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Women of Action
Reporting Under Fire: 16 Daring Women War Correspondents and Photojournalists
An NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2015Martha Gellhorn jumped at the chance to fly from Hong Kong to Lashio to report firsthand for Collier's Weekly on the conflict between China and Japan. When she boarded the "small tatty plane" she was handed "a rough brown blanket and a brown paper bag for throwing up." The flight took 16 hours, stopping to refuel twice, and was forced to dip and bob through Japanese occupied airspace.Reporting Under Fire tells readers about women who, like Gellhorn, risked their lives to bring back scoops from the front lines. Margaret Bourke-White rode with Patton's Third Army and brought back the first horrific photos of the Buchenwald concentration camp. Marguerite Higgins typed stories while riding in the front seat of an American jeep that was fleeing the North Korean Army. And during the Guatemalan civil war, Georgie Anne Geyer had to evade an assassin sent by the rightwing Mano Blanco, seeking revenge for her reports of their activities.These 16 remarkable profiles illuminate not only the inherent danger in these reporters' jobs, but also their struggle to have these jobs at all. Without exception, these war correspondents share a singular to answer an inner call driving them to witness war firsthand, and to share what they learn via words or images.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
14 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 23, 2014
Although this book is aimed at young adults I couldn't put it down. Maybe it was because most of the women featured -- war reporters from WWI to the present -- had to risk serious personal danger in order to get their scoops. Or perhaps it was a fascination with these intense personalities and a curiosity about where their ambition would next land them.
Hollihan's biographies of these compelling women are concise but thorough and the reader cannot help getting a close-up view of the events the women were determined to cover; there's a plethora of well-researched history here and you see it through the reporters' eyes as it unfolded. Exciting stuff.
This is obviously a great read for teens or for those who study women's history or journalism but it deserves a much broader audience.
Hollihan's biographies of these compelling women are concise but thorough and the reader cannot help getting a close-up view of the events the women were determined to cover; there's a plethora of well-researched history here and you see it through the reporters' eyes as it unfolded. Exciting stuff.
This is obviously a great read for teens or for those who study women's history or journalism but it deserves a much broader audience.
July 25, 2014
The extensive research behind Reporting Under Fire – 16 Daring Women War Correspondents and Photojournalists is impressive, but author Kerrie Logan Hollihan does more than just lay out the facts about these female journalists. Hollihan places each woman in historical context and helps readers relate to the culture, the events, and the issues of her times. With skillful storytelling, entertaining anecdotes, powerful quotes, and intriguing photos, Hollihan brings these sixteen inspiring women to life for both young and adult readers. I highly recommend this fascinating book!
January 5, 2022
With so many Americans ignorant of world affairs, I think this book does a good job of piecing together a good overview while giving an honest view of women journalists on the front line in history and the obstacles they faced. (Wish I had known about these ladies while growing up!) Don't let the young adult focus dissuade you from picking this up. It is a good introductory piece that will have you chasing your interests in various rabbit holes in an attempt to understand the truth for yourself.
August 7, 2018
Reporting Under Fire: 16 Daring Women War Correspondents and Photojournalists is written by Kerrie Logan Hollihan and pays homage to sixteen women journalist who went to into war to report to the world at large what was happening. This book is divided into six chapters: World War I, Between the World Wars, World War II, Cold War, Modern Wars, and Wars during the nineties and beyond.
Hollihan has written powerful, riveting, and concise biographies for each and every one of these women journalists from all over the world from the First World War to the wars of the twenty-first century. This inspiring collection of short biographies features those who went into danger to report and relate what is happening that could affect the entire world. This anthology shows how inherently dangerous these jobs are, but also shows their struggles to have these jobs at all.
All in all, Reporting Under Fire: 16 Women War Correspondents and Photojournalists is a wonderfully written book and a magnificent collection of mini-biographies of sixteen journalists, who happens to be women. It is a good read and reference book for anyone who wants to learn more about women in history.
