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A review by toggle_fow
An Unladylike Profession: American Women War Correspondents in World War I by Judy Woodruff, Chris Dubbs
3.0
This as an interesting look at World War I through the eyes of the female war correspondents that covered it.
Most of them I had never heard of (with the minor exception of Nellie Bly, who only featured briefly) but I ended the book feeling the desperate urge to strike off, somehow, into the unknown myself. These women were certainly characters, and managed many times through unconventional means to get closer to the action than their male colleagues.
The book emphasizes that they tended to cover the war in a more "personal" way, telling stories of day-to-day encounters and experiences, rather than writing sweeping name-and-date type articles about tactics and strategy. Overall, though, it isn't really an exploration of how WWI impacted the state of women in journalism, nor is it about journalism in WWI in general; it's more a collection of micro-biographies, snapshots of a group of intrepid women, following their correspondence careers until the end of the war.
It was interesting in an "oh, huh" sort of way, but definitely not unforgettable required reading.
Most of them I had never heard of (with the minor exception of Nellie Bly, who only featured briefly) but I ended the book feeling the desperate urge to strike off, somehow, into the unknown myself. These women were certainly characters, and managed many times through unconventional means to get closer to the action than their male colleagues.
The book emphasizes that they tended to cover the war in a more "personal" way, telling stories of day-to-day encounters and experiences, rather than writing sweeping name-and-date type articles about tactics and strategy. Overall, though, it isn't really an exploration of how WWI impacted the state of women in journalism, nor is it about journalism in WWI in general; it's more a collection of micro-biographies, snapshots of a group of intrepid women, following their correspondence careers until the end of the war.
It was interesting in an "oh, huh" sort of way, but definitely not unforgettable required reading.