Hollow is a eye-opening memoir about a woman being in the Marines and the memories that your body carries with you. Bailey Williams went through hell and back, but she came out of it stronger, more vulnerable, and more human than before.

I've not read a memoir quite as incisive as Hollow in a long while. Having a family member in the Marines, I was interested to now hear from a woman's perspective. Williams writes fluidly and with a level of engagement that memoirs sometimes struggle with for me, but Hollow was anything but.

It always feels strange giving a star rating to someone's personal story. I will, for the sake of it sometimes being a deciding factor for people to read a book. While this was a tough read, it was full of a lot of heart. The author's story of her struggle as a female Marine with an eating disorder pulled hard at the empath part of me. I hope by Bailey sharing her story that others will feel the courage to do so as well. I cheered for her the entire time. This kind of story doesn't just happen in the Marines, but happens all over the world in many other situations. Women struggling in a world created for the white man to be successful. I'm very happy I was able to read an advanced copy of this!

This memoir is so inspiring, because the author takes so many personal risks and just keeps on going. Bailey Williams enlists in the Marines as a teen, right out of high school. Her upbringing has been a combination of being sheltered as a young Mormon, and being terribly abused by a stepmother. She is also dealing with the beginnings of an eating disorder, which just gets worse and worse as time goes by. After boot camp, she goes to Monterery, CA to the Dept. of Defense language institute to train as a crypto linguist. This is a wonderful indepth look at what it might be like to be a very young woman enlisted in the male dominated Marine Corps, dealing with an eating disorder, misogyny, and a total lack of response when she tries to get the medical help she needs. As a reader, you are basically glued to the page, cheering for Bailey the entire time.

For certain personality types, the order of the armed services is a powerful lure. For someone like the author, who grew up somewhat chaotically and struggled to control herself and struggled against eating disorders, it makes a kind of wild sense to try to give that control to something bigger. But the armed forces also reward discipline, stoic behavior, and perseverance, which can be taken too far.
This was a great read, but also a difficult one. All the author wanted was to be a good Marine, and that desire and the value system in the Marines fed a vicious cycle with her eating disorders. I'm glad she's alive, and I'm glad she told her story.

Wow. SO well written and so powerful. I couldn't stop turning pages. This is an important book on so many levels - women and eating disorders, sexual trauma, military culture, dangers of ingrained sexist practices in the marines, repressive religions, childhood trauma. What's really impressive is the skill with which Williams handles all of those huge issues and doesn't overwhelm the reader or ever come across as whining or patronizing or even, complaining. The reader will root for her and even while FURIOUS at the way the majority of males in the marines treat females, they will still love these characters and be grateful for their service and commitment. Outstanding read. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to read this incredible book.

This book was a tough read. I struggled a lot because my heart broke each time Bailey would make herself sick. What should have been a young woman proud of herself and accomplishment of being a Marine was overshadowed by her constant negative thoughts. I would recommend this book to young women who struggle with self image.

I found this memoir to be so powerful. Hearing William's story is impactful and it was a moving story. The emotion can be seen in the writing and it is clearly a journey that people can learn from when they are struggling

This was a good book full of all sorts of informative stuff of what recruits go through in boot camp.