One Woman's War: Letters Home from the Women's Army Corps, 1944-1946

by Anne Bosanko Green

Anne Green wrote weekly letters to her parents back in Minnesota, chronicling a familiar yet uncommon wartime story of patriotism, travel, homesickness, army procedures, off-duty hijinks, family bonds, and boredom. Her eye for detail and her easy, candid style make these letters a treasure for those who want to know about the war years—and for those who remember them all too well.

Genres: Nonfiction

332 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about WWII, I especially love reading about women in WWII, and I especially especially love reading about women who were actively involved in military matters during WII. So I found this book really interesting, ESPECIALLY since the woman writing the letters is from Minnesota, which is my homestate. So I got such a kick out of reading about Blake School and Nicollet Avenue and all that....not that much has changed. She mentioned the swanky homes of Lake Minnetonka and I had to smile - I knew exactly what area she was talking about because it's still filled with McMansions. The author was a very lively young woman who wrote to her parents very candidly and informally - lots of slang and stuff like that, which is always fun to read.

It did get a little long, especially towards the end. And I'm more interested in the frontline nurses than in the WACs, but honestly, so there are so few nonfics about or by American women during WWII that ANY book that looks at their experiences is a plus for me.

So yeah. If you like women's history and don't mind reading old letters (and if you're from Minnesota), I'd say read it. Otherwise, it might not be to your taste.