Mothers, Sisters, Soldiers, Spies examines the long, continuous history of women's participation in American wars-not as rare exceptions, but as a structural part of how war has been fought, supported, and endured.
From the Revolutionary era through the modern conflicts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, women sustained armies, gathered intelligence, organized logistics, nursed the wounded, labored in war industries, and at times served in uniform-often without formal recognition or lasting security. Their contributions were indispensable in wartime and frequently minimized or erased in peacetime.
Rather than focusing solely on celebrated figures, this book centers the lived experiences of women whose work rarely entered official records. It examines how gender, race, and class shaped access to military roles, how institutions defined and constrained women's service, and how personal sacrifices extended far beyond the battlefield.
Written for general readers, students, and libraries, Mothers, Sisters, Soldiers, Spies offers a historically grounded, evidence-based account of women's wartime labor, intelligence work, and service across American history.
