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It's the Fall of 2000 and three female basketball players are looking forward to a bright future at the United States Military Academy at West Point.  Dani McNalley, a dynamo on the court and in the classroom, takes college by storm, easily breaking any stereotypes her classmates might have about an African-American woman's right to be at the prestigious institution.  Hannah Speer's gentler nature threatens to fold under the pressure of homework, sports practice, and military drills.  With God by her side, however, she knows that nothing is impossible.  An unbeatable athlete at her high school, Avery Adams is finding herself to be a small fish in a big pond.  Sure, she can attract a male (or ten) without the tiniest effort, but can she prove her real worth, on the court and off?  As the trio deals with a demanding coach, exhausting physical and mental strain, as well as the added stress of being female on a mostly-male campus, they come to rely heavily on each other.  They know the unbreakable bond they formed at West Point will be the one thing that sustains them through everything that comes next.

As adulthood creeps in, with jobs, deployments, and relationships getting in the way, the three struggle to stay close.  When tragedy strikes, however, they must come together to lift up one of their own.  Will the strength of their friendship carry them through or will their sorrow and grief tear them even further apart?

Since most of what I hear about West Point and women in the military concerns sexual harassment, I was interested to get a broader perspective through Claire Gibson's debut novel, Beyond the Point.  Although the author did not attend the college, she lived at West Point for a number of years while her father was on its faculty.  She also interviewed dozens of female soldiers about their experiences in order to get an authentic insider's view.  The result is a novel that pays powerful tribute to these brave, determined women who fight prejudice, ridicule, and sexism in order to graduate from military academies and serve their country.  It also riffs on themes like friendship, family, and faith.  Although I didn't feel super connected to any of the women at the core of this novel, I still found their various stories intriguing enough that I read all 490 pages of Beyond the Point without becoming bored.  In the end, I didn't love the novel, but overall, I liked it and felt like it was a valuable read.

(Readalikes:  Hm, nothing is coming to mind.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Beyond the Point from the generous folks at HarperCollins via those at TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

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Want more opinions on Beyond the Point?  Follow along on the book's blog tour by clicking the links below:

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When her young husband joins the Confederate Army, Libby Beale Tanner knows he may never come home.  Still, she's not at all prepared to be a widow almost before she's had a chance to be a bride.  Haunted by the loss, Libby's overwhelming grief takes on a disturbing singlemindedness.  Obsessed with avenging her husband by killing one Union soldier to represent each of the dead man's twenty years of life, she disguises herself as a man and joins the Army herself.  

Although Josephine Beale never liked her sister's cocky husband, she's devastated to see her beloved Libby so overtaken by sadness.  When she discovers Libby's cockamamie plan to enlist, Josephine begs her sister not to be so foolhardy.  When Libby refuses to back down, Josephine does the only thing she can to protect her—she enlists, too.  

Rechristened Thomas and Joseph Holden, the women join a big, bloody war that will rock them to their cores in ways they could never have predicted.  Tormented nightly by her husband's angry ghost, Libby slowly descends into madness.  Struck by Cupid's arrow, Josephine is going crazy in a different way.  Desperate to keep their identities both concealed and intact, the sisters struggle to remain sane in a world gone utterly mad.

I find the subject of women disguising themselves as men to serve in the Civil War endlessly fascinating.  These based-on-a-true-story accounts showcase the courage and devotion that drove real women to join the cause, whether it was in an effort to stay close to a loved one, earn money for their families, or simply to prove themselves in a time when they were limited by the constraints of being a "lady".  Sisters of Shiloh, penned by sisters Kathy and Becky Hepinstall, is an interesting depiction of what two Southern women may have experienced while serving as Confederate soldiers.  Although the characters are not well developed, the sisters are both sympathetic story people.  Their tale is one of survival; as such, it's episodic, meandering, and even a little dull at times.  Despite this, a plodding pace, and some overdone prose, though, I liked Sisters of Shiloh well enough to finish it.   

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of I Shall Be Near to You by Erin Lindsay McCabe and Women of the Blue and Gray by Marianne Monson)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Sisters of Shiloh with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

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If you were asked to name women who made important contributions to the Civil War—on either side of the conflict—who would you list?  Clara Barton is the one who comes quickest to my mind, followed by Harriet Tubman.  After that ... um ... I got nothing.  Of all the thousands of women who served, sacrificed, and risked their lives to help with the war effort, it's natural that many of their names and deeds have been lost to time.  It's astounding, though, that certain women—all of whom performed unique, impressive, and courageous actions—are not household names.  

Perhaps that will change with the publication of Marianne Monson's newest book, Women of the Blue & Gray.  A follow-up to her Frontier Grit (2016), this volume features a wide cross-section of females who aided the war effort as spies, soldiers, scouts, nurses, doctors, abolitionists, cooks, political activists, reformers, revolutionaries, and more.  The women were wealthy, destitute, educated, illiterate, married, single, widows, mothers, childless, white, black, Native American, and so on.  What they have in common is incredible stories, most of which I hadn't heard before.  If you, like me, are not familiar with the many contributions made by women during the war, I urge you to pick up this book.  It makes for fascinating reading.

As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed Women of the Blue & Gray.  It's interesting, engaging, touching, and inspiring.  I'm passing it on to my 16-year-old feminist daughter, who I know will be just as awed as I was by the incredible stories within its pages.

