The Last Assignment by Erika Robuck ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

Sourcebooks Landmark
Pub Date: 8-19-25

Thank you @netgalley, @bookmarked, and @erobuckauthor for the opportunity to read this eARC

"Will today be the day I make the picture to end all wars? It’s a day of high color, saturated. The world looks like a poem. I feel both here and in a dream. On earth and in heaven."

I’ve been hooked by the idea of “War Journo Dames” ever since reading Kim Fay's Kate & Frida, so when I heard about The Last Assignment, I knew I had to learn about Dickey Chapelle!

This work of biographical fiction definitely has me wanting to know more of Dickey's story and I've already added two of the suggestions for further reading to my TBR.

The sense of place is incredibly vivid - from a Hungarian prison to revolutionary Cuba to the villages of Vietnam. What a life - certainly full of the horrors of war, but also filled with adventure, camaraderie, and love.

"I feel ready to again pick up my camera and find the places and the people in the world who need light. It’s my calling. I must use my gifts of curiosity, courage, and access to the inner light to go to the darkest places and expose what happens there. I used to think of myself as a girl reporter, then a war correspondent. Now, however, I see I have to serve as an interpreter of violence. Find it, expose it, name it, exorcise it. That is my task, and I’m ready for my next mission."

Before reading the description of The Last Assignment, I’d never heard of Dickey Chapelle. But thanks to Ericka Robuck’s talent for finding and telling the stories of people that sometimes slip through the cracks of history, I was able to meet and get to know a gifted photojournalist and war correspondent who was a fierce proponent of justice and an all-around bad ass.

Chapelle’s defiant and sometimes reckless passion frequently put her at odds with so many of her friends, family, and colleagues, but it also reminded readers that there are people in the world committed to being helpers no matter what the personal cost. Maybe she didn’t get it right one hundred percent of the time, but no one could say Dickey wasn’t one hundred and fifty percent sincere in her efforts and beliefs.

I especially loved the way Robuck wove the stories of other strong women into Dickey’s story. Learning about Las Marianas and the female contingent of the Sea Swallows was eye-opening. To see their commitment to their cause, their courage in the face of insurmountable danger was humbling. More people need to know about these remarkable women, and Robuck’s novel has helped ensure their legacy is lasting.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In bringing to life Georgette ‘Dickey’ Chapelle’s story, author Erika Robuck explores the cost of war.

Dickey was a freelance photojournalist sent to capture the revolutions in Hungary and Cuba and the war in Vietnam. You’ll want to save this compelling story to your ‘must-read’ list because it’s unique historical fiction about the first female war correspondent to die in combat - a trailblazing civilian who was buried with full military honors. Aren’t you curious about what she did that the US Army bestowed these honors on her? Even if this question doesn't pique your interest, perhaps you'll want to see how one of the most unforgiving situations in history fostered the success and transformation of an ordinary woman.

As a voracious reader of historical fiction, I appreciated that Robuck showed me different aspects and locations of wartime conflict. She captured the delicate balance between raw emotions, fascinating settings, and unforgettable characters while honoring the bravery of a woman whose service was overlooked.

By inserting her characters into intense action, allowing them to experience hardship and then granting them the ability to capture it to show those on the sidelines, Robuck exposes the human side of history for her readers. This unique lens captures the resilience of the human spirit and the power of bravery in the face of evil.

If you enjoy intelligence history, trailblazing women in the shadows of war, epistolary format alternating with prose, and are curious about the courage bolstered and witnessed on the front lines, this one is for you!

I was gifted this copy by Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.