Women Heroes of World War I

Atwood, Kathryn J. Women Heroes of World War I: 16 Remarkable Resisters, Soldiers, Spies, and Medics. 2014. 256p. ISBN 9781613746899. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

At the onset of the First World War, men rushed forward, draped in patriotic fervor, to fight for their country against their enemies. But women, too, wanted to participate in what promised to be a great adventure. Women were not formally allowed to join the military, but they could serve in many roles to protect and defend their home and their country.

This book tells the story of sixteen brave women who were active participants during the First World War. They were spies, helping Allied soldiers to escape back to Britain. They were journalists, reporting on the horrible conditions of the battlefield, the hospitals, and of the people at home. They were nurses, who volunteered to serve in misery-filled hospitals both behind the front and in field conditions. They were soldiers, who fought and died alongside men, who commanded and led troops into battle, and who accomplished amazing feats and were rewarded with medals and recognitions.

Mostly forgotten and replaced in popular imagination by the women resisters of the Second World War, these women were just as courageous and dedicated. Read their fascinating stories and discover what made regular people step up and become heroes.

If you enjoy this book, you will also like Candy Bomber, about a US Air Force pilot during the Berlin Blockade. A graphic summary of the First World War can be read in Trenches, Treaties, Mud and Blood while The War to End All Wars provides an excellent overview of this conflict with beautiful illustrations.