Defending the Motherland

April 1, 2018

Vinogradova (coauthor, A Writer at War) presents the story of a squadron of female fighter, bomber, and support pilots during World War II, focusing on the lives of those who responded to calls of patriotism and took to the skies in defense of their homeland. Layered throughout their accounts is a critique of the Soviet system under Joseph Stalin, including descriptions of the soldiers' struggles and the hardships that war brought to both the military and civilians. Vinogradova also sheds light on Stalinist Russia, including the tensions and pressures, paranoia and suspicion, and the ways in which the military navigated those issues while attempting to defend the nation. VERDICT Following these women's stories with a focused lens and allowing the background themes to add to the narrative without shifting emphasis, this engaging work adds to the knowledge of the Soviet military effort of World War II, profiling its lesser-known heroines while also offering a straightforward critique of Soviet culture.--Elizabeth Zeitz, Otterbein Univ. Lib., Westerville, OH

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2018
Russian historian Vinogradova dove deeply into the archives and conducted an admirable amount of legwork to craft this revelatory study of Soviet female fliers during WWII. Any sexist misconceptions about women on the front lines will be set aside upon reading these painstakingly researched stories about the many female pilots, navigators, and mechanics who lived and died in jobs in which few expected them to succeed. Vinogradova recounts tales of misogyny and deprivation as she recounts how these women left home steeped in optimistic propaganda, often as teenagers with their hair still wound in braids, then became jaded, battle-hardened warriors. Their aircraft were outclassed, politics drove almost every command decision, and paranoia was the rule of the day, which is why shot-down Russian pilots who escaped the Germans were incarcerated in Soviet prison camps for years as suspected spies. Through the deaths of far too many friends, the valiant Soviet women pilots kept flying, and their prevailing over their German enemies should have made them famous. For more on Soviet women during WWII, recommend Svetlana Alexievich's The Unwomanly Face of War (2017); for women pilots on the opposing side, see Clare Mulley's The Women Who Flew for Hitler (2017).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)