Sponsored by Write the World, publishers of Writers on Earth.
When it comes to confronting climate change, Gen Z is leading the way. “Writers on Earth” captures that hope and energy with powerful poems and stories by young writers about the global environment, its future, and our place in it. From Singapore to Canada, Australia to Pakistan, the US to Japan—Gen Z bares its heart. Equal parts love letter to planet Earth and a rallying cry, Writers on Earth will galvanize and inspire climate activists, educators, and nature lovers of all ages.
Monday is Memorial Day, the day that honors and mourns military personnel who have died while serving. While this technically focuses on those who served in the United States Armed Forces, I thought it would be a good opportunity to highlight some nonfiction reads by or about soldiers from other countries as well. There are many military books out there basically called “I Love My Gun.” They have not been included.
Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. This tells the story of “a groundbreaking team of female American warriors who served alongside Special Operations soldiers on the battlefield in Afghanistan—including Ashley White,” the first Cultural Support Team member killed in action. These women were banned from combat but worked as soldiers to build relationships on the ground.
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. This was highly recommended to me as a book that is very hard but very good. Beah was a child soldier at 13 in the army of Sierra Leone. He was forced to fight alongside other children for almost three years before he was able to flee to America. There are an estimated 300,000 child soldiers fighting today. Beah has become a spokesperson for their welfare. (note: I saw TW on Goodreads for rape and drug abuse, so be aware)
One Woman’s Army: A Black Officer Remembers the WAC by Charity Adams Earley. Soon after the U.S. entered World War II, Congress authorized the organization of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps and Adams Earley became the first Black woman commissioned as an officer. This is her story as the WAC’s first Black officer and as commanding officer of the only organization of Black women to serve overseas during World War II. This. looks. awesome.
Undaunted: The Real Story of America’s Servicewomen in Today’s Military by Tanya Biank. As of when this book was published (2013), women make up fourteen percent of the total U.S. active-duty forces. Biank highlights the challenges they face (like still being expected to emotionally take care of family), while focusing on some particular stories, like of Second Lieutenant Bergan Flanagan, who was on the frontlines in Afghanistan, serving in the same military police company as her husband.
A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II by Elizabeth Wein. If you’ve read Code Name Verity, you know Wein loves to talk women in the service in WWII. This is about the Night Witches! AKA the 588th Night Bomber Regiment of the Soviet Union. This is YA nonfiction, which I’m always delighted to recommend. These were women bomber crews who would fly into Russia and were ordered to never be captured or to retreat (or their families would pay the consequences).
As always, you can find me on social media @itsalicetime and co-hosting the For Real podcast with Kim here at Book Riot. Until next time, enjoy those facts, fellow nerds.