“The world changes for men, Frances. For women, it stays pretty much the same.”–Kristin Hannah, The Women
This much anticipated book by Kristin Hannah lives up to its hype. It took me months to get this book from my local library and last time I checked, there were over 4,000 people waiting on hold for it. That is the appeal of a Kristin Hannah novel–people know there will be a powerful, thought provoking story with incredible characters and Hannah certainly delivers all that and more with this story.
When twenty year old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears the words, “Women can be heroes too,” her world view is changed forever. Frankie comes from a proud family of military heroes and when her older brother enlists to serve in Vietnam, her family is thrilled. After her life changing revelation on women, Frankie enlists as an army nurse in Vietnam and hopes to see her brother as well as do some good. Her parents’ reaction to her enlistment is not at all what she expects and this is her first clue that women’s military service is not viewed as favorably as men’s service.
As a naive and extremely green nurse, Frankie’s first days and weeks in Vietnam are a shock in every way possible. She sees the carnage, the destruction, the brokenness of everyone around her, but over time she gains confidence in her nursing abilities while also developing deep friendships. As difficult as the war is, coming home isn’t much better. The country is ready to be done with the war and Frankie experiences the protests, disdain, and terrible treatment common to so many returning from Vietnam. She is ready to begin living life again but PTSD and lingering issues from the war combined with little to no support from family or the VA, make returning to normal life challenging.
This is a story of patriotism, sacrifice, the power of friendship, difficult circumstances, love, betrayal, and redemption. It is not an easy read but it is an important one, particularly as it shines a light on the women who served in Vietnam who have been all but forgotten. Their courage and service made a huge contribution to the war. Kudos to Hannah for sharing their story and for giving us the memorable character of Frankie McGrath to represent them.
Content Advisory: War violence, graphic descriptions of injuries, language, sex, addiction