The Women is a powerful and emotional roller coaster ride through the history of women’s rights and Vietnam War times that follows 20 year old Frances “Frankie” McGrath. Born and raised in the idealistic world of Southern California in the 1950’s and 60’s, sheltered by her flag-waving conservative parents, Frankie knew she was destined for more than she was taught. At times this story was difficult to read, yet I couldn’t put it down. Being a historical fiction novel, there is no real-life “Frankie”. However, this book is based on true events and real life adaptations of stories and interviews from the view point of women that were there in Vietnam, even though no one believes that there were any women over there- Let alone a combat nurse. This masterfully constructed story takes each reader on a journey through a challenging and pivotal chapter in our world history.
**This book does not come with any real trigger warnings, but I personally would like to include a few: Descriptive imagery of war and associated trauma, PTSD, blood and descriptive depictions of death, and child death.
Infant death was mentioned twice in this book. The first one is sad, but brief. However, the second time being the more descriptive one that had me curled up in a ball on my couch, thinking that I wouldn’t be able to continue reading. It was personal for Frankie, and it was personal for me, too. My loss was different, yet very similar to hers. For all of you grieving mothers/parents out there- Proceed with caution.**
Frankie’s entire family, minus her father, has a grand history of serving in the United States Navy. Frankie’s brother Fin has decided to follow in the family footsteps. He wants to earn his name on the “Wall of Heroes” within the McGrath estate. Fin chose a so-called easy assignment and is being shipped out to Vietnam. During his going away party, one of Fin’s closest friends finds Frankie admiring the pictures among the Wall of Heroes. She was just trying to find some peace from the party. She’s worried about her brother. She keeps telling herself that it’s not even that bad over there. That’s what the news keeps telling us. He will be just fine. He’ll come back home to her. She then finds herself in the company of one of Fin’s closest friends, Jamie Callahan, who tells her that “Women can be heroes too.” Right then and there she felt a spark of hope. Frankie had found her calling. She knew what she was destined for. She was going to serve her country as a combat nurse. Truthfully, she never wanted to live the debutante life anyways. Dressing up everyday, staying quiet and proper, going to the country club for drinks and looking to find a husband and bear children.
No, that wasn’t the future she longed for anymore. She was going to go serve her country alongside her brother and make her family, and her father, proud. She was going to have her picture up on the wall of heroes. She was going to serve her nation- just like the men.
Quickly following Fin’s departure in 1966, Frankie decides to start looking towards her future. She tries to sign up for the Navy, and she’s talked down to because there is “no room for a woman in Vietnam”. Immediately following rejection, she tries her luck with the Army, and they begrudgingly let her in right away. Her parent’s are disappointed with her life choices. She tells them she will be fine and explains it’s something she must do- and then she’s off.
After hours of travelling and second guessing her future, she finds herself in the country of Vietnam. Suddenly struck with a realization that life over here is nothing like the news has been telling them back home and she has less than adequate training. As she approaches her assigned area, she hears gunshot’s and people yelling. The smell is foul. Her senses are overwhelmed. Frankie is told to exit the helicopter and finds her first assignment.
She soon meets Barb, and Ethel, who will soon become her absolute saving grace. They teach her the necessities of living life in-country. They teach her things like don’t drink the water, take your medicine to protect against illness, and duck and cover when you’re told. They can tell there’s something special about Lieutenant nurse Frankie McGrath.
Frankie had special qualities indeed. Within a few short weeks, she had transformed her skills against all odds to fit within her new surroundings. She becomes an experienced surgical trauma nurse while confronting the horror that she sees everyday. Severed limbs, gaping chest wounds from GSW’s, and nasty head injuries- The types of things her “good girl” nurse training out in California could have never prepared her for.
Hannah is a master story teller. She captures the visceral responses to the sights and sounds so much that you feel as though you’re standing in OR1 with Frankie as a shadow in the corner of the room just watching the mayhem unfold in front of your own eyes.
Frankie finds comfort in Dr. Jamie who teaches her through patience and guidance as bombs are dropping less than 100 yards away. “There’s no time for fear, McGrath”. His words were soothing to her, and immediately she knows he’s right. There’s no time for second guessing. There’s no time to freeze up and panic. She learns from him. She learns how to perform emergency tracheotomies. She watches him. She watches him close an open chest wound from a close range gunshot wound. She soaks in all of the knowledge he passes on to her. They had undeniable chemistry working together. Before she knew it, she was just as skilled as some of the doctors, if not better. She remained sympathetic and caring to these men fighting for their life and getting blown to pieces. She faces the horrors of Guerilla warfare aftermath, like napalm injuries and land mind explosions, with courage and conviction, all while consistently raging against the strong indifference felt by her parents and a divided nation back home.
During her time in ‘Nam, it wasn’t always horrible (even though most of the time, it was). They spent many nights at the “O Club” where men and women drank too much, smoked too much, and lived like there was no tomorrow. Frankie had been told by many not to trust the men over here. They lie and they cheat. Frankie wasn’t too worried anyways- That wasn’t her main goal of being in-country. She found love in the most unexpected places, and unfortunately for Frankie, her friend Barb was right. These men over here do lie and cheat. They’ve seen the worst that mankind has to offer, so their outlook on life had changed. They have physically changed. They’re not the same innocent young men that were dropped off, having no idea what they were truly in for. They all learned a valuable lesson. Tomorrow is not promised. Live your life. Now. These men go after what they want out of fear of the future. And eventually, Frankie falls victim. She meets Rye and they both feel an undeniable spark. They find comfort in one another, and Frankie feels overwhelmed by her undying love for him.
