Invisible Women: Junior Enlisted Army Wives

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Summary: How not to be a military wife
Review: I'd like to point out, first of all, that I am an officer's wife. However, I have a much different perspective than that of the author. Apparently, she has known only a handful of enlisted spouses and is not aware of the many resources available in the community where she could have pointed these women toward for help rather than letting them flounder. I've seen enlisted women who went to college and held high paying jobs, I've seen those who were stay at home moms who made ends meet however they could, I've seen those who ran businesses, I've seen those who ran the post's spouses' club, their unit's Family Readiness Group or Red Cross chapters. This is a narrowly focused book, with a microscope on the worst of military life. What's sad is that no information was provided to the public on what help these wives could have found in the military community if they had reached out for help to the appropriate source.

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Summary: Common ground
Review: I, like some of the other reviewers am an Army wife who has some concerns about Ms. Harrell's work. It seems to me that the Army is bending over backwards to hear the voices all Army families and in fact, they have much more of a voice than Harrell claims. The main problem I have with this book is the fact that Harrell passes it off as being a mere statement of the issues that it is totally unbaised. Not true! She states in several different ways that it is horrible how these women have been forgotten and that serious changes need to be made in how the military deals with families. In reality, the military is sacrificing readiness and the ability to prepare for conflict around the globe to hold the hands of people who do have resources available to them in the military community. I do think some of the points are valid, and raising discussion is always good, but the danger is that people in the upper echelons of the military are paying serious attention to a book that is neither unbaised nor the whole story.

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Summary: Stirring a hornet's nest
Review: I, like some of the other reviewers am an Army wife who has some concerns about Ms. Harrell's work. It seems to me that the Army is bending over backwards to hear the voices all Army families and in fact, they have much more of a voice than Harrell claims. The main problem I have with this book is the fact that Harrell passes it off as being a mere statement of the issues that it is totally unbaised. Not true! She states in several different ways that it is horrible how these women have been forgotten and that serious changes need to be made in how the military deals with families. In reality, the military is sacrificing readiness and the ability to prepare for conflict around the globe to hold the hands of people who do have resources available to them in the military community. I do think some of the points are valid, and raising discussion is always good, but the danger is that people in the upper echelons of the military are paying serious attention to a book that is neither unbaised nor the whole story.

Rating:
Summary: For anyone considering family life in military service
Review: In Invisible Women: Junior Enlisted Army Wives, Margaret Harrell reveals a surprising and candid revelation about the lives of junior enlisted Army wives based on interviews with hundreds of spouses, Army Personnel, and others in the military community. Three specific and representative women give voice to the dilemmas commonly confronting junior enlisted families. The informative text blends humor and pathos as these young women speak of the challenges of youth, lack of education, financial difficulties, distance from husbands and families, and being "invisible" within a large military bureaucracy. Invisible Women is highly recommended reading for anyone considering family life within the context of military service, women's studies groups, and military life reference collections.

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Summary: Do Not Waste Your Money!
Review: In this narrative, Margaret Harrell claims to be enlightening the powers-that-be of the poverty, loneliness and lack of education that *some* junior enlisted wives encounter.Please. The aforementioned stereotypes about junior enlisted wives are old,old news. Even an officer's daughter/wife should have figured this out before performing extensive research(which,I'm sure, was done solely at the local trailer park) for a book that is a very sad stereotype of a very diverse group of people.
Junior Enlisted wives come in all colors,shapes,sizes and ages. Many are educated, worldly,confident and motivated to succeed as wives,mothers and businesswomen. Individuals of this caliber are out there-unfortunately, the author of this rubbish chose to ignore this fact.
Those of you who would like to gain knowledge of what a *real* junior enlisted wife is like should consider volunteering at the local USO as opposed to wasting an afternoon reading this book.

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Summary: How Offensive can you get?
Review: It is apparent that Ms. Harrell didn't do her homework very well. I could have given her a completely different view of military life. I did not marry my husband young, I have a college degree, I hold a job actually making more than my husband (an E-5) and never have I been more offended. The book does nothing to distroy the stereotypes of military wives and is just offensive.

Rating:
Summary: tells the story of a very small population
Review: She has no clue how to do research
First off, I am a military wife. I will say that these women have valid concerns, and that what they experienced is not always uncommon- however- they chose not use the hundreds of military resources that are available to us each and every day. The military knows about these concerns- this book has unmasked nothing. What it has done, is to further foster the society imposed sterotype that military wives are unintelliegent, unemployed baby factories with little to no problem solving skills. Three women HARDLY represent the whole- out of all she interviewed she specifically chose three gals who had it rough, and did not thrive. What about the privates wife who held a job, went to school, had a child, and eventually became a teacher for the Army? Why is SHE not in this book? People believe what they read- and for this author to come in and say she did extensive research, and the best she could find were these three women, then go to lable the book an all encompassing 'junior enlisted wives'--well, she may have claimed that the book's goal was to make the government aware of our strife- but madame, let me tell you, all you have truly done, is to set back all the hard work we have done, and put us back to facing the public as so called 'poor military wives.' By the way- I am that Private's wife mentioned above. On little money, I managed to pay the rent, and have food on the table while my husband was gone to Saudi. I worked part time, and went to school, and gave birth to my first child mid semester. I completed school with child in tow, and now teach in military schools. There are many more like me out there- perhaps you would like to write another book?

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Summary: from an Army physician
Review: The author provides valuable insight into the lives of junior enlisted spouses. It also highlights the end results of the disastrous family, health care delivery and personnel policies of the Department of Defense. This book is a must read for anyone who serves invisible women.

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Summary: Inaccurate portrayal of enlisted families
Review: Though the author claims to have interviewed hundreds of spouses, she obviously choose the three that are the most appealing to someone of her stature (a former officer's wife) and has not displayed the insight for a true portrayal of the Invisible Women. Though the topic is great and many enlisted familes can see parts of themselves in some of the topics or issues, it is not a "typical" story of junior enlisted wives. It smacks of sensationalism and stories that keep the tabloids in business. Take this book with a grain of salt, and do not lump an entire group of junior enlisted spouses in the same category of these three women. This is NOT reality as we know it.

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Summary: Typical enlisted bashing
Review: What do you expect from an officers' wife? It's typical enlisted bashing from a has-been. Harrell does nothing more than stereotype young enlisted wives as trailer park trash. Exploiting 3 women and making it seem like the whole lot of enlisted spouses are immature and uneducated is ludicrous. Note to all officers' wives - you're not as important or smart as you think you are. Maybe someone should write a book on some of their flawed, ignorant lives beginning with Ms. Perfect. 1 star out of 5 because "zero" isn't an option. Puke!