Top Shelf: The Women

The Women, by Kristin Hannah, is a harrowing story of one woman's experiences as a nurse in Vietnam.

Frankie McGrath is fresh out of nursing school and country club life when her brother is killed and she enlists in the army. To say she's "unprepared" is to put it mildly. Fortunately, she has two women who enter her life and teach her the ropes of the nurse corps. They end up becoming her rocks for years to come.

The first phase of the book focuses on Frankie's background and early days of the war. Then come the bombings, the deaths, the wounds and the exhaustion.

Speaking of exhaustion, this is no short novel to undertake. You'll follow nurse McGrath throughout her life, including her military experiences, her romances, and her life after the war.

The post-war life is perhaps the most surprising and alarming of the novel. Hannah addresses the atmosphere in the US toward Vietnam veterans and the shocking attitudes toward mental health, especially for these nurses. It also addresses the idea of loving one's country but not always approving of the decisions made by its leaders.

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