Back home, President Kennedy has been assassinated and riots are spewing everywhere you look. People were getting killed for speaking out and trying to spread peace. American’s are angry, and the death toll numbers being reported aren’t nearly as accurate as they should be. There is no mention of the men being held hostage. No mention of how many men were killed, without any remains. Men were shipping out, and officers were showing up to their family homes less than a month later to deliver the news. No remains, no funeral, no other information.
Frankie is confused, and concerned. Did anyone back home in America really know what they saw day in and day out? No, they did not. She saw the worst of the worst in front of her all day long. She came to a numbing realization- No one back home knew the real truth.
On the morning of March 14th, 1969 Frankie awoke with the realization that she was going home that day. Home. She was getting out of the bloodshed and mayhem that was Vietnam- But why did she feel like she didn’t want to leave? Why did, all of a sudden, she feel like she belonged here and only here. She had aged rapidly during her years of service. She discovered that she was really good at saving people’s lives. She also excelled at giving hope to those who had none left. She had already re-upped her time in-country. Ultimately, she decides it’s time to go home. She wants to live the rest of her life there. After 36 hours of travel, she finally makes her way back home to sunny California. She didn’t know what to expect when coming back home. What she was met with was nothing like she could have ever imagined.
Nothing back home felt real. Nothing made sense. What had she done? Men and women, civilians, rioting and screaming, holding up signs begging to stop the war, spitting at her and calling her names like “baby-killer”. They had no respect for Frankie’s efforts, or any veteran for that matter. American citizens had no idea how many lives she had saved, nor did they care to learn the truth. She was not welcomed into open arms as being a hero. By anyone. She realized that they had been brainwashed by the media that they truly had no idea what was going on overseas.
She felt out of place, unknowing what would await her when she returned to her family home. Her parents were bereft when they saw her return home. She decided to surprise them, and she got a very un-welcome home party from them. Her mother was happy to see her daughter alive, yet distraught. Her father seemed like he couldn’t have cared less. Between being spit at from walking from her gate at the airport, to not being able to catch a cab based on the fact that she was still dressed in her Army green’s, she wondered, what the hell was happening to this country?
The nation became divided and distrusting in our constitution once they learned about the atrocities being hidden from them, though they still never really knew what exactly was happening over in Vietnam. Personally, I had no idea the true corruption and horror that was based solely on this history altering event. So I did some digging. The stories are all real. The men, and women, who served- Reduced to nothing after returning home. No help or respect to be given, until many years later. For some men and women, years later was already way too late. They were already too far gone.
The country was being lied to under the reign of JFK and newly appointed president Lindon B. Johnson. After the truth bubbled to the surface, people had every single right to be angry. Yet, their anger was misplaced. It was not the veteran’s fault for enduring the heinous acts of war. They barely even had a clue what they were getting into in the first place. The depictions of life in America in the late 1960’s really puts into perspective what life was truly like at that time.
Frankie fell into bad ways. She was suffering from severe PTSD, before anyone really knew what exactly that was, and no one believed her, especially not her parents. Their relationship struggled. She finally went out seeking help, only to be met with a brief, “sorry ma’am, we only take Veterans here“. She tried to explain that she was indeed a veteran, and she had served her time and then some. They didn’t believe her. No one believed her, because “there were no women in Vietnam”. She couldn’t believe it. She tried to not think about things and just fit in with societal norms and live her life. She really did. Ultimately, nothing was going to be the same. She wasn’t the same.
Barb and Ethel were there for her all along the way. Through expensive phone calls and letters, they kept their bond as strong as ever. The only thing keeping her going was thinking about seeing Rye Walsh again. The love of her life. She would write to him as often as she could. Until the letters from him stopped coming.
At this point, Frankie has experienced so much pain and trauma that she is a shell of a human being. She’s depressed. She’s traumatized. She doesn’t know where to go, or what to do. She finally finds help from a Psychiatrist who introduces her to the theory of “PTSD” and tries to get her on a path to recovery. She then joins movements alongside her good friends to bring the Vietnam veterans back home peacefully. She walks alongside countless civilians and veterans alike in protest who just want the war and mayhem to cease.
After officially hitting rock bottom, without much left of her life to hang on to, she creates a women’s shelter for those who did serve in ‘Nam. A safe haven for women like her to go to. Women who have tried seeking help, only to be turned away by the men. To share stories and work on healing. A place that will remember that they were there.
“We were there.” Three of the most powerful words in this book.
I wouldn’t necessarily say this book has a “happy ending” but it ended in a way that makes you hopeful for Frankie’s future. She has pings of hope in her heart, and her relationship with her parents makes a turn for the better.
I usually don’t read this genre of book, but I’m so glad I did! This book is heavy but it’s incredibly good. It is such a well written book, you almost forget that you’re reading a fictional novel. An easy 5⭐️ from me, and I’d recommend to anyone, though I would preface this book recommendation with my little trigger warnings, just in case it might strike a sore spot for some. Either way, I have a feeling this will absolutely be on any “Best Books of 2024” list that has yet to be published.
Thank you all for reading my take on this book. Leave a comment and let me know what you think, or follow any of my socials so we can connect and talk about all things bookish!
Happy Reading, friends.
-Rachel
RachelRavess 
Leave a comment