(Readalikes:  The chapters on women disguising themselves as men in order to fight in the Civil War remind me of I Shall Be Near to You by Erin Lindsay McCabe. I'm sure They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in the Civil War by DeAnne Blanton and Lauren M. Cook is also similar, although I haven't read it yet.)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and blood/gore

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Women of the Blue & Gray from the generous folks at Shadow Mountain.  Thank you!

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With constant talk of the war, it's no surprise that the boys of Flat Creek, New York, are eager to join up.  Rosetta knows it's only a matter of time before Jeremiah Wakefield, the boy she's always loved, enlists. She  can't stand the thought of her beloved in harm's way, even if the money he'll earn will get them a whole lot closer to their shared dream of marrying and buying a farm of their own.  Even though they wed before Jeremiah leaves, Rosetta is still plagued by anxiety and worry.  She can't sit at home idling her days away, so she disguises herself as a boy and secretly follows her husband into battle.

Jeremiah isn't exactly thrilled when he discovers what Rosetta's done, but she's determined to see it through.  With both of them earning a soldier's pay, they can buy their farm even faster.  If both of them survive the war, which grows increasingly more desperate and bloody by the second.  As Rosetta works to prove herself as capable as any other soldier, she'll have to face the greatest dangers and struggles of her life.  With comrades dying all around her, Rosetta fears she'll never make it home alive.  Will Jeremiah and the other Flat Creek boys ever return to their farms and families?  What of the glittering dream that's driving Rosetta on?  Will it come to pass?  Or will everything—and everyone—she loves become just another casualty of war?  

Inspired by the hundreds of real women who served in the Civil War in various capacities, I Shall Be Near to You by Erin Lindsay McCabe honors the strength and spirit of female warriors who fought for the right to battle alongside their husbands, sons, and countrymen.  And held their own.  Rosetta embodies everything admirable about those real-life women—she's brave, loyal, compassionate, and tough.  Her story is an intriguing one, with lots of tension and adventure to keep the reader turning pages.  For me, the most fascinating part of a historical novel is often the Author's Note at the end which talks about the real stories behind the fiction and this one was no exception.  I had no idea how many women served in the war—I'm definitely planning to read more about these real-life heroines (starting with the reading suggestions McCabe offers on her website) 

(Readalikes:  Um, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, blood/gore, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of I Shall Be Near to You from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

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On September 16, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act into law.  While military conscription had occurred in The United States before, this was the first time it had happened during peacetime.  The law required all men between the ages of 21 and 35 to register for the draft.  As the probability of the U.S. entering World War II became more evident, the law was expanded to include all men between the ages of 18 and 45.  Females were not included.  

But what if they had been?  

What if women were not only required to register for the draft, but also allowed to voluntarily join the military and serve in combat roles?  What if they, like their male counterparts, were given the chance to prove themselves on the front lines during World War II?  How would it have changed things, both during the conflict and afterward?  

These are the questions asked in Front Lines, the first novel in a new alternate history YA series by Michael Grant.  In it, we're introduced to three ordinary women whose lives change irrevocably because of a 1940 ruling which allows them to enlist in the military.  Two years later, 16-year-old Rio Richlin, a farmer's daughter from California, lies about her age in order to sign up.  Not only does she want revenge against the enemies who killed her soldier sister, but she wants to do her part to serve her country.  Frangie Marr, a 17-year-old black girl from Oklahoma, wants to be a doctor.  It's a pipe dream, of course, but one she might be able to realize—to some degree, at least—by getting medic training and experience in the Armed Forces.  Besides, her family desperately needs the money she can earn as a soldier.  Knowing her double minority status will make her a particularly vulnerable target, Frangie signs up anyway.  Rainy Schulterman, an 18-year-old Jewish woman from New York City's Lower East Side, wants her chance to outwit the Nazis who are systematically murdering her people in Europe.  Training to be an intelligence officer is a challenging but fulfilling way to use her smarts against the seemingly unstoppable enemy.  

As Rio, Frangie, and Rainy make their way through enlistment, boot camp, advanced training, and war itself, they'll find challenges and difficulties around every corner.  Not only will they battle flagrant discrimination, but they'll also endure the pain, fatigue, fear, homesickness, and self-doubt that plagues every soldier.  Along the way, however, they'll discover the vast potential that lies within each of them—and the courage to unfurl it in defense of the country they love.

I'm always intrigued by World War II novels, especially those written for teens.  The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, and Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys all stand out as excellent stories that bring the conflict, with all its inherent drama, to life.  Even among these titles, though, Front Lines stands out.  Its unique premise makes it different from the rest.  While the story itself may not be all that original, Grant keeps it exciting by throwing plenty of conflict into the characters' paths.  The front lines action doesn't begin until 3/4 of the way through the book, but the first 300 pages still managed to keep my attention.  More or less.  Yes, it feels long in places and no, it isn't as mesmerizing as I wanted it to be, but I still enjoyed Front Lines.  I'm looking forward to the next installment.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein; Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith; and Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence, blood/gore, language (no F-bombs—the word "fug" is used as a substitute), and sensuality/sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Front Lines by Michael Grant from the generous folks at HarperCollins.  Thank you!

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder invectives), violence, and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of Rites of Passage from the generous folks at HarperCollins via those at NetGalley.  Thank you!