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

by Kathryn J. Atwood, Diane Carlson Evans (Foreword by)

Overview

Readers are introduced to courageous women and girls who risked their lives through their involvement in the conflict in Vietnam. These women served in dangerous roles as medics, journalists, resisters, and revolutionaries. Through their varied experiences and perspectives, young readers gain insight into the many facets of this tragic and complex conflict.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641605267
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	08/17/2021
Series:	Women of Action Series
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	434,195
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	1120L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

Map
      Foreword by Diane Carlson Evans, captain, Army Nurse Corps, 1966–1972
 
      Introduction
Part I: 1945–1956, Ho Chi Minh’s Revolution
      Xuan Phuong: Young Revolutionary
      Geneviève de Galard: “I Only Did My Duty”
Part II: 1957–1964, Ngo Dinh Diem’s Civil War
      Le Ly Hayslip: “Freedom Is Never a Gift”
      Bobbi Hovis: Witness to History
Part III: 1965–1968, Lyndon B. Johnson’s American War
      Kay Wilhelmy: American Survivor
      Jurate Kazickas: “What's a Woman Like You Doing out Here?"
      Iris Mary Roser: Australian Relief Worker
Part IV: 1969–1970, Richard M. Nixon’s “Peace”
      Anne Koch: “I Knew in My Heart That I Had to Go”
      Dang Thuy Tram: Communist Field Surgeon
      Lynda Van Devanter: “Why Do They Have to Die?”
Part V: 1971–1975, Endings and Beginnings
      Kate Webb: Captive Journalist
      Joan Baez: Protest Singer
      Tracy Wood: “They’re the Story”
      Kim Phuc: Running from War
 
      Acknowledgments
Glossary
      Notes
      Bibliography
      Index
 

Editorial Reviews

"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 ofThe 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 Once…and 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

From the Publisher

06/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—A variety of women are profiled in this utilitarian entry in the series. Four are Vietnamese representing different political factions, seven are American, and one each is from France, Australia, and New Zealand. The text is then divided chronologically into five parts representing turning points in the conflict, with each section beginning with a narrative history of the time period. The subjects include military nurses, a doctor, a surgeon, journalists, a relief worker, a revolutionary, a schoolgirl sentry, and internationally known folk singer/activist Joan Baez. Their stories graphically present the horrors of war and the difficulties associated with being female in a war zone. The postwar struggles with public castigation of those who served and the emotional and physical consequences of having lived and worked in a battle zone are realistically discussed. The biographies are supplemented with "learn more" boxes and explanatory sidebars define a concept or issue. Black-and-white photographs add context to historical places described throughout. VERDICT For libraries in need of collective biographies about women or a new take on the Vietnam War.—Cindy Wall, Southington Library & Museum, CT

School Library Journal