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A review by rgyger
Women of the Blue and Gray: True Civil War Stories of Mothers, Medics, Soldiers, and Spies by Marianne Monson
4.0
This book is a good survey of women's contributions to the war, as well as the trials they faced living during that period. The chapters discuss those who fought, as well as those who spied, nursed, loved and lost family members, and those who used the war to bring about their own personal freedom from the constraints of that day.
The first half of the book was extremely enlightening, discussing female soldiers, spies, and rebels. The woman of these chapters played a direct part in the events of the Civil War and yet few of them are ever mentioned in history curriculums.
The second portion of the book related to woman whose lives were upturned by the war but who may not have had as large of an impact on it. This included the families of soldiers, displaced refugees, and the members of Native American tribes who were slaughtered by soldiers who were angry over being stationed in the west instead of being allowed to join the "heroic cause" back home.
At times, some of the later chapters had very little to do with the Civil War. Instead they would tell different women's life stories which happened to include the Civil War. Because of the topic of the book, I would have rathered there been more about the war efforts of some of the women mentioned in earlier chapters, however this did help paint a picture of the world all these women lived in.
The first half of the book was extremely enlightening, discussing female soldiers, spies, and rebels. The woman of these chapters played a direct part in the events of the Civil War and yet few of them are ever mentioned in history curriculums.
The second portion of the book related to woman whose lives were upturned by the war but who may not have had as large of an impact on it. This included the families of soldiers, displaced refugees, and the members of Native American tribes who were slaughtered by soldiers who were angry over being stationed in the west instead of being allowed to join the "heroic cause" back home.
At times, some of the later chapters had very little to do with the Civil War. Instead they would tell different women's life stories which happened to include the Civil War. Because of the topic of the book, I would have rathered there been more about the war efforts of some of the women mentioned in earlier chapters, however this did help paint a picture of the world all these women lived in.