The Woman with a Purple Heart: A Novel

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 324 ratings

Price: 4.6

Last update: 08-11-2024


About this item

"Historical fiction at its finest!" —Amanda Skenandore, author of The Second Life of Mirielle West and The Nurse's Secret

Based on the real life of Lieutenant Annie Fox, Chief Nurse of Hickam Hospital, The Woman with a Purple Heart is an inspiring WWII novel of heroic leadership, courage, and friendship that also exposes a shocking and shameful side of history.

Annie Fox will stop at nothing to serve her country. But what happens when her country fails her?

In November 1941, Annie Fox, an Army nurse, is transferred to Hickam Field, an air force base in Honolulu. The others on her transport plane are thrilled to work in paradise, but Annie sees her new duty station as the Army's way of holding the door open to her retirement. But serving her country is her calling and she will go wherever she is told.

On December 7, Annie's on her way to work when the first Japanese Zero fighter plane flies low over Hickam's Parade Ground. The death and destruction that follow leave her no time to process what's happening. She rallies her nurses, and they work to save as many lives as they can. But soon their small hospital is overwhelmed. Annie drives into Honolulu to gather supplies, nurses, and several women who will donate blood. However, the nurses are Japanese Americans, and the blood donors are prostitutes. 

Under Annie's leadership and working together in unexpected ways, they make it through that horrific day, when one of the Japanese American nurses and Annie's friend, Kay, is arrested as a suspected subversive. As Hickam tries to recover, Annie works to find her friend and return Kay to her family. But Annie's love for her country is put to the test. How can she reconcile the American bravery and resilience she saw on December 7 with the prejudice and injustice she witnesses just a few months later?

Praise for The Woman with a Purple Heart:

"Vividly portrays a little-known story in a well-known time on a day that will live in infamy. A stirring read!" —Erika Robuck, national bestselling author of The Invisible Woman

"A wonderful tribute to a true American hero." —Sara Ackerman, USA Today bestselling author of Radar Girls and The Codebreaker's Secret

"Fast-paced and immersive. This is the kind of story that sticks with you long after turning the final page." —Elise Hooper, author of Angels of the Pacific


From the Publisher

Praise from Erika Robuck
Praise from Booklist

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars December 7, 1941
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2024
As a Registered Nurse retired from the VA Healthcare System, this was a special book. Having cared for many WW2 vets I have a greater appreciation of what it must have been like on December 7,1941 at Hickam Field. I am aware of the deplorable treatment the Japanese Americans were subjected to during WW2. This was definitely not one of our country's finer moments. This is a really good book & I highly recommend it, esp if you are a nurse.
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2024
I liked the story of the 1st woman to receive a purple heart. I liked that it was based on a real person. I have read a couple books on Pearl Harbor lately. I am amazed by the courage and strength of those nurses and what they endured. It was interesting to get a story with a first hand account and I learned some things I didn't already know. I give this book 4.5 stars and recommend it highly.
Bruce Dinsman
5.0 out of 5 stars So much drama!
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2024
An accurate and somewhat irreverent depiction of the Pearl Harbor experience from the ground. Central to the story of course is the first Purple Heart presented to a woman, but more importantly seeing what military and civilian leaders bungled before and after the Pearl Harbor attack, especially the arrest and internment of Japanese Americans in Hawaii and elsewhere. This is a black eye for the US Government that must be told through this and other literary sources.
Susan K
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on Pearl Harbor
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2024
This book captured me from the beginning and didn't want to stop. Lots of history of Dec. 7th and what the islanders and military had to go through.
C. Palmer
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2023
An interesting look at race and racial issues in Hawaii in 1941. I do wonder how a Canadian Nurse ended up in the US Army during WWI, since the Royal Canadian Army declared war against Germany when England did and would have taken the heroine in a hot minute. I find it hard to believe a Canadian woman would be accepted by the US Army after WWI given how insular the US was then.
Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating Read about a Real American Hero HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2023
THE WOMAN WITH A PURPLE HEART tells the story of Annie Fox, a nurse caught up in the attack on Pearl Harbor & Hickam Field. As a reader, we know what's coming, which makes Annie's efforts to increase the preparedness of the hospital all the more heartbreaking. The writing is excellent, and when the attack comes the author puts us at the center of the attack with soldiers bravely attempting to fight back during one of the worst military disasters in US history. The aftermath, and tending to the wounded, dead, and dying, is captured vividly, and you really feel like you are there.

Annie's story is compelling, and a real page turner, but what haunted me most was the story of Kay, a Japanese American nurse who attempts to help the wounded result in her being arrested and incarcerated by the FBI. The irony of our country fighting fascism while displaying the same fear and racism that make fascism possible is not lost on the author, as she shows good people (and not so good people) struggling to adjust to a world turned upside down. Like all great historical novels, this story is not only about the past, it's about today.

The book is filled with wonderful historic details, like the prostitutes who left the red light district that day to give blood and care for the wounded. It was evocative of what would soon be happening across America, with everyone taking new and unexpected roles to pitch in and help.

As a reader, I identified strongly with the protagonist's struggles, whether it was fighting army bureaucracy, building her nursing staff into a team, or earning the trust and respect of Major Lance, her commanding officer and a possible romantic interest. THE WOMAN WITH A PURPLE HEART is a great read for lovers of historical fiction, and highly recommended.
Vickie
4.0 out of 5 stars A unique story about the attack at Pearl Harbor
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2024
I learned so much from reading Diane Hanks' The Woman With a Purple Heart. It is an excellent story about Lieutenant Annie Fox, an Army nurse stationed at Hickam Field, next to Pearl Harbor. After the attacks of December, 1941 Annie helped not only save many military members but she also was a advocate for the Japanese American people that made their homes in Hawaii at the time.

This was a wonderful historical fiction novel filled with rich character development and an intriguing plot. It also gave an interesting perspective on one aspect of the Pearl Harbor attack that few people truly know about. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for the opportunity to read this novel.
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A book worth reading
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2024
A story about Hawaii and the Japanese attack , about a real nurse who got a purple heart for her work on Dec7th. A story about other nurses and the events that happened . A really good book

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