Band of Sisters (book) explained

Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq
Author:	Kirsten Holmstedt
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Subject:	Iraq War, Women
Genre:	Nonfiction, Military History
Publisher:	Stackpole Books
Pub Date:	July 2007
Pages:	384
Isbn:	978-0-8117-0267-6

Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq is a 2007 book by Kirsten Holmstedt about the Iraq War and women in the military with a foreword by Tammy Duckworth. Band of Sisters presents twelve stories of American women on the frontlines including America's first female pilot to be shot down and survive, the U.S. military's first black female combat pilot, a 21-year-old turret gunner defending a convoy, two military policewomen in a firefight, and a nurse struggling to save lives.^{[1] [2]}

Holmstedt claims that women need greater protection from hazing and abuse by fellow soldiers, but that they are as strong as men and should be given full combat roles.^[3]

Author

Kirsten Holmstedt is a journalist who writes about the military.^{[4] [5]} She has published two other books:

• The Girls Come Marching Home: Stories of Women Warriors Returning from the War in Iraq (2009) Stackpole. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]}
• Soul Survivors: Stories of Wounded Women Warriors and the Battles They Fight Long After They've Left the War Zone (2016) Stackpole.

Awards and recognition

• Winner of the 2007 American Authors Association Quill Award
• Winner of the 2007 Military Writers Society of America Founders Award^[11]

See also

• Vernice Armour, featured in Band of Sisters, was the first African-American female naval aviator in the Marine Corps and America's first African American female combat pilot in the United States military
• Tammy Duckworth, wrote the foreword for Band of Sisters. She is a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot whose severe combat wounds cost her both of her legs and damaged her right arm, former director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, and current United States senator for Illinois

External links

• Women’s Combat Roles Evolving in Iraq, Afghanistan, PBS NewsHour https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military-july-dec07-women_07-05/
• Band of Sisters Official Website
• Barnes & Noble Customer Reviews
• Amazon Customer Reviews
• Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq, limited preview on Google Books

Notes and References

1. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Band-of-Sisters/Kirsten-A-Holmstedt/e/9780811702676
2. Desnoyers-Colas. Elizabeth. Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq (book review). H-Net Reviews. November 2007. 8 October 2015.
3. News: White. Caitlin. She isn't afraid to stand up and say that women not only should be allowed to fight but that they're as strong as men, and that they need greater protection and rights within their units.. 8 October 2015. Bustle. 11 November 2014.
4. News: Wood. Sara. Author Kirsten Holmstedt sheds light on women in combat. 8 October 2015. WHQR. 6 February 2013.
5. Stein-McCormick. Carmen T.. Sisters in Arms: Case Study of the Experiences of Women Warriors in the United States Military. University of South Florida Doctoral Thesis. 2011. 16, 18–20. .
6. News: Olsen. George. The Girls Come Marching Home - Kirsten Holmstedt. 8 October 2015. Public Radio East. 23 July 2009.
7. Hughes. Mary Ann. Back on the home front.. Library Journal. July 2011. 136. 12. 40. 13 October 2015.
8. Book: Caplan. Paula J.. When Johnny and Jane Come Marching Home. 2011. MIT Press. 9780262296304. 64, 66. 30 October 2015.
9. Boyce. Sarah. The Girls Come Marching Home: Stories of Women Warriors Returning from the War in Iraq (review). Veterans Law Review. 2011. 3. 330–336. 30 October 2015.
10. Book: Whaley Eager. Paige. Gender in a Global/Local World: Waging Gendered Wars : U.S. Military Women in Afghanistan and Iraq. 2014. Ashgate Publishing. 978-1409448464. 52. 30 October 2015.
11. Web site: 2007 Season . Military Writers Society of America.