I had never thought about the harrowing experiences of the female nurses serving in Vietnam had endured.  Frances, (Frankie) McGrath is the protagonist who wants to do her part to serve her country, not only to honor her brother who has been killed in Vietnam, but to try to earn her chauvinist father’s respect.  The hospital scenes are horrific; the friendships she forms with the doctors and nurses are incredible—sometimes disappointing; and the depiction of the Vietnamese civilians is heartwarming; the reactions of some Americans who spit on and yell obscenities at returning veterans—men and women who served in Vietnam-is disheartening.  A fascinating read.