First a big thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book as well as an apology for not getting to it back in 2021 , but i'n so glad I picked it up now in March 2024 as a buddy read with a friend because I ending up loving it , loving how each chapter highlighted
extraordinary contributions of women during World War II. And brought their lives to life .

'The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line' by Mari K. Eder is an inspiring collection of biographies highlighting the extraordinary contributions of women during World War II. Eder sheds light on the bravery and resilience of these often overlooked heroes, making it an essential read for anyone interested in women's history. Meticulous research and compelling storytelling bring to life the untold stories of these remarkable women, making the book both informative and engaging.

This is such an inspirational read. I absolutely love history stories, especially female ones. The author did a great job with putting their stories and history facts together without making it boring with just facts like a history lessons.

A refreshing short story collection that focuses on the brave women who stepped into WWII and made significant contributions. These women were content to be kept out of the spotlight but their stories are inspirational and deserve to be told. Although it was my grandfather who served in the war, my grandmother contributed at home by going to work and raising children. I’ve always been inspired by that generation of women who stepped into less conventional roles to do what needed to be done.
Anyone looking for a woman centered collection of true courage and is interested in WWII, this collection is for you.
#TheGirlsWhoSteppedOutOfLine #NetGalley #Sourcebooks

This was a great collection of stories about amazing women that never wanted to take credit for their heroism and actions during World War II but deserve credit and should have received it.

I cried quite a few times while reading this book because of the atrocities and challenges these women had to face. I am glad that Major General Mari K. Eder took the time to research these women and put together this book.

(Read a finished copy so I could see all the photos)

"The Girls Who stepped out of line not only made history, they created the future."

Learning about all these different women from different nationalities, religions, and walks of life was fascinating and exactly the type of non-fiction book I love. There are huge missing parts of history when it comes to women and how they helped and save the lives of people. I'm loving seeing so many authors focus on the women and the work they did and giving them the proper recognition they deserve while also inspiring the next generation because these stories are finally coming to light.

The author Mari K. Eder put so much into this book trying to get it right and making sure it was still interesting for readers while also telling the truth about what these women did.

Some of my favorite stories to read about were Charity Adams Early who was the first black commanding officer and all the barriers that she ended up breaking through in her work and standing her ground.
I also enjoyed learning about the Cook sisters and how they used their money earned from writing romance books to help Jews escape from occupied Germany and Austria.

I found it absolutely fascinating to learn more about the women codebreakers in America as well as the cartographers making terrain maps to help the war effort.

The Girls Who Stepped Out Of Line tells so many stories and I wish I could talk about all of them here but this review and post would be too long. But if you are planning to read any non-fiction book about WWII and want to get the most possible out of it I highly suggest this one as it tells about so many different areas that almost everything was covered in it.

Mari Elder is herself a retired US Army Major who understands the role of women in the military. She wrote this book to tell the story of women and girls who participated in WWII and made a difference by stepping out of line. Instead of taking no as an answer, they pushed to have a role in a male-dominated world.

The women/girls included in this nonfiction compilation of narratives are the untold stories of courage and bravery. These women were not celebrated or awarded as many of their male counterparts. Instead, they proved what women are capable of and paved the way for women to participate in a meaningful way.

Some were members of female military groups like the WAV or WASP, some helped Jews escape tyranny, some acted as spies, some worked as nurses and some helped with development of military strategies. They stepped up to play a role in defeating Germany and did so despite personal danger and no acknowledgment of their efforts.

Elder’s theme of stepping out of line is nicely woven through each woman’s story. She follows many of the women’s lives of service, noting when final recognition of their actions often came only as they neared death, or even after. Some never received accolades and their stories were often unheralded and hard to unearth.

The final chapter takes the theme to a contemporary conclusion with modern-day examples of young women stepping up. Today we still find girls who continue this rich tradition of selflessness and dedication to the betterment of the world.

