Heroism Begins with Her: Inspiring Stories of Bold, Brave, and Gutsy Women in the U.S. Military

by Winifred Conkling, Julia Kuo (Illustrations)

For fans of Rad American Women A–Z , Rebel Girls , and Women Who Dared comes an inspiring collection of more than 80 profiles about the brave women in the US military who fought hard for their country and even harder for what they believed in. From the Revolutionary War to present day, women have proudly served in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard as nurses, pilots, engineers, soldiers, and more. They dressed as men, worked for little pay and no benefits, and endured prejudice to break down barriers and earn their place beside their fellow servicemen. The achievements and courageous acts of these women forever changed the way the military operates! From well-known women to unsung heroes, this beautifully illustrated book tells incredible, captivating tales of gutsy women like Margaret Corbin, Harriet Tubman, Tammy Duckworth, and countless others. And it will prove just one Women really can do anything!

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Biography, Feminism, Childrens, Anthologies, Biography Memoir

240 pages, ebook

First published August 6, 2019

About the author

WINIFRED CONKLING studied journalism at Northwestern University and spent the next 25 years writing non-fiction for adult readers, including for Consumer Reports magazine and more than 30 books. As part of her transition to writing for young people, she is working toward her Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Sylvia & Aki is her first work for children.

Reviews

[Desiree Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this book out from the local library to read pages 77-78 on pilot Jacqueline Cochran.

It’s a physically attractive paper book, with lovely formatting and photos (despite the over-the-top feminist book title). The two pages on Cochran were well written.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ stars for this well-researched treatment of women in the military. It could almost be considered an encyclopedia on the subject. Women have made a great many contributions to our military and it is inspiring to read all of their stories. In modern times we have thousands of women doing such a wide range of roles and I am not certain if the book did a thorough job in representing that with the stories they chose.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Edelweiss for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[JoLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured in "History Books for Young Readers" on Intellectual Recreation.

In nearly 70 short biographies, Winifred Conkling features the women of the United States' past and present who have served in the military. In doing so, she also traces the progress made by women who sought to gain more acceptance, greater recognition, and an official status for their service.

In the early years, many of the women who served were camp followers, nurses, spies; although, a surprising number of women also disguised themselves as men and officially enlisted. In later years, as women were official instated into the military, Conkling continues to emphasize the diversity of roles played by women. She also features a number of women who are firsts in their fields.

This book is not one that needs to be read cover to cover. Read about the women who served in one war or perhaps thumb through the book to find all the medical professionals. This book would be a good starting point for a research project.

Review copy from Edelweiss.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of stories about women who served in the US military. I appreciated that many of the women I had never heard of before as well as acknowledging people like Harriet Tubman and Tammy Duckworth. My only complaint is that I wish I had more information other than just a page or two in a collection of stories.

[Namrata]

Sounds so important and interesting! I really can't wait to get my hands on this wonderful book! :D

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valor, strength, grit, moxie, compassion: all of these are found throughout the nearly 100 women recounted in this book. I had rightly learned of Harriet Tubman's bravery, yet I never knew the remarkable story of Cathay Williams whose legacy is of being born a slave, working throughout the Civil War, and then enlisting in the military after that war. What struck me was that Williams was born in Independence, Missouri, and grew up near Jefferson City; living and teaching in Missouri, I had never learned of her so now have the opportunity to research more. Numerous times while reading this book I had similar enlightened moments. The women in this book spanned the many eras of our nation's history, and they reflect the diversity of the many females who served our country in numerous ways. Whether they served in the "traditional" military or created their own roles as needed, they truly reflect heroism.

I'm searching for texts for my college students who are mastering writing skills, and this text will help with thematic units for my courses. Increasingly I find my adult students are seeking work in various military branches; almost all know a friend or have a relative who is serving. I don't always know how to address this, so I sought some ideas from friends. Recommended to me by a male colonel in the ARMY, this book is straightforward, informative, and engaging. It's also quite easy to read; I read a few pages at a time during odd times over two weeks.

[Jennifer Lynn Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a fabulous book! Female heroes are featured from the Revolutionary War to the present. These women faced complex challenges of gender, expectations, and disbelief, in some cases, but went on to forge paths in the military where none existed for them. When you get into their individual stories, you learn their motivations. These are women who saw needs and filled them, women who faced danger to help others, and women who knew their strengths and persevered until they won their place. My daughter is currently a cadet in the Army ROTC college program and is having a fabulous experience. The women in this book helped forge the path for her to be treated with respect and equality. An inspiring family read!

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. This is an interesting book that spans American history from the Revolutionary War to present day. It give a summary of facts about each war, and then gives the biographies of some of the women who are representative of each conflict. The table of contents presents the information chronologically. Also, extra information such as ranks in the different branches of service, a time line, and bibliography are given at the end. The compilation of all of this information must have been a formidable task, but it was very well done.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 4 out of 5]

The egalley layout was odd so I hope that’s not what the print copy looks like.




Note to self:
Photographs vs illustrations.

[Joyce Mcdowell]

I really like this book

[Debra Faulk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great it goes through history and tells about American women who were true heros. This would be good for teen girls to read and learn about women heros from our country.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific book highlighting women in the military. Very inspiring.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but more of a pick-up-and-put-down kind of book than a read-straight-through.

[Kassandra Granados · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly inspiring 💁‍♀️

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Althea Ore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The women in this non-fiction novel have interesting, beautiful and inspiring stories. My favorite story was Harriet Tubman, which did much more than conduct the underground railroad.
This is a fantastic collection of stories of women in history that will have you reading all night!

[claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, educational, well-written, and inspiring. I enjoyed reading every one of these fascinating stories.

*Thank you to HarperCollins for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*