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Summary: Saga of American military nurses in Philippines during WW II
Review: Norman is the first professional historian to write the story of the 99 American military nurses serving in the Philippines when the archipelago was attacked by the Japanese. Here is their story as individuals and a group, told honestly by a writer who has drawn upon many sources as well as her own expertise to produce a definitive synthesis. For me, who has read and reviewed scores of accounts of military and civilian POWs in the Philippines, and who was interned with Army nurse Ruby Bradley, the most interesting part is the often sad tale of neglect that followed their return home, a reminder that stories do not always have happy endings.
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Summary: A great gift and antidote for any chronic complainers.
Review: If you want to put things in perspective in an era of materialism,...if you want to learn something new about dedication and selflessness to your fellow man/woman read this book.
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Summary: Masterful, fatual, compelling historical writing
Review: I, too, read Elizabeth Norman's book, We Band of Angels, The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese, over the Memorial Day weekend. She did a masterful job in her research and writing to retell this unique story about this group of America's military nurses and their dedication to duty. This story is unique in American military history, in that in no other instance in our history has this number of military women, been taken captive, held as POWs for almost three years, and all survive. However, it is not unique in its demonstration of military nurses' dedication to honor and duty. The facts in the book speaks loudly to many of today's societal debates, but to Norman's credit, she chose not to get into what many of us euphemistically term "pissing battles of bias". She tells the story of this historical event and its impact on the women who experienced it. She let the story stand on its own merits for anyone who reads it. Am I biased in undertaking this review of her book? To an extent, yes. I am a retired Army Nurse Corps officer, who worked with, or served under some of the women about whom Norman has written, and who we both tremendously admire. I have also had opportunity to know perhaps more about the blueprint of her story than most of the public-at-large. She has done a masterful job. Had she not, I would not have given her the time of day. Norman's research and interviews led her to more details about this historical event than many of us were aware and has interwoven them into the story in a manner that cleared up some of its mysteries. She told us enough about the lives and motivations of many of these women prior to their entering the military, and their lives following this experience, to let us determine for ourselves the extent to which this experience was a seminal and defining life experience for them, individually as well as collectively. Elizabeth Norman is more than a historian, bringing an objective eye to the reporting of facts or experience. She is an expert nurse and researcher, who knows that historical research is not merely the story of people and events, nor does it lend itself to clinical trials or experimental studies, but rather to the analysis of phenomenon with a view toward objectively explaining events, where explanation is possible and faithful to the occurence. Personally, I do not believe anyone other than a dedicated, committed, expert nurse, who also was a historian, could have written this book with the same degree of accuracy, detail and justice deserved by those nurses who lived it. To nurses, and particularly military nurses, this book reminds and rekindles within us that pride the remaining surviving Army and Navy nurses of the Philippines, Bataan, Corregidor, Santo Tomas, and Los Banos must feel in this retelling of "their" story. But this book is not just for nurses, it is for all who have fought for this country, and to those who waited hopefully for their family members' safe return. Many of America's warriors are alive and well because of miliary nurses like those of whom this story is about. Those casualties who made it back to our hospitals but still did not survive their injury, not only had an expert nurse at their bedside, but a surrogate mother or sister who did not have to be concerned that their caring or their own grief would subvert their expertise. Neither could their feelings be realistically viewed as a sign of weakness. Their strength and their courage was demonstrated by their desire and willingness to be there and the long hours of work they endured. My only wish is that before all of those many nurses who served in World War II are gone, or the memories become too faded, some of the other defining stories of World War II's military nurses, such as those who served and died on the Anzio beachhead, can be pieced together in a narrative as riveting and as faithful to the experience as Norman's in We Band of Angels. Ira P. Gunn, MLN, CRNA, FAAN, LTC, US Army, Retired
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Summary: A dramatic story of women, war, imprisonment and survival.
