Sisters in Arms provides a history of women in the military. I requested this for material on the various biographies and memoirs for my novel. This was a good read, no matter what you use the information for.

“As military historian Linda Grant De Pauw so eloquently explains: ‘Women have always and everywhere been inextricably involved in war. This thesis is simple and is supported by an abundance of evidence, but because it has profound, complex, and emotionally charged implications, the roles of women in war are hidden from history.’”

An insightful history of female warriors and women in war: from individuals that dressed as men, to societies that embraced female warrior culture. Would recommend.

Sisters in Arms provides a history of women in the miltary. Great addition on a subject that deserves more highlighting.

I really believed that this is going to be a very interesting book and I was looking forward to the interesting stories it brings. Unfortunately, the version of the book intended for reading on Kindle e-readers completely prevented any attempt to read and understand the text. In this version, all numbers are completely unreadable, encrypted, so you cannot find out any number or year in which the story takes place. I really don’t understand what is the point in giving a book to readers for the review if you’re not letting them find out some essential informations you’re writing about? I’m sorry, but I’m not going to finish reading this book and I’m extremely disappointed about that.

A look at women in the army from historical time to the present.A really interesting look at their role particularly the women who dressed like men in order to serve.Would make an interesting point of discussion,#netgalley#osprey

This was a well researched and insightful look at the role of women in the military. It specifically focused on women who donned the disguises of men to fight in different armies.

This book tracks the impact of women on the battlefield, from antiquity to the present day, finally giving some recognition to the endless stream of women who have served their own beliefs and the aims of their countries and people in terrifying circumstances with unending courage. There are undercurrents here about our perception of masculinity, of how war is so intrinsically linked to that, and how gender constraints serve nobody- even on a battlefield.

Rise up lady warriors - we're more needed than ever. An excellent history of strong women, and the need for them still. Read this book.

The thesis of this book is fantastic and needed because of course, women have been a part of violence and wars throughout history, and not just as the nurturing angels on the sidelines of the action ready to take care of the wounded menfolk. It really is high time that this narrative is told, and repeated, and repeated again.

That said, Wheelwright does manage to capture some incredibly interesting tales of women in combat (right off the bat, the book dives into an interesting story of a war hero many thought was a man, but...). and the impact of wanting to fight, trying to fight, getting to fight, etc had on lives and histories. In the end, the book is a bit too repetitive and suffers from disjointedness in parts as well.

I imagine there is little known about the stories/histories included in this book so it is worth it to read for the enlightening tidbits. I do wish the entire narrative had flowed a bit better.

Thank you to Osprey Pub. and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It seems that women have been at the forefront of war for a long time, even when women weren't officially allowed to serve, many did by disguising themselves as men. Although there is a brief mention of the Amazons, the examples are mainly from the USA, the UK, and Russia but cover a large period of time, including the American Civil War and the First World War.

I thought it was an interesting read about a subject that I know little about. To read about women who wanted to either fight alongside their spouses or fiances, and others who wanted to learn a trade and carve out a better life for themselves was fascinating. The author discusses the obstacles they faced both serving and afterwards when returning to civilian life, and brings this up to date with the issues still facing women in the military today. Overall, an informative read if rather narrow in its geographical focus.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Osprey Publishing, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

"I spoke to you of Amazons before... but I could give you many examples of women on our own ships who did men's service and were exceptionally brave. Of these, I could tell many amusing stories only they would take up too much paper." - Nicolaas Witsen

Let me begin by saying that this is not a book about female warriors FROM antiquity TO the new millennium. It's actually more of a book about the Scythian women who started the Amazons myth and A LOT of examples of women soldiers and sailors who tried to enlist from the 18th century onwards. I enjoyed most of these stories, but I have to admit I was looking for recounts on the HUGE part that is missing between the Greek myth of the Amazons and modern history. There was a lot of space that could have been covered, and I can't believe there were not stories about those times. The book focuses heavily (maybe too much) on stories set in URSS, UK, and the USA when it could have benefitted by telling us about women from the rest of the world. It focused too much on gender disguise (the colored tube had me laughing for HOURS) and the fear of being caught, it was great to read about it the first five times, but at some point, it's not interesting anymore. At least for me.
It felt like the book could have been so much more with maybe a different kind of editing, but it's, in fact, a missed opportunity.
One star goes solely to the extensive bibliography at the end that I will consult FOREVER.

I'll begin with a quote: "Beginning with the founding myth of the Amazons--in reality female warriors of a nomadic tribe to whom the Greeks attributed super-heroic powers--Julie Wheelwright explores the history of women in arms. " Not my advanced copy.

Whilst ever so briefly mentioning the Amazons, this lengthy tome focuses heavily on the period from the 18th Century onwards and predominantly on the UK, USA and USSR (for want of a better collective term). It covers quite succinctly the areas of gender disguise and open enlistment, the maintenance of the fiction (ie: women disguised as men), the fear of discovery and punishment, and the experiences of these women upon their return from active duty and their new-found celebrity. I, however, was looking for more of the historical aspect rather than the more "recent" history.

It is the final chapters the look at the continuity between historical and contemporary female warriors, but again within the parameters as set out above. There is a good section on sources, notes and extensive bibliography for those wishing to explore this topic further.

This will still make for a good sourcebook for those wishing to explore more - again, within the actual parameters.

Unfortunately the dates when I downloaded the book were scrambled and it became very clear that withiit the context of the period the author was discussing it was extremely hard to follow.

I thought the book would be quite different and my expectations unfortunately were not met. I was just looking for more from this book.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a free copy, I'm disappointed I didnt like this book more.