This book is based on an art exhibition. The pictures were powerful and real, but the writing was uneven. The words from the service members themselves were very polished, but too politely crafted to feel as real as the pictures. The author's words were fine, but she took a lot of her work in the chapters' openings for her introduction, which made it repetitive. I was happy to see that the authors chose to start the book with women who joined the military right after the end of the draft and the rise of the all volunteer force. The authors really tried to capture the history of the women in the all volunteer force, with chapters on pre-Desert Shield/Desert Storm military missions that are often overlooked. I liked that there was racial and socio-economic status. There was also Coast Guard representation in addition to the four traditional branches. It was short and the writings of the service members scratched the very surface of what it means to serve and deploy.
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