OVERVIEW
I made the right decision by switching from an audioBOOK to an eBOOK for this one!! The personal pictures and visual names of these "bad ass women" were important to me to "feel" them.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning about these incredible, formidable, and inspiring women who helped turn the tide of WWII (yes, I know, but this was about WOMEN)! The sad part for me was that these heroines are largely unknown, which is another example of history focusing on white men. ARGH!
TRIGGER WARNING: Violence, guns, murder, assassination, war, racism, sexism, xenophobia, sexual violence, and genocide
OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars
Writing: 4.0 stars
Mari, a retired Major General (U.S. Army), wrote this book. She did not know about many of the sixteen (two were a pair of sisters) heroines, and I had read about two of them.
She wrote well, but not beautifully. Yes, this was a biography, but there could have been more descriptive language about the women, their environment, and their thoughts. The bottom line is that the author writes like a Major General.
This book was heavily researched with footnotes, a bibliography, and references. What a labor of love for Mari!
The writing would have been better if there had been more editing. Meri repeated herself in the chapters about each heroine and in the closing three chapters.
Character development: 5.0 stars
These heroines (and Main Characters) were:
- Alice Marble (American)
- Hilda Gimpel Eisen (Polish)
- Stephanie Czech Rader (American)
- Elizabeth Peet McIntosh (American)
- Virginia Hall Goillot (American)
- Mary Taylor Previte (English-American)
- Ruth Gruber (American)
- Dame Mary Sigillo Barraco (American)
- Berendina Diet Eman (Dutch)
- Ida and Louise Cook (English)
- Marion Armstrong Frieswyk (American)
- Elizabeth Bemis Robarts (American)
- Ola Mildred Rexroat McDonald (American)
- Katherine Flynn Nolan (American)
- Charity Adams Earley (American)
The secondary characters were American, Russian, and English government officials, military, and spy agencies.
The tertiary character is WWII.
Many historical figures and minor characters were mentioned in this biography.
Storyline: 5.0 stars
Each of the women had a different storyline in their own chapter. All of these women were called to service by the war and/or felt the need to serve others. Their stories were incredible and memorable!
The main locations were the U.S., China, and Europe.
Memorable/Informative: 5.0 stars
These women were the real deal! There are other "forgotten to history" women who should be recognized for their accomplishments during WWII. Some of the stories are better than what Hollywood could write. No spoilers here!
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Perfect!
Book title: 5.0 stars
Excellent!
STRONGLY recommend
Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrowed (eBOOK)
The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line by Mari K. Eder
400 pages
Sourcebooks
Release date of 8/3/2021
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
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