Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas
The November book discussion books have arrived at the library. Come by to pick up your copy. We will be reading "Where Coyotes Howl" by Sandra Dalla. Discussion will be Monday, November 18, 2024, at 7pm in the Fireside room. We are still collecting suggestions for next year's selections. Bring your ideas to the front desk or email them to gutekunsthelpdesk@gmail.com.
The Women by Kristen Hannah
Francie has lived a sheltered life on Coronado Island off the coast of southern California. She and her big brother, Finley, loved spending time together exploring the area and surfing. After Fin joins the service to serve in the new conflict in VietNam, Frankie is lonely and feels lost. She excelled in her Catholic girl's school and in nursing school, but chaffs at the expectations placed on her. She is expected to focus on becoming a wife and mother and fitting into the community. But that isn't what Frankie desires. She makes the decision to join the Army Nurse Corps and see where it takes her. And where that is, is to VietNam where she is assigned to a hospital near the battlefields. She is completely overwhelmed by the chaos she finds around her. But her bunk mates, Barb and Ethel guide her and help her develop the skills needed to save as many lives as possible. The purpose of Francie's emergency hospital is to quickly stabilize as many soldiers as possible so they can be moved to more specialized care. She sees horrible injuries and learns to work long, long hours at fast paces and to know how to protect herself and others during attacks. Francie excels at her work and finds her purpose in life. However, after she completes her service and returns home, she finds that there are many who are protesting against the conflict. She is seen as a war-lover because of her service. She is also angered to find that she isn't considered a veteran because she didn't see combat. She saw the results of combat every single day! She becomes more and more angry and depressed and if it weren't for her friends Barb and Ethel, she would have destroyed herself. The author of this novel did an immense amount of research on this subject, and she portrays the situation very well.
If you need to CONTACT the Gutekunst librarians to request a book, renew materials or ask a question, please email the helpdesk gutekunsthelpdesk@gmail.com.