Courageous Women of the Vietnam War: Medics, Journalists, Survivors, and More

Description

2019 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People List One of just a handful of women reporting on the Vietnam War, Kate Webb was captured by North Vietnamese troops and presumed dead-until she emerged from the jungle waving a piece of white parachute material after 23 days in captivity. Le Ly Hayslip enjoyed a peaceful early childhood in a Vietnamese farming village before war changed her life forever. Brutalized by all sides, she escaped to the United States, where she eventually founded two humanitarian organizations. Lynda Van Devanter was an idealistic young nurse in 1969 when a plane carrying her and 350 men landed in South Vietnam. Her harrowing experiences working in a combat zone hospital would later serve as inspiration for the TV series China Beach. In these pages readers meet these and other brave women and girls who served in life-threatening roles as medics, journalists, resisters, and revolutionaries in the conflict in Vietnam. Author Kathryn J. Atwood presents a clear introduction to each of five chronological sections, guiding readers through the social and political turmoil that spanned two decades and the tenure of five US presidents. Each woman's story unfolds in a suspenseful, engaging way, incorporating plentiful original source materials, quotes, and photographs. Resources for further study, source notes and a bibliography, and a helpful map and glossary round out this exploration of one of modern history's most divisive wars, making it an invaluable addition to any student's or history buff's bookshelf.

Kathryn J. Atwood is the author of Women Heroes of World War I, Women Heroes of World War II, and Women Heroes of World War II--Pacific Theater as well as the editor of Code Name Pauline: Memoirs of a World War II Special Agent. She has contributed to The Historian; War, Literature, and the Arts; and the Des Plaines River Anthology. Visit her online at www.kathrynatwood.com. Diane Carlson Evans was a captain in the US Army Nurse Corps from 1966 to 1972, serving in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. She is the founder and president of the Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation and speaks nationally about the experience of women in wartime.

"Atwood honors heroines from all sides of the conflict, highlighting the common courage and humanity of the women who struggled for survival and compassion in the midst of war. Courageous Women of the Vietnam War is an inspiration!"Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network , the Empress of Rome Saga, and the Borgia Chronicles "The Vietnam War was hardly an all-male event: there were women participating on all sides of the war. Kathryn Atwood has collected the personal stories of a good sample of the women involved, and her book is well worth reading for a look at the untold stories of the war."Joseph L. Galloway, coauthor of the New York Times bestsellers We Were Soldiers Onceand Young and We Are Soldiers Still " It is with a heart full of gratitude that I offer my thanks to Kathryn Atwood for bringing to light these women's stories from the Vietnam War . Remembering their courage and resilience in the face of war remains of utmost importance."Kim PhucPhan Thi, author of Fire Road: The Napalm Girl's Journey Through the Horrors of War to Faith, Forgiveness, and Peace "Kathryn J. Atwood's study of women in the Vietnam War is a welcome addition to the oral history of that fascinating and often tragic era. Atwood provides ample contextualization for younger and general readers while offering new, multiple perspectives on the complicated role of women in war for historians to ponder."Frank Kusch, author of All American Boys: Draft Dodgers in Canada from the Vietnam War and Battleground Chicago: The Police and the 1968 Democratic National Convention "For libraries in need of collective biographies about women or a new take on the Vietnam War." Cindy Wall, School Library Journal "Exceptionally informative, impressively written, organized and presented, Courageous Women of the Vietnam War is especially and unreservedly recommended for school and community library 20th Century Military History and 20th Century Women's History collections." Midwest Book Review "The prose is, as always with Kathryn's books, accessible and a pleasure to read. Technically this is a young adult nonfiction book, but it's such a great resource for anyone: writer, student, teacher, homeschooler, historian." Writing Wrongs