The individual chapters highlight a different woman/girl and are straightforward accounts of their work. It is the common bond of service, of making a difference, that unite these ladies. We need books like this that highlight the role of women after so many years of being overlooked and ignored. Elder has gathered together fascinating stories of heroism and determination that will give some of these outstanding women recognition at last.

THE GIRLS WHO STEPPED OUT OF LINE – By MAJOR GENERAL MARI K. EDER U.S. ARMY, RETIRED

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

As you delve into THE GIRLS WHO STEPPED OUT OF LINE, you will read about amazing young women the likes of…

ALICE MARBLE, a professional athlete, inspiration for a Comic book character, played a crucial role in World War II as a spy for the U.S. and fought against institutional racism in Women’s Tennis.

‘“When my life was in danger, I did what I’ve always done. I fought.”’ —Alice Marble

HILDA GIMPEL EISEN, Escaped from a ghetto during World War II, ‘out of a cell, through a forest, and into a stark and destroyed landscape where she picked herself up ….’

‘“You’re going to see what the next day is going to bring.”’—Hilda Gimpel Eisen

MARY TAYLOR PREVITE and her three siblings were imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp in China during World War II. ‘The four Taylor children hadn’t seen their parents since just after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.’

‘“Some people say America has no heroes. I know their names.”’ –Mary Taylor Previte

IDA AND LOUISE COOK – ‘It was a blessing to be taken for granted and dismissed without a second thought. With their bland, unassuming faces and gawky figures, the Cook sisters would never stand out in a crowd, much less be considered a threat.’

‘Not all acts of humanity have to be large or sweeping to have an impact. Every life saved matters. More than twenty-nine families lived because of these modest heroines. Two unassuming women stepped out of line and broke the law to serve and save others.’

‘“We were lucky enough to see the problem in terms we could understand.”’ —Ida Cook

ELIZABETH BEMIS ROBARTS – ‘The women worked behind locked doors guarded by armed Marines. Inside, they connected wires and rotors for the behemoth Bombe. Betty was one of six hundred Navy women whose work, she learned at the reunion, saved thousands of lives.’

‘“The work that we did shortened the war by a year and half to two years. That’s a good feeling… Our generation…only did what we had to do to be free.”’ - Elizabeth Bemis Robarts

OLA MILDRED ‘MILLIE’ REXROAT MCDONALD – ‘Millie attended both public school and Indian School and after high school, worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Nebraska and New Mexico. She went to college, earning a degree in art from the University of New Mexico. She tried a few jobs after graduation, but nothing seemed to stick. She took flying lessons and thought about the WASP [Women Air Service Pilots] program.’

‘“Worry about being killed? I never gave it a thought. You couldn’t worry about things like that… You can’t live forever.”’—Ola Mildred Rexroat McDonald

‘MILLIE was the only Native American woman to serve in the WASP.’
‘HAZEL YING LEE and MAGGIE GEE were the first Chinese American women to serve as WASP pilots.’

‘Two Hispanic women, VERNEDA RODRIGUEZ and FRANCES DIAS, also earned their silver wings with the WASP.’

‘Several African American women applied and made it to the final interview stage, only to have their applications rejected.’

‘One woman faced two acts of discrimination.’

‘First, despite having earned an aviation certification at age nineteen, MILDRED HEMMANS CARTER was asked to withdraw from the WASP application process because of her race. Then, the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of Black male pilots to serve in the war, also rejected her—because of her gender. Seventy years later though, she finally received redemption from both slights, and was retroactively named a WASP, taking her final flight at age ninety.’

KATHERINE ‘KATE’ FLYNN NOLAN –’Kate was a brand-new second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. Her unit, the Fifty-Third Field Hospital (Heavy Casualty) was assigned to support the troops there on the beach, and onward to wherever they went to pursue the retreating Nazis. Kate, like nearly 60,000 other Army nurses, was mobilized “for the duration,” the orders said, plus six months, for good measure.’

