In an informative, entertaining style, cultural historian Brown (The Tall Tale in American Folklore) shines a scholarly light on American women who helped win "the war to end all wars." An introduction provides background on girls and women in the work force in the early years of the 20th century. Subsequent chapters explore specific industries, locations, and types of workers, revealing that while some remained in such traditional female occupations as seamstress and laundress, many labored in previously male-dominated businesses like arsenals, foundries, machine shops, and rail yards. An epilog compares these workers with their more celebrated counterparts of World War II. Of particular value are the many photographs, which help bring the book's subjects to life, and the extensive bibliography. The coverage of such diverse areas as American history, women's studies, and labor history, the reasonable price, and the current lack of comparable titles make this an essential purchase for academic and larger public libraries.-M.C. Duhig, Lib. Ctr. of Point Park Coll. & Carnegie Lib., Pittsburgh (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.