Hollihan has written powerful, riveting, and concise biographies for each and every one of these women journalists from all over the world from the First World War to the wars of the twenty-first century. This inspiring collection of short biographies features those who went into danger to report and relate what is happening that could affect the entire world. This anthology shows how inherently dangerous these jobs are, but also shows their struggles to have these jobs at all.
All in all, Reporting Under Fire: 16 Women War Correspondents and Photojournalists is a wonderfully written book and a magnificent collection of mini-biographies of sixteen journalists, who happens to be women. It is a good read and reference book for anyone who wants to learn more about women in history.
October 18, 2020
Amazing stories of very courageous women who liked to write!
September 28, 2016
Author Kerrie Logan Hollihan highlights the lives of 16 women who served as war correspondents and/or photojournalists. The book covers women from WWI to the present. Some of the women presented are Helen Johns Kirtland, Dorothy Thompson, Martha Gellhorn, Marguerite Higgins, Gloria Emerson, and Martha Raddatz.
The author includes an Afterword, Notes, Bibliography and Index at the end of the book. It's clear to see by these reference materials that the author did her homework.
The author includes an Afterword, Notes, Bibliography and Index at the end of the book. It's clear to see by these reference materials that the author did her homework.
June 21, 2014
I wish this was required reading when I was in J-School. As a female journo I always felt camaraderie with the few ladies I did read about in textbooks, but the ladies in this book go beyond the city-beat, into the depths of war.
Reporting Under Fire profiles 16 different women from 1914 to current times that have taken on war reporting, even before war correspondents were recognized as a necessity. Many carved out their own style, became experts in certain regional conflicts and just generally didn't let anything stop them from telling the human story.
Margaret Fuller, probably the first woman war correspondent, Peggy Hull, who dropped out of high school and became the first embedded woman reporter, Sigrid Schultz, who got the bartender to swap her alcohol for water so she could beat the boys at their own game, Betty Phillips, first African American war correspondent, and so many others highlight the amazing determination women have had in the field. Martha Gellhorn, too often overshadowed by her ex-husband, gets her story told here.
This book serves many purposes. It gives a rich history of war reporting, empowers the oft overlooked contribution of women to the field and gives power to all those that come after. The journalism field is still plagued by sexism, but knowing that other women have sacrificed much to help us get to where we are is really inspiring.
Reporting Under Fire profiles 16 different women from 1914 to current times that have taken on war reporting, even before war correspondents were recognized as a necessity. Many carved out their own style, became experts in certain regional conflicts and just generally didn't let anything stop them from telling the human story.
Margaret Fuller, probably the first woman war correspondent, Peggy Hull, who dropped out of high school and became the first embedded woman reporter, Sigrid Schultz, who got the bartender to swap her alcohol for water so she could beat the boys at their own game, Betty Phillips, first African American war correspondent, and so many others highlight the amazing determination women have had in the field. Martha Gellhorn, too often overshadowed by her ex-husband, gets her story told here.
This book serves many purposes. It gives a rich history of war reporting, empowers the oft overlooked contribution of women to the field and gives power to all those that come after. The journalism field is still plagued by sexism, but knowing that other women have sacrificed much to help us get to where we are is really inspiring.
June 12, 2014
This is a great profile of female war correspondents that goes deeper than just straight facts. We learn more about these women and what they dealt with in their personal lives and how they balanced that with their work. It was interesting to read about Martha Gellhorn's life as both a reporter and having been married to Ernest Hemingway and how that impacted her life and work. The section on Janine DiGiovanni's reporting in Sarajevo and her marriage to a cameraman who suffered from PTSD (due to situations he dealt with covering war zones) that really stood out to me. The author does an amazing job of not just profiling these women, but making you realize they were real people with their own problems, egos, insecurities, and pride in their work. A must read for anyone considering a career in journalism.
August 15, 2015
Reporting Under Fire profiles the lives of sixteen female war photojournalists from World War I to the war in Iraq. Addressing the young adult audience, Hollihan tells about the challenges each female journalist faced to do the same job male journalist did. She weaves their personal stories with the period of time they worked.
