Leisa MeyerCreating G. I. Jane

Great book on the gender, political and sexual issues that came along with forming the Women's Army Corps during WWII. The book's biggest strength is that it's an interesting companion to the official Army history of the WAC program and often presents a contrarian viewpoint to the military's public response. It's also one of the few books that addresses sexuality in the WAC ranks.Creating G.I. Jane explores the climate and response to women in the military as well as problems related to integrating women for the first time. Because it does delve into propaganda and underlying motives as well as controversial subjects, there is some concern that the book primarily functions as a gender study and may not fully represent the program's norms. This doesn't diminish the book, but it does mean that it's not a complete history of women in the military during WWII. For that reason, while it's a very strong stand-alone book, I highly recommend reading it in conjunction with other books on the WAC for a better total picture of the program.

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As a history student focusing on women's World War II military history, I can honestly say that this is the best book out there for original analysis and attention to detail. Meyer covers everything behind-the-scenes that does not get written about with women's military history. If you're looking for a good analysis on WHY the Women's Army Corps created certain rules and HOW they enforced them, this is the only book that you need.