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Where the Action Was: Women War Correspondents in World War II
During World War II, 127 women managed to obtain official accreditation from the U.S. War Department as war correspondents. In spite of U.S. military regulations that forbade women to cover combat, Martha Gellhorn, Margaret Bourke-White, Lee Miller, and many others found ways to get “where the action was.” Their tenacity, bravery, and fresh approach to reporting war news broke the gender barrier and opened the way for women journalists of today. This is the exciting story of what they did and how they did it—flying bombing missions, taking photographs inside Buchenwald, stowing away on D day hospital ships, dodging bullets on Iwo Jima, and much more. Penny Colman’s authoritative and exciting text also functions as an overview of the war and is profusely illustrated with up-front photos.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published February 12, 2002
4 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Penny Colman
29 books10 followersPenny Colman is the author of award-winning biographies and social histories. Her intriguing topics range from Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II to Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts: A History of Burial. A popular speaker, Penny has appeared on television and radio, including National Public Radio, and on Book TV, C-Span2.
She has been honored by the New Jersey State Legislature for her books and public appearances that have “contributed to the advancement of women.” The New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs presented her with the New Jersey Women of Achievement Award.
A graduate of The University of Michigan and The Johns Hopkins University, Penny has taught nonfiction literature and creative writing at various colleges and universities, including Teachers College, Columbia University and Queens College, The City University of New York, where she was a Distinguished Lecturer.
She has been honored by the New Jersey State Legislature for her books and public appearances that have “contributed to the advancement of women.” The New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs presented her with the New Jersey Women of Achievement Award.
A graduate of The University of Michigan and The Johns Hopkins University, Penny has taught nonfiction literature and creative writing at various colleges and universities, including Teachers College, Columbia University and Queens College, The City University of New York, where she was a Distinguished Lecturer.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 28, 2022
This is a fantastic overview of women ear correspondents during WWII. It was the start of my foray into WWII reenacting and has a lot of solid information on the job and women involved along with a great bibliography. Women Who Wrote the War by Nancy Sorel is another fantastic read. This was a reread.
April 3, 2012
Well-written different view on the story of World War II
This book is aimed at students from grades 5-12, although I found it interesting and learned a lot.
World War II histories abound. Histories of the complete war, various theaters, biographies of units and single officers fill the bookshelves. I have seen books that look at the role of women in the war - the home front, as pilots, intelligence officers and so on. But, I have never seen anything about female war correspondents. I did not even know that there were female war correspondents - I simply assumed that the sexist attitudes of the day would have not allowed them to work.
Happily, I have been enlightened by Penny Colman. She tells the story of the war through the eyes of several female war correspondents - sometimes through direct quotes, sometimes through reproductions of the headlines of their articles that are placed throughout like in a scrapbook. The history of the war and the story of these war correspondents was woven together seamlessly and very well done. The pictures are either pictures of the women correspondents or pictures taken by them (or both).
Female correspondents were everywhere - at the taking of the Sudetenland by German, scooped the rest of the world on the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939, among the refugees fleeing Paris, in Moscow when Germany attacked the USSR, in Europe, on Iwo Jima, there when concentration camps were liberated, in Italy and on and on and on.
http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/...
This book is aimed at students from grades 5-12, although I found it interesting and learned a lot.
World War II histories abound. Histories of the complete war, various theaters, biographies of units and single officers fill the bookshelves. I have seen books that look at the role of women in the war - the home front, as pilots, intelligence officers and so on. But, I have never seen anything about female war correspondents. I did not even know that there were female war correspondents - I simply assumed that the sexist attitudes of the day would have not allowed them to work.
Happily, I have been enlightened by Penny Colman. She tells the story of the war through the eyes of several female war correspondents - sometimes through direct quotes, sometimes through reproductions of the headlines of their articles that are placed throughout like in a scrapbook. The history of the war and the story of these war correspondents was woven together seamlessly and very well done. The pictures are either pictures of the women correspondents or pictures taken by them (or both).
Female correspondents were everywhere - at the taking of the Sudetenland by German, scooped the rest of the world on the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939, among the refugees fleeing Paris, in Moscow when Germany attacked the USSR, in Europe, on Iwo Jima, there when concentration camps were liberated, in Italy and on and on and on.
http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/...
February 25, 2011
More like 3.5. Has a good bibliography. The content is good, but I think the problem is in the structure. There is a total lack of transition within the chapters. I think it would have been better if it were organized by correspondent, or with a clearer chronology. Also I think it would have been better with full reproductions of some of the articles that the correspondents filed.
This does have some graphic photos and other content (wounded soldiers, plus one of German citizens being forced to walk past a pile of corpses at Buchenwald). And photos that are not graphic but are very sad, like the one of an orphan in bombed-out Paris clutching his teddy bear. (Though I think maybe it was actually an elephant or something else.) When I got to the part about the arrival of Allied forces in the concentration camps I started crying - hard not to.
Strange to think of issues of Vogue carrying articles and photos of the concentration camps.
This does have some graphic photos and other content (wounded soldiers, plus one of German citizens being forced to walk past a pile of corpses at Buchenwald). And photos that are not graphic but are very sad, like the one of an orphan in bombed-out Paris clutching his teddy bear. (Though I think maybe it was actually an elephant or something else.) When I got to the part about the arrival of Allied forces in the concentration camps I started crying - hard not to.
Strange to think of issues of Vogue carrying articles and photos of the concentration camps.
February 12, 2016
A terrific introduction to the female correspondents of World War II. Engaging and lively format. Recommended!
Want to read
April 20, 2011This book was in the bibliography of a book The Postmistress and sounds very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews