Review by Booklist Review
In this installment in the Women of Action series, Cordell gives a rousing account of 16 women who defied traditional roles to serve as soldiers, spies, medics, and vivandières during the American Civil War. Four of the women risked capture as former slaves to help in the war efforts. Some women dressed as male soldiers to enter into regiments and fight for the Union or Confederate armies, while others were nurses and medics on the front lines. Each woman receives a dedicated chapter with supporting primary source imagery, regular asides to add clarity and depth, and a resource section for additional information. The narrative format of stand-alone chapters allows for quick use as research material or classroom reading. Meanwhile, the extensive notes for each chapter, glossary, and comprehensive bibliography provide an opportunity for further reading or teaching support. Though the occasional bump in narrative style within a chapter can be distracting, the overall effect is a comprehensive overview of women's active role in the War between the States.--Ginman, Karen Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This addition to the Women of Action series tells the stories of 16 women who served as soldiers, nurses, spies, and vivandières (hired laundresses and cooks) during the Civil War. Among the women first-time author Cordell introduces are Maria Lewis, a slave who disguised herself as a white man and joined a cavalry; Susie King Taylor, an educated black woman who taught the black soldiers of the First South regiment how to read and write, as well as tended to their wounds; and Loreta Janeta Velazquez, whose life (under numerous aliases) as a mustachioed soldier, spy, and thief reads like a picaresque narrative. Cordell provides both a general understanding of the varied roles of women at the time and how the individuals she profiles (photographs of whom appear throughout) relied on their ingenuity, bravery, and integrity to survive and even thrive during a turbulent chapter in American history. Source notes and suggestions for supplemental reading are provided. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-Leaving behind the cult of domesticity and the traditional belief that a woman's place was in the home, the 16 women highlighted in this volume put their ambitions and convictions into action. At a time when women had few legal rights and could not vote, these figures took an active role in the Civil War by disguising themselves as men in order to fight or act as spies. They worked as nurses and found ways to assist soldiers on the battlefields. Spies included Harriet Tubman and Mary Jane Richards, who was planted in the Confederate White House to gather information. Georgeanna Woolsey is an example of one of the more than 21,000 women who were on the army payroll as nurses. Some women served as vivandières-women who were hired as cooks or laundresses and paid by the soldiers. One such woman was Annie Lorinda Etheridge, who followed her husband into the army and became a cook and nurse for the Fifth Michigan Regiment. The book begins with an introduction, providing historical context as to why the North and the South opposed each other and covering the events leading up to South Carolina's secession from the Union, the role of slavery in this opposition (Cordell wisely does not portray white Northerners simply as saviors in the fight to abolish slavery but rather as having their own legal, economic, and ideological reasons for it), and how the start of the war stirred the hearts of Northern and Southern women alike. Sidebars and photographs are scattered throughout the text. VERDICT An excellent addition to history collections.-Patricia Ann Owens, formerly at Illinois Eastern Community College, Mt. Carmel © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
These are interesting collective biographies of women on the WWII Pacific front and from both sides of the American Civil War, who challenged gender stereotypes of their time. Clear narrative texts provide ample historical context along with supplemental sections and high-quality black-and-white photographs. The informative accounts include plenty of primary sources and suggested further reading for each chapter. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Women of Action titles: Women Heroes of World War II and Courageous Women of the Civil War.] (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
