Atlantic County Library System

unCovered Review by Emily Monte, ACLS Absecon Branch

Why can’t a woman be a hero as well?

This question alters everything for Frankie McGrath and challenges the life plans her family has set out for her. They expect her to marry and have children, conforming to the norms of the early sixties. However, she decides that she, too, can be a hero, serving her country and making her family proud, just like her brother did. She applies to the Army Nurse Corps to follow in her brother’s footsteps. Her conservative and highly respected family doesn’t support her decision and, when a tragic piece of news arrives unexpectedly, Frankie’s life takes a sharp turn before she embarks on her earth-shattering journey.
 
Soon, she finds herself amidst chaos and destruction, realizing that as a young, innocent, and inexperienced woman, she’s like a fish in a bottle tossed into a dangerous ocean teeming with sharks. Within a short span of time, she becomes terrified, numb, and exhausted, navigating days where her heart breaks as she witnesses soldiers younger than her brother losing their lives and civilians becoming expendable amidst the chaos. As Frankie edges closer to collapse, nearly drowning in sorrow, her friends Barb and Ethel extend a lifeline, offering enough emotional support to keep her from giving up.
 
THE WOMEN, by Kristin Hannah, takes you on a 20-year journey with Frankie, spanning two parts of her life as she struggles to save herself. She risks her life in the process, and upon her return, she realizes that she’s not regarded as a war hero like the men who fought in combat. People avoid discussing the war, and even her own family treats her as though she’s done something to embarrass them, something they’d rather not acknowledge. During the day, she’s compelled to blend into the community, resuming where she left off before the war, while at night, she battles her nightmares and the clutches of PTSD. She comes to understand that she’s not the proud, ideal girl her family wanted her to be and never can be. Eventually, she gives in.
 
Frankie’s painful journey, marked by losses, battles with addiction, and anger toward those who betrayed and disrespected her, is portrayed with remarkable realism. She’s one of the women from the war whose stories need to be told, remembered, and respected. Will she overcome her inner demons? Will she learn to heal from her pain, forgive those who worsened her suffering, embrace her flaws, and confront her fears that she’s afraid to share with others? Will she ultimately find the peace she’s searching for? Read her story to uncover the answers.
 
This might be one of my favorite works by Kristin Hannah. After reading her closing note, I gained a deeper appreciation for the years of hard work she put into creating these vivid characters and crafting realistic descriptions of war zones, leading us on this unforgettable journey.