In honor of Veterans Day and our 5th Veterans Build home dedication Nov. 9, we’re reading The Women by Kristin Hannah. This New York Times bestselling author’s novel follows a woman who serves as a nurse in Vietnam, then returns home to a divided country, where her service is often both unacknowledged and unappreciated.
If you weren’t able to join us in person or on Zoom on Thursday, Nov. 14, you can still participate by considering our discussion questions!
Discussion Questions
What did you know about the Vietnam War when you started this book? What did you learn?
Early in the book, another character tells Frankie, “Women can be heroes” (p. 7). Why does that simple statement have such a profound impact on her? What does heroism mean to you after reading this book? Which characters do you consider heroic — and not heroic?
What moment or scene stood out most for you? Why?
When Frankie seeks help and tries to talk about her experiences after the war, she is repeatedly told, “There were no women in Nam.” Where do you think this belief came from? Who perpetuated it, and why? Why do you think people — her parents, their friends, her high school classmates, even staff at the VA — were so invested in this belief that they refused to listen to Frankie discuss her experiences?
What other challenges does Frankie face in trying to resume her life? What does she find when she accepts a nursing job?
Rye plays a significant throughout the story. He utters the line that motivates Frankie to enroll in the Army and go to Vietnam. Later, they rediscover each other in-country and begin a romance. What did you think of Rye and his various roles in Frankie’s life?
Kristin Hannah is writing about veterans through research but not firsthand experience. Did you feel that she captured the Vietnam experience authentically? Would you have preferred to read a book written by a veteran? Why or why not?
Connections to Pikes Peak Habitat’s Work
What housing struggles are you aware of that veterans face?
Did reading this book – even though it isn’t specifically about housing – give you any insight into unique challenges that veterans might experience? If so, what?
How does the theme of home show up throughout the book? What does home mean to Frankie when she’s in Vietnam? After she returns to the United States? As she struggles to find her place in society?
Engage Further
In her acknowledgments, Hannah mentions the book Healing Wounds: A Vietnam War Combat Nurse’s 10-Year Fight to Win Women a Place of Honor in Washington, D.C. by Diane Carlson Evans with Bob Welch. Read her book, and read about this event where the authors appeared together.
Check out this photo gallery of Vietnam veterans on the Army Nurse Corps Association’s website.
Read In Country: U.S. Nurses During the Vietnam War (Working Nurse)