Review: As a young girl, I remember touching my mother's navy blue Coast Guard uniform and wondering what it was like to be a woman in the military during World War II. I combined this curiosity with a professional interest in battlefield nursing--I am a registered nurse--and began an eight year journey interviewing twenty women who are part of the largest group of female POWs in the history of our country. To complete their story, I visited archives and spoke with their husbands, children, relatives, other POWs, and veterans from the battles of Bataan and Corregidor in the Philippines in 1942. Although more than fifty years has passed since their wartime ordeals, the women's memories and emotions are strong and vivid. I wrote We Band of Angels using the nurses' own voices to tell their experiences in the jungles, underground tunnels, POW camps, and return to freedom. With no military preparation, these women stayed at their jobs and performed their responsibilities as well as any soldier in battle. They were--and are today--loyal, disciplined, and proud of their accomplishments. I hope you enjoy this story about one group of women made remarkable by history and ennobled by suffering and love.
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Summary: One of the most poorly written books I've ever read.
Review: Here is potential for a great book. WWII. Unsung heroes. Jungle, jungle rot, politics,bombing, snakes, starvation, etc. It's all there and the book reads like freshman English pumped up. Those 5-star reviews have to be good friends. Shame on Random House.
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Summary: A must for your reading list!
Review: This is a gripping story of the nurses and their experiences during the Japanese takeover of Corregidor and Batan. I read it over Memorial Day weekend and it was indeed a fitting time to read the great work by Elizabeth Norman. I couldn't put it down. I was fascinated with the story of these women who were so brave when faced with horrible conditons to work in. In spite of the conditions they never failed their patients. You do not have to be a nurse to appreciate this book. Thank you Dr. Norman for giving us this story.
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Summary: Dr. Norman has personalized events in the South Pacific.
Review: WE BAND OF ANGELS is a concise and reviting historical document that at long last captures the truth behind the Army and Navy nurses who led American womanhood into battle. Dr. Norman has not only provided a remarkable record of these women's achievements and sacrifices but also puts to rest many of the propaganda-laden ideas which emerged from the war front. Having read this book over Memorial Day Weekend, I was impressed by the values to be found in such a work. I recommend it to any one interested in honest and meaningful history.
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Summary: At last the true - and complete - story of the Bataan Nurses
Review: This is, quite simply, the best book of military history written since "Citizen Soldiers." Dr. Norman not only details the harrowing experiences of the Army nurses imprisoned by the Japanese after the fall of Bataan, she also gives us pictures of who these women were before they landed in the Philippines and what became of them after their liberation. Her scholarship is impeccable, and the insights she brings to this often-forgotten chapter of history make this a reading experience not to be missed. I couldn't put it down - nor will the members of my book club be able to stop reading once they open the first page.
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Summary: From the perspective of a woman veteran of 22 years service.
Review: Just read a new book "We Band of Angels" and it is quite high on my recommended reading list for any of you interested in military women's stories. It is heartwarming and at the same time heartbreaking. Told in a style that puts the reader directly into the lives of these valiant nurses - it takes you on a journey through the horrors of World War Two in the Pacific - as if you were there. The author draws you into the Malinta Tunnel underground hospital on Corregidor and describes the almost superhuman endurance of the military nurses working there to save their patients - and she does it with balanced style. She reveals their triumphs and their humor, along with the dreary and miserable conditions under which they worked. When the Japanese capture the nurses and send them to Santo Tomas internment camp you journey with them through their three years as prisoners and their ultimate liberation. The author, Dr Elizabeth Norman, has done a remarkable job - using interviews, diaries, letters, and a wealth of research - in telling this story that has been hidden by history. America seems to forget that women are veterans too - Dr Norman has helped remind them. Barbara A. Wilson, Capt. USAF (Ret)
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Summary: Put this on the top of your summer reading list!
Review: An incredible story presented by a remarkable story teller! I purchased this book to give to a friend as a gift. I couldn't resist reading it first. It is a gripping story about the experiences of 99 army and navy nurses who were trapped in the Phillipines by the Japanese shortly after Pearl Harbor. The personality of each nurse emerges as the human spirit is confronted with the challenges of daily survival during battles, escapes, disasterous living conditions and caring for the casualties of war. Oral histories, photographs, diaries and sound research are incorporated into a well paced narrative to make this book a real page turner. Elizabeth Norman is a gifted historian. As a nurse, I enthusiastically recommend this book to nurses; and those on the journey to becoming a nurse. CB Flores, President, New Orleans District Nurses Association
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