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Midwatch
"Danback-McGhan’s exquisite and unforgettable stories reveal the ways that women are made to pay for serving in the military. Heartbreaking, funny, and wise, Danback-McGhan’s debut will linger beyond the midwatch hours."—Ivelisse Rodriguez, author of PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction finalist Love War Stories"Jillian Danback-McGhan arrives with a great blend of literary swagger and artistic vision. What a bold, brilliant debut."—Matt Gallagher, author of Daybreak, Empire City, and Youngblood"Beware the power of stories, behold the power of stories…Midwatch demands that we not look away, that we not stuff up our ears, that we believe the women who’ve sacrificed when they tell us what it cost."—Travis Klempan, author of Have Snakes, Need Birds and Hills Hide MountainsWomen service members confront a world that treats their military service as spectacle in Jillian Danback-McGhan's debut short story collection, Midwatch.
Caught in the liminal spaces between past and present, trauma and recovery, reality and delusion, the women in Midwatch encounter gender performance, structural misogyny, and both social and personal violence. A boarding officer fights her destructive impulses while leading an ill-fated anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden; an alcoholic company officer adjudicates a case of sexual harassment and reciprocal assault; a former child actor turned Marine plans her return to showbusiness while recovering from an IED attack; and a young petty officer finds herself entangled in a murderous love triangle on her new ship.
Blending military literature and feminist horror, Midwatch tells the overlooked stories of women service members, demanding that readers reconsider the roles of women in violent conflicts.
Caught in the liminal spaces between past and present, trauma and recovery, reality and delusion, the women in Midwatch encounter gender performance, structural misogyny, and both social and personal violence. A boarding officer fights her destructive impulses while leading an ill-fated anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden; an alcoholic company officer adjudicates a case of sexual harassment and reciprocal assault; a former child actor turned Marine plans her return to showbusiness while recovering from an IED attack; and a young petty officer finds herself entangled in a murderous love triangle on her new ship.
Blending military literature and feminist horror, Midwatch tells the overlooked stories of women service members, demanding that readers reconsider the roles of women in violent conflicts.
132 pages, Paperback
Published February 6, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 18, 2024
What an interesting world, brought to life with such humor and insight. I really enjoyed my time in these stories.
January 18, 2024
I was so excited when my pre-order of MIDWATCH arrived. The author and I are Naval Academy classmates and both served at sea, so my expectations were high. And still she exceeded them. Danback-McGhan has written a collection that whisked me right back to my ships, to our homeport hails-and-farewells, and to the halls (or, rather, p-ways) of Bancroft on the shore of the Severn River. Veterans and service members are often called "heroes," but her characters are allowed to be human, with all the good and bad that entails. If you want to better understand what it means to serve--or if you just want to read wonderfully detailed, atmospheric stories from someone who knows how to tell one--be sure not to miss this collection.
January 29, 2024
Outstanding collection. The opening story, “Midwatch,” is exactly the kind of story I want and try to write. As a veteran of the enlisted category, seeing narrators who are officers who actually work is enlightening. Can’t recommend this highly enough.
October 24, 2024
A beautiful collection of stories that took me right back to my time at the Academy and serving on ships. The gender discrimination women face in the Navy is such a nuanced topic and these stories address it head-on while highlighting the delicate balance that all women in the military must perform while serving. Some of these stories really hit close to home, and it's both comforting and troubling that the female experience in the military is so equally universal.
August 28, 2024
“Discretion was the price of entry for this profession; there could only be perfection or the pain of falling short. It didn't matter if I vivisected myself into separate pieces daily, the knife could never slip. Sometimes I wonder if to be a woman is to bleed and apologize for it.”
October 12, 2024
This book blew me away. It's well written and the stories are well told. Ms. Danback-McGhan invited me in to every story, tossed me around a bit, and brought me out safely to the other side. These stories have left a lasting impression on me.
May 8, 2024
An unmissable collection from a crucial perspective! Women service members confront a world that treats their military service as spectacle in Jillian Danback-McGhan's debut short story collection, Midwatch.
Caught in the liminal spaces between past and present, trauma and recovery, reality and delusion, the women in Midwatch encounter gender performance, structural misogyny, and both social and personal violence. A boarding officer fights her destructive impulses while leading an ill-fated anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden; an alcoholic company officer adjudicates a case of sexual harassment and reciprocal assault; a former child actor turned Marine plans her return to showbusiness while recovering from an IED attack; and a young petty officer finds herself entangled in a murderous love triangle on her new ship.
Blending military literature and feminist horror, Midwatch tells the overlooked stories of women service members, demanding that readers reconsider the roles of women in violent conflicts. Blurbed by Ivelisse Rodriguez, Matt Gallagher, Katey Schultz, Dr. Liam Corley, Travis Klempan, and Randy Brown, who says, "These are gut-churning sea stories, worthy of standing any gothic lit-lover’s graveyard shift—and each gritty enough to fuel a full-steam-ahead workshop on leadership ethics and military life. Soldier or sailor, veteran or citizen: Read. This. Book."
Caught in the liminal spaces between past and present, trauma and recovery, reality and delusion, the women in Midwatch encounter gender performance, structural misogyny, and both social and personal violence. A boarding officer fights her destructive impulses while leading an ill-fated anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden; an alcoholic company officer adjudicates a case of sexual harassment and reciprocal assault; a former child actor turned Marine plans her return to showbusiness while recovering from an IED attack; and a young petty officer finds herself entangled in a murderous love triangle on her new ship.
Blending military literature and feminist horror, Midwatch tells the overlooked stories of women service members, demanding that readers reconsider the roles of women in violent conflicts. Blurbed by Ivelisse Rodriguez, Matt Gallagher, Katey Schultz, Dr. Liam Corley, Travis Klempan, and Randy Brown, who says, "These are gut-churning sea stories, worthy of standing any gothic lit-lover’s graveyard shift—and each gritty enough to fuel a full-steam-ahead workshop on leadership ethics and military life. Soldier or sailor, veteran or citizen: Read. This. Book."
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews