BRAINERD – If you are even slightly involved in the book world, you have probably heard of author Kristin Hannah and her latest work, “The Women.”

The book came out in February and was an instant hit. I read so many positive reviews about it in the book group I follow on Facebook, and friends and family raved about it to me as well. When I finally decided to read it, I realized I would have to wait. I was number 85 in line when I reserved the book at the Brainerd Public Library in the spring. When it was finally my turn, I knew I wouldn’t have time to read it in the week I’d been allotted, so unfortunately I had to return it and get put back on the list.

Not long after, I was able to borrow a copy from a family member and finally see if it was worth the hype.

It was.

I was never a history buff and I don’t remember spending that much time on the Vietnam War in school. I never had to be well-versed on the subject, nor am I naturally curious about historical events so I didn’t have to look into it myself. That’s why I love historical novels. They are my way of learning about past events in a way that speaks to me and helps me absorb information better than reading a textbook.

The Women was a godsend in that respect. It opened my eyes to life in the 1960s and 1970s when the war was going on. I was able to see the general mood around the country about the conflict and what it all meant for those who served in the war.

When Frankie McGrath’s brother is sent to Vietnam, she decides to follow him and leave her luxurious Southern California lifestyle behind. Military service is important in her family and perhaps this is her way to immortalize herself on her father’s “wall of heroes.”

21-year-old Frankie is a trained nurse and joins the Army Nurse Corps in 1966 because she believes she too can make her family proud.

No amount of basic training could have prepared her for what awaits her in the makeshift hospitals in the Vietnamese jungle. Frankie is unsteady on her feet and not sure if she made the right decision to go there. She has no choice but to throw herself into the chaos of the 36th Evacuation Hospital. It’s hot, it smells, and in the humid weather, nothing ever seems to dry properly.

But she soon realizes that this is exactly what she is meant to do.

Life after Vietnam, however, is a completely different matter.

The Women proves that women were not just war heroes in a time when their efforts went largely unappreciated, but that they are made of a stuff that can withstand the worst human horrors and darkest depression. The power of true friendship cannot be overlooked when it feels like the world is falling apart around you and even the deepest love may not be able to withstand what the real world has in store.

If you have the opportunity to get your hands on a copy of “The Women,” I can only highly recommend it.

THERESA BOURKE can be reached at

[email protected]

or 218-855-5860. Follow her on Twitter at

www.twitter.com/DispatchTheresa

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Theresa Bourke started working at the Dispatch in July 2018, covering Brainerd city government and education in the region, including Brainerd Public Schools and Central Lakes College.