative description of women in war? The documentation is so thin that it is hard to determine the source of much of Breuer's evidence. The women's stories are choppy, moving from anecdote to anecdote, and the issues are not placed in any historical context. Many other histories, such as David E. Jones's Women Warriors: A History (LJ 2/15/97) and Nan Heacock's Battle Stations (LJ 9/1/92), better represent women's participation in war. Not recommended.?Jenny Lynn Presnell, Miami Univ. Lib., Oxford, Ohio
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
“Breuer's book brings to life the stories of ordinary and extraordinary women and recounts the largely unreported and unacknowledged acts of heroism in a manner both vivid and compelling.”–
“Readers searching for an overview of this subject would do well to delve into this latest in a long string of military histories from Normandy assault veteran Breuer.... In an evenhanded presentation, Breuer gives examples in which both women and the military have been ill served during recent controversial episodes....it's a substantive work that makes a genuine contribution to an underreported facet of military, and American, history.”–
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