‘“It felt like I waited all my life to meet just one of my former patients and know that he made it all the way home.”’ —Katherine Flynn Nolan


CHARITY ADAMS EARLEY aka Big Ma– ‘Charity had commanded a training company, which was a good experience but now—to have been selected to command a battalion, a brand-new unit, overseas during wartime known as the “Six Triple Eight,” was the only Black WAC unit to be deployed. Another first, with an impossible mission. The Six Triple Eight’s 855 women were sent to Birmingham, England.’

‘Their arrival came with a message about the danger of their work—a German V1 rocket, the “Buzz Bomb,” came screaming in just as the women were heading down the ramp. They ran for cover as it hit the dock close to where they were disembarking. No one was injured, but it was a definite reminder that they had arrived in a war zone.’

‘“I have opened a few doors, broken a few barriers, and, I hope, smoothed the way to some degree for the next generation.”’—Charity Adams Earley

More amazing women featured in this book include:

Stephanie Czech Rader
Elizabeth Peet McIntosh
Virginia Hall (Goillot)
Ruth Gruber
Dame Mary Sigillo Barraco
Berendina Diet Eman
Marion Armstrong Frieswyk

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks, for providing me with an eBook of THE GIRLS WHO STEPPED OUT OF LINE at the request of an honest review.

I loved reading this book and learning about this group of women. I always love learning about historical women and so this book was perfect for me. I loved the different stories this book told and how it covered multiple women. I hadn't heard about some of these women and I liked learning about them. It was a very informative book and I'm glad I was given the chance to review it.
I would definitely recommend it and read it again.

Every time I read a historical fiction story of women involved in WWII, my review says something about being glad a story is being told about women in WWII. Enter this book and my dreams have come true. I was captivated learning about these women and their part in the war. I had never heard of any of these women before, and I am so happy that someone is telling their story!!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

An amazing book about WWII. I loved getting to read all the different stories and how all these women contributed. It is definitely an important read and one I highly recommend.

Fantastic book about many courageous women who never made the news, books, or anything to validate the importance of their hard work during the War.

it was sad to read how they were constantly sabotaged in their work just because of their gender, men didn't want them to work next to them or even making the jobs they were "supposed to do" they mocked them and some of them even sabotage their weapons or their airplanes so they will fail. this was really making me angry who in their right mind will destroy the work of a comrade just because of her gender? it was so ignorant and naive.

The story of Alice Marble, Hilda Gimpel, Stephanie Czech, Elizabeth Peet, Virginia Hall aka Artemis, Mary Taylor, Ruth Gruber, Dame Mary Sigillo, Berendina Diet, Ida, and Louise Cook, Marion Amstrong, Elizabeth Bemis, Ola Mildred, and many more women who were the real fighters and that took many years for the Government to even recognized the importance of their work.

I love this book as I wrote before it is the stories we need to hear, the stories that will inspire many women and young women around the world, to fight for what they want and to see our dreams can come true no matter how many times other people try to say otherwise. many of these women were brilliant.

it was deeply saddened to read how many of these women were recognized just a few years ago, some even two or three years ago but before that, the government didn't want any of these to get out. their missions were so secret that, that even was the cause for them not to be recognized, they had to see many people being prized by their work before them. even people around them didn't know the importance of their work.

This is a great book to know and learn about many of these magnificent heroines who were responsible for many successes during the war such as cutting the world two years shorter, creating war maps and locations, stealing information, and even pretending to be in love with the most terrible nazis you will ever know. some of them endure atrocities that still haunt them forever but still, they're true heroines who need to be recognized.

Great Book!! Thank you, Mari K Eder, for bringing the stories of all these wonderful, courageous women I'm so glad that now I know the importance of their work.

this book recounts the stories of women who answered the call during World War II. This book is a celebration of women and the role they played during the war. These women served as spies, pilots, map makers, etc. Women did not serve on the front lines during the war, but they played a huge part in shaping the war and the victories. Their stories are told in this volume. Highly recommened!

Truth is stranger than fiction - and a lot more interesting, as this book by Mari Eder clearly demonstrates. Very well-presented, The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line tells the stories of women who might have been forgotten.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars, I enjoyed this book very much.

