Arms and the Woman

by Kate Muir

The story of women in the Armed Services today and in the future. This book is not only a record of the extraordinary scenes from the Gulf War, where moms waved goodbye to their kids - and their husbands - and set out to war, but also the future for women warriors under the "options for change" programme that will change the face of today's army irrevocably. It addresses the problem of sex - the case of the Wren on board ship last year, and the author goes through the Marine Boot Camp, living and working with the female squaddies as they go through the army's equivalent of hell.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

Published January 21, 1993

About the author

Kate Muir studied Politics at the University of Glasgow.

Reviews

[Hilary]

A thorough investigation and explanation of women's role in the military. I'd be very interested to read an update, see how things have changed over the past 25 years.

[N]

Though the subject matter (the rise of women in the military) is fascinating, I found I couldn’t warm up to this book. I suppose it’s a decent introduction to the issues surrounding female military personnel, but it’s not the meaty read I’d hoped for.

It reads like a journalist conducted a few interviews, did a bit of research and then churned out a book. That’s fine, but it means the book lacks the detail one would get if the author were a true expert on the subject. Published more than fifteen years ago, it’s not irrelevant (there’s plenty to say about female soldiers that was as pertinent in the early 90s as it is now), but it does feel frustratingly dated.