Soldier Girls (Thorpe) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
…compelling…The debate over women in combat; the difficulties faced by women in the military (from sexual harassment within their units to service in countries where women lead highly circumscribed lives); the stress that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars placed on the American armed services and on individual soldiers with multiple deployments—such highly complex matters are all made palpably real through the prism of this book's three heroines' lives…Ms. Thorpe's sharply drawn portraits are novelistic in their emotional detail and candor.
Michiko Kakutani - New York Times


Helen Thorpe's comprehensively researched new book…is a breakthrough work that spans 12 years of these women's lives, beginning just before the attacks on the twin towers…Through minute, almost claustrophobic, detail—using military and medical records, as well as therapists' notes and personal correspondence—Thorpe achieves a staggering intimacy with her subjects…What Thorpe accomplishes in Soldier Girls is something far greater than describing the experiences of women in the military. The book is a solid chunk of American history—detailing the culture's failings, resilience and progress.
Cara Hoffman - New York Times Book Review


In the tradition of Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, Richard Rhodes, and other masters of literary journalism, Soldier Girls is utterly absorbing, gorgeously written, and unforgettable.
Boston Globe


A thoughtful, fascinating and often heartbreaking account... Thorpe manages to burrow deeply into the lives of these women...incredibly intimate.
Miami Herald


(Starred review.) Moving... Highlighting how profoundly military service changed their lives--and the lives of their families--this visceral narrative illuminates the role of women in the military, the burdens placed on the National Guard, and the disproportionate burden of these wars borne by the poor.
Publishers Weekly


Thorpe provides a mass of detail on daily life, so much that it becomes almost mind-numbing despite the appealing humanity of these women. Verdict: [An] intimate narrative...[and] great insight into military life. —Edwin Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KS
Library Journal


(Starred review.) Thorpe fills this gripping tale with the women’s own words, texts, and letters (from friends and their children, as well), and the story is engrossing and heartbreaking at once.
Booklist


(Starred review.) [A]bsorbing...how wartime experiences shaped the lives and friendships of three female soldiers.... The women would disagree about the value of the time they spent swept up in unexpected wars, yet...none would ever question the ...love and support they gave to each other.... Intensely immersive.
Kirkus Reviews