A very interesting history of some of the amazing but mostly unknown women who served their country in their own ways during WWII.

I'm a huge women's history fan, though I tend to stick with women of the old west. When I saw this title I thought I would branch out a bit, so to speak. And I am glad I did. These are some amazing women that no one has ever heard of, and we should know about them.

I found the writing to be well done and the stories interesting. I am glad they are finally being told.

“The Girls who Stepped Out of Line” tells individual biographies of 15 women who fought, served, and “stepped out of line” during WWII and in the aftermath. The women featured in this book include: Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley, Hilda Eisen, Ida and Louise Cook, Alice Marble, Ruth Gruber, Mary Taylor Previte, Major Stephanie Czech Rader, Betty Peet McIntosh, Virginia Hall, Dame Mary Sigillo Barraco, Diet Eman, Marion Armstrong Frieswyk, Betty Bemis Robarts, Millie Rexroat McDonald, and Katherine Flynn Nolan. These women were resistance fighters, inmates at an internment camp in China, smugglers, WASPs, WACs, spies, cartographers, nurses, and code-breaking bombe builders. Eder wrote an incredible book that is both accessible and content driven. Each chapter starts with a quote from one of these amazing women and then proceeds with a short story about them. Eder goes into a biographical vignette of the woman and includes pictures of each woman.

“History did an injustice to these women, wiping the slate clean of not just their service, but their very names.” (Eder, 2021). No longer. Eder is telling some of the stories that have been sealed and forgotten, inspiring us to stand up against injustice, to speak out, to protect those in need, to have courage, and to shatter all the ceilings that continue to be placed over us.

The last three chapters of the book discuss the aftermath of WWII and its affect on women and society in their struggle to “return to normal”. These chapters presented fascinating and disheartening information about how many of these women who served in the war weren’t considered veterans. She also describes how some of the women suffered from PTSD and what services were available to them—none. Eder discusses how some of the women chose roles of wife and mother, while others refused to quietly go home. No matter the life these women chose after the war, all had a tremendous impact on their communities, both at the local and international level. Additionally, their hard work and courage has inspired countless people to be bold. Eder does a lovely job including today’s women “who have stepped out of line”, including VP Kamala Harris, Serena and Venus Williams, Greta Thunberg, and Malala Yousafzai.

The last three chapters could have been structured better. For example, some of the information could have been included in the personal chapters. I had to flip back and forth because I couldn’t remember everyone’s name.

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks for a humbling and inspiring read. These women were brave and kind; brilliant and daring. I hope to live up to the model of courage and strength they provide. Thank you to SourceBooks for providing me with a hard copy of this book in addition to NetGalley’s ARC.

“My world was full of mystery and surprise. You sailed into this giant ocean, moving away from the safety of the shore, not knowing the destination—but knowing God was there. The world isn’t flat—the way folks said. It is round, with distant shore to find.” (Previte, M. T. as quoted in Eder, 2021).

I love when I am able to learn something new and this book delivered that. There are so many women that are not talked about from WW2 and this book gave a look into ones I was not familiar with at all. Their stories were powerful and just showed how much they were willing to do to not only save others but to help during the war. This is a book that I have already mentioned to people and cannot wait to share it with more people.

"The Girls Who Stepped Out Of Line,” tells the stories of women who took on new roles in World War II, whether they were moving goods to the front line, nursing soldiers in mid-battle, and engaging in intelligence and espionage, and whose work and sacrifices were immediately and conveniently forgotten when the War ended. Many of them would never receive the acknowledgment or compensation collected by men in similar or exact roles.

Expect to feel a bit of outrage, and a goodly bit of gratitude to these women who "stepped out of line" to help the Allies win WWII.

Amazing slice of history from different perspectives and with different voices. This book gives visibility to the key roles played by women in major historical events and does so in such an exciting, engaging way. The short “story” format really works here.

I loved this book! It gave me insights into a history you hear little about. I have such an appreciation for these amazing women and their stories. I’m thankful for the opportunity to read about their contributions.