Band of Sisters American Women at War in Iraq

The following editorial is from Booklist and describes the author and her book. Holmstedt started studying the experience of women marines when she lived near Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Her research became a master's thesis in creative writing and the most up-to-date discussion of women in the current war. Unblushingly in favor of women in combat, she doesn't whitewash their experiences or exaggerate their achievements. Their male colleagues aren't universally accepting, but many of them admit that the women are performing effectively; since 20 percent of the troops currently in Iraq are women, they must. Following the tradition of American soldiers before them, they say that they are "just doing the job." That is, they are flying F-18s into enemy ground fire, driving Hummers and trucks that may be ambushed at any moment, and playing invaluable roles in intelligence operations and in the nation building that is one of the more positive aspects of a seemingly interminable and frustrating conflict. Nearly 500 female soldiers have been killed or wounded in Iraq. Invaluable as well as readable. Green, Roland

What other's are saying:

“Band of Sisters is lyrical, visceral, and potent. Kirsten Holmstedt sets a peerless standard as a raconteur with powerful stories of the valor of today's women in combat.”

—David J. Danelo, author of Blood Strips and The Border

“Band of Sisters is one of the few truly revealing books written about out military in the past decade—and one of the most fascinating to read. This overdue account of the combat actions of the women who wear out country's uniform reads as swiftly as a thriller, but the thrills her come from the real sacrifices and valor of America's fighting women.”

—Ralph Peters, author of Never Quit the Fight and Wars of Blood and Faith

“Inspirational and revealing, Band of Sisters is the first book to explore the personal and heroic accounts of real women in modern-day combat”

—Paul Rieckhoff, executive director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and author of Chasing Ghosts