Books by/about Women Veterans
Note: This list is not an exhaustive list and is focused primarily on post-9/11 books. Please see More to Explore for additional/historical titles. And if you know of a book I’m missing, please let me know!
Memoir/Autobiography
- All I Could Be: The Story of a Woman Warrior in Iraq by Miyoko Hikiji (Army)
- Calmed: Growth After Trauma by Jennifer Hobbs (Army)
- Danger Close: My Epic Journey as a Combat Helicopter Pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan by Amber Smith (Army)
- Eyes Right: Confessions from a Woman Marine by Tracy Crow (Marines)
- Fidelis: A Memoir by Teresa Fazio (Marines)
- Formation: A Woman’s Memoir of Rape, Rage, and War by Ryan Leigh Doste (Army)
- Hesitation Kills: A Female Marine Officer’s Combat Experience in Iraq by Jane Blair (Marines)
- Sirens: How to Pee Standing Up—An Alarming Memoir of Combat and Coming Back Home by Laura Naylor Colbert
- I’m Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen—My Journey Home by Shoshana Johnson (Army) with M. L. Doyle (Army)
- If You Ain’t Cheatin’, You Ain’t Tryin’ and Other Lessons I Learned in the Army by Joy Damiani (Army)
- Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing: Essays by Lauren Hough (Air Force)
- Long Way Out: A young woman’s journey of self-discovery and how she survived the Navy’s modern cruelty at sea scandal by Nicole Waybright (Navy)
- Love My Rifle More than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army by Kayla Williams (Army)
- Plenty of Time When We Get Home: Love and Recovery in the Aftermath of War by Kayla Williams (Army)
- Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital by Heidi Squier Kraft (Navy)
- Shade It Black: Death and After in Iraq by Jessica Goodell (Marines) with John Hearn
- Shoot Like a Girl: One Woman’s Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and on the Home Front by Mary Jennings Hegar (Air Force)
- The Fine Art of Camouflage by Lauren Kay Johnson (Air Force)
- The Heart of a Soldier: A True Story of Love, War, and Sacrifice by Kate Blaise (Army)
- The Nightingale of Mosul: A Nurse’s Journey of Service, Struggle, and War by Susan Luz (Army) with Marcus Brotherton
- Unbecoming: A Memoir of Disobedience by Anuradha Bhagwati (Marines)
- Uncultured: A Memoir by Daniella Mestyanek Young (Army)
- War Flower: My Life after Iraq by Brooke King (Army)
Leadership
- Flying in the Face of Fear: A Fighter Pilot’s Lessons on Leading with Courage by Kim Campbell (Air Force)
- Rock the Boat: Embrace Change, Encourage Innovation, and Be a Successful Leader by Danelle Barrett (Navy)
- The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience, and Leadership in the Most Male-Dominated Organization in the World by Shannon Huffman Polson (Army)
Anthologies/General Nonfiction
- A Girl’s Guide to Military Service: Selecting Your Specialty, Preparing for Success, Thriving in Military Life by Amanda Huffman (Air Force)
- Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
- Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq by Kirsten Holmstedt
- Beyond the Battlefield: Stories of Tenacity and Mindful Guidance Along the Warrior’s Path by Theresa Kulikowski-Gillespie (Army)
- Camouflaged Sisters (multiple titles) by Lila Holley
- Fight Like a Girl: The Truth Behind How Female Marines Are Trained by Kate Germano (Marines) and Kelly Kennedy (Army)
- It’s My Country Too: Women’s Military Stories from the American Revolution to Afghanistan edited by Jerri Bell (Navy) and Tracy Crow (Marines)
- Moms In The Military: Raising A Child While Serving in the Armed Forces by Patricia Qaiyyim (Air Force)
- Powder: Writing by Women in Ranks, from Vietnam to Iraq edited by Lisa Bowden and Shannon Cain
- Soldier Girls: The Battles of Three Women at Home and at War by Helen Thorpe
- The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq by Helen Benedict
- Women of the Military: A Compilation of Stories from American Women Service Members by Amanda Huffman (Air Force)
Fiction
- Be Safe I Love You by Cara Hoffman
- Kurtz by John Lawson III (Marines)
- The Master Sergeant Harper Mystery series by M. L. Doyle (Army)
- The Homefront Series; The Coming Home Series by Jessica Scott
- Playing Army by Nancy Stroer
- Midwatch by Jillian Danback-McGhan
Poetry
- Battle Dress: Poems by Karen Skolfield (Army)
- The Time War Takes: Poems by Jessi M. Atherton (Army)
More to Explore
Presumption and Folly: Writing by Women Veterans—a bibliography compiled by Navy veteran and writer Jerri Bell.
Women of the Military Podcast, hosted by Air Force veteran Amanda Huffman and featuring interviews with women veterans from across services and eras on a wide variety of topics.
Warrior Writers—Warrior Writers is a veteran-focused arts organization that fosters artistic exploration and expression through casual, welcoming workshops and retreats.
Time Now: The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in Art, Film, and Literature, a blog maintained by Army veteran and writer Peter Molin.
War, Literature, and the Arts—WLA is a journal that publishes creative and scholarly works on war, literature and the arts.
Military Experience & the Arts—MEA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose primary mission is to work with veterans and their families to publish short stories, essays, poems, and artwork in our bi-annual publication, As You Were: The Military Review, periodic editions of Blue Nostalgia: The Journal of Post-Traumatic Growth and others.
Wrath-Bearing Tree—Established by combat veterans and maintained by a diverse board of veterans, military spouses, and writers compelled by themes of social justice and human resilience, The Wrath-Bearing Tree publishes essays, reviews, fiction, and poetry on military, economic, and social violence written by those who have experienced military, economic, and social violence or their consequences. (Full Disclosure: I am a nonfiction co-editor for Wrath-Bearing Tree)
Collateral Journal—Publishing literary and visual art concerned with the impact of violent conflict beyond the combat zone.
The War Horse—The War Horse is an award-winning nonprofit newsroom. Our team strengthens our democracy by holding power to account and improving the public’s understanding of the true cost of military service.
Consequence Forum—Consequence Forum addresses the consequences, realities, and experiences of war and geopolitical violence through literature, art, and community events. We provide the public with works and voices from around the world to promote a clearer and more nuanced understanding of what’s at stake in choosing to wage war or engage in conflict.