A great read for anyone who enjoys history, and especially the history of feminism in the United States movement and the clever ways in which they broke into journalism proving a good war correspondent could be either male or female.
Check out Kerrie Hollihan speaking about her book on NPR at this link:
http://wvxu.org/post/reporting-under-...
A great read for anyone who enjoys history, and especially the history of feminism in the United States movement and the clever ways in which they broke into journalism proving a good war correspondent could be either male or female.
Check out Kerrie Hollihan speaking about her book on NPR at this link:
http://wvxu.org/post/reporting-under-...
February 7, 2016
This book is an excellent resource for teens about women reporters throughout history. The book gives historical and cultural information as well as personal information about the women who are featured. Covering women reporters for the last 100 years, the stories feature strong, independent women, who worked hard in a profession that was not welcoming to women. The stories are intriguing and show the impact that these women have had on the reporting industry and on the many people who were affected by their work. I received this book free to review from Netgalley and I highly recommend it.
July 10, 2014
The extensive research behind Reporting Under Fire – 16 Daring Women War Correspondents and Photojournalists is impressive, but author Kerrie Logan Hollihan does more than just lay out the facts about these female journalists. Hollihan places each woman in historical context and helps readers relate to the culture, the events, and the issues of her times. With skillful storytelling, entertaining anecdotes, powerful quotes, and intriguing photos, Hollihan brings these sixteen inspiring women to life for both young and adult readers. I highly recommend this fascinating book!
September 14, 2015
Facinating and Intriguing. This book investigates the daily struggles and accomplishments of 16 fearless women who bore witness to the atrocities of war and revealed its underbelly to the world. Their roles as correspondents and photojournalists opened the minds and hearts of people around the world in a time when a woman’s opinion mattered less than another fallen leaf in autumn. Kerrie Logan Hollihan has given us a glimpse into the lives of these outspoken heroes and a unique view of our shared history.
July 28, 2014
Reporting Under Fire chronicles the stories of sixteen female journalists who lived from the time of World War I to the present. Each was assigned to cover the wars of the period from a woman's perspective. The challenges these women faced, their personal comments and experiences, and photos are all included in this very well-researched book.
Those who enjoy world history, the history of the feminist movement, and the history of journalism will find this book a fascinating read.
Those who enjoy world history, the history of the feminist movement, and the history of journalism will find this book a fascinating read.
October 24, 2015
So many brave women who did what they had to do to get the truth-even before the 1900s when they had little to no chance of getting out there. Many with rocky lifes.
As a young woman who wants to personally be a photojournalist, war correspondent or not, I found this book even though it's meant for teens (I'm 23) enlightening! It gave me an in-depth look at the life of a war correspondent and the real dangers they face. I hope to one day be as brave as them knowing my life is on the line.
As a young woman who wants to personally be a photojournalist, war correspondent or not, I found this book even though it's meant for teens (I'm 23) enlightening! It gave me an in-depth look at the life of a war correspondent and the real dangers they face. I hope to one day be as brave as them knowing my life is on the line.
January 24, 2016
I'm not always a big non-fiction reader, but this was a good read! I'm so spoiled as a woman. Other than dealings with a few auto mechanics, I've been very fortunate to have never felt gender discrimination! Very fascinating how women reporters wanted to be in the middle of wars but men didn't want them there - for whatever reason! Women today have no clue how lucky we are. We ride on the shoulders of very brave women that have come before us!
April 14, 2014
Reporting Under Fire showcases 16 female journalists from pre World War 1 to now. It deals with the struggles and dangers that these women went through and how they had to work harder then most men to prove themselves.
If you are,interested in the fight of the female journalist this book is for you.
Five out of five stars.
March 23, 2015
Excellent book!!! Starts out before WWI with select women correspondents and comes forward to our times. The stories grow and become more interesting as we get to 2014. This book made me realize that I have been living in a bubble and not paying attention on what is going on in the world with our or their wars, its time to pay attention.
October 13, 2014
There were (and are) many more female reporters than I imagined. They were tenacious and brave
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews