I learned a lot from this book about forgotten warriors. The women who fought wars and it is indeed a long history. I wish more of this was taught in schools.

Should women be allowed in comabt? Sarah Percy's Forgotten Warriors replies, "they already have been, dummy." Sure, I'm paraphrasing, but I do believe that is the gist.

Percy's book looks at the women warriors from the time of Boudicca to today. She looks at the arguments and strategies used to keep women (unsuccessfully) away from the front lines and how women performed under some of the worst conditions possible. If you are looking for a book with a gigantic scope then you need look no further. However, scope is also a big problem.

I should disclose that I was a member of the U.S. Army and served beside women my whole career. Quite simply, my mind was already made up about this subject before I opened it. You won't find me among the group of people who say, "women can't hack it." Percy clearly agrees with me and states that. The problem is she states it a bit too often without fully dissecting the arguments against women in combat. To be clear, she doesn't shy away from the arguments. She just doesn't dig deep enough. I don't think this narrative would win any converts, but as I stated, I'm already on the, "I don't give a damn as long as you can do your job," team.

The scope of Percy's work is also a problem when she deals with specific examples of women in combat. Unfortunately, she left me wanting more in the wrong way. I'd love to read a book written by Percy on Joan of Arc or Brenda Berkman. The issue is that they get so little attention because Percy needs to keep moving to cover everything she wants to cover. For example, I now know Joan of Arc was preternaturally good with gunpowder. However, I can't tell you how she used that to the French advantage because we were on to the next example. There are details missing from these stories that hurt the overall flow of the book.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Forgotten Warriors but I was distracted too often by what the book could have been either as a full takedown of an old policy or as a spotlight for specific women combatants. If you think it looks interesting, you should read it.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Basic Books for an advanced copy of this book dealing with the role of women in combat, how they have been omitted, or marginalized from the history of battle.

As a reader I pretty much devoured anything that I could get, and I think this is how I became interested in history. I remember reading the Bantam War Classics, all paperback usually biographies or autobiographies of famous generals or frontline heroes, from both sides of a conflict, enjoying these and looking for more books of that type. Occasionally a woman would be mentioned, usually mom or a wife, but never ever close to the frontline. I remember reading a Weird Tales of War story and it had stories of woman, dressed as men fighting in battles. I wasn't sure why that was a weird tale, but stories of woman fighting, manning cannons, helping to plan actions, even female spies, were always considered an oddity. Later I learned about Russian female snipers, German female pilots, but again always second hand, or as signs that the enemy must have been desperate to arm ladies. Being a camp follower was excepted, a frontline combatant, well that was just unfeminine. And it turns out bad history. Forgotten Warriors: The Long History of Women in Combat by writer, educator, and radio presenter Sarah Percy is a look at woman throughout history who have fought in battle for all of the same reasons as men, though their stories were left behind.

The book begins with a lot of historians talking about the lack of woman in battle and war, many from historians that in all honesty should know better. Quite a few have written single of mutli-volume histories of particular wars, and to not write about the women involved, sniping, piloting, even espionage, seems like shoddy research. Women fought on the front lines of many conflicts, as most conflicts really came to them. And women also seemed to get the worst of it, made widowed, losing children, facing horrible attacks from friendly and enemy troops. The book than begins to look at women whose stories might be familiar to some, but to many have been never told. Readers learn of female generals, who plotted war, and led from the front. Spies behind enemy lines, killing when the had to, and training others in the dark arts of guerilla warfare. Snipers, pilots, and other front line troops from various countries, and what women might have to look forward to in the future of warfare.

A book about a depressing subject, thousands of years of conflict, but one whose true history should be told. Yes ment make up the majority of those that fight, but to marginalize the roles of certain people is too not tell the the truth about what war is. Sarah Percy does a very good job of sharing stories, correcting narratives, and presenting events as they occurred. Percy is a very good writer, with a strong voice that keeps the reading interested. The book is very well- researched, with lots of notes and other books for reading later. Their is a grimness to the book, but a book that is very valuable and worthy of discussion. I learned quite a bit about people I had never heard of, sadly, and more about people I knew but, didn't know the whole story. A very well written different kind of history.

Recommended for readers of history, especially those who read books on conflict. Also I would recommend this book for role playing game enthusiasts and war gamers, as this book could open up a lot of ideas for scenarios, and give role players an insight into the minds of women who are engaged in battle.

A fascinating look at often erased history. Perfect for those seeking out information about our shared, buried pasts.