Description
Book SynopsisThis study analyzes the experience of female war correspondents from the Mexican–American War through World War II. It examines the construction of the concept of a “woman war correspondent” and the ways in which the press and the military both promoted and prevented their access to war.
Trade ReviewEdy rightly claims that her book goes beyond many histories of female war correspondents that offer “rich narratives about the experiences of individual women” and weave “a tale of heroic women challenging an army of chauvinistic editors and commanders.” Treating women as exceptions to a seemingly never-changing rule, such histories—like “first and only” stories—reinforce the notion that women working in jobs typically filled by men are abnormal, rendering women’s labor largely invisible. Through careful primary source research, Edy is able to move beyond this trope, arguing that women’s achievements as war correspondents have not been out of the ordinary at all. Such documentation alone makes this book valuable.... This is a valuable book with much to offer scholars interested in war correspondence and women’s press history. Two appendices provide a list of female war correspondents that could be the starting point for further studies, making it particularly valuable for graduate students and faculty working in this area. * Journalism History *
American journalists (both women and men) provided war news long before such coverage was regulated or censored by the government, notes Carolyn Edy in this fascinating and thoroughly documented history of women war correspondents. Yet it is the regulatory relationship between government and press that enables a deeper understanding of their work. Edy’s close examination of changing military policies regarding women in war zones shines light on challenges faced and contributions made as these women sought acceptance as credible reporters.... Women war correspondents had remarkable experiences—some lost their lives—and Edy’s book provides many of their stories. Indeed, she weaves such stories deftly with deep analysis of how correspondents gained accreditation and acceptance.... The Woman War Correspondent, the U.S. Military, and the Press: 1846 - 1947 is well researched, thoroughly enjoyable to read and would be suitable for coursework in media history, gender studies and military history. * American Journalism: A Media History Journal *
Welcome or not, American women, as Edy's meticulous research delineates, made a place for themselves as war correspondents.... Edy's study takes the alternative tack (and more challenging rhetorical undertaking) of illuminating the evolving vocation practiced by American women for a century. * St. Lawrence University Magazine *
The book does. . . a great job of balancing the negatives and the surprising benefits women war correspondents could gain at the front by being female with a notepad. . . This is a well-researched book with an extensive appendix, which has great research value all of its own. * The Journal Of Military History *
Carolyn M. Edy has broadened and deepened our understanding of women war correspondents. In so doing, she has expanded our appreciation of the scope and quality of their work and has corrected the many incomplete or incorrect conclusions of those who wrote the first drafts of history. These women served, and served well, their country and their profession, and it is good to have them restored to their proper place in history. -- Michael S. Sweeney, Ohio University, author of
The Military and the Press: An Uneasy TruceThis volume represents a terrific research undertaking. Carolyn M. Edy has done a thorough job of exploring the intersection of public policy and gender identity. Her work displays a sophisticated understanding of gendered discourse and the construction of the genre of woman war correspondent. This study makes a significant contribution to both women's studies and the history of war correspondents in general, male as well as female. While highlighting the careers of notable women, this book also explores the careers of those whose work had previously been omitted from media history and places them within the context of the journalism of their times. -- Maurine Beasley, University of Maryland, College Park, author of
Women of the Washington Press: Politics, Prejudice, and PersistenceTable of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: “A Womanly View of War,” 1846–1910 Chapter 3: “Conditions of Acceptance,” 1911–1939 Chapter 4: “To Play Men’s Rules,” 1940–1942 Chapter 5: “Women’s Stuff and the Little Stories,” 1942–1943 Chapter 6: “As Epitomes of All the Rest,” 1943–1944 Chapter 7: “A Matter of Special Facility,” 1944 Chapter 8: “Outstanding and Conspicuous Service,” 1945 Chapter 9: “Persona Non Grata,” 1945 and Beyond Appendix 1: American Women War Correspondents during World War I Appendix 2: American Women War Correspondents during World War II
