Although this book was written in 1990 and many changes have taken place since then, and changes continue to be made, the accuracy is unbelievable. Personally, I believe the military person should read this to see what it feels like to be a military spouse. Only military spouses know the actual hardships and I for one am glad I read this book. It gave me persmission to finally say that yes, being a military spouse is hard without sounding like a complaint. Being a military spouse is easier than it was 20 years ago and let's hope if another book is written in 20 years, it will be much better still. This book gives a voice to military wives that has been quiet for so long . My only regret is that I didn't read the book in 1990!!

Anyone with an interest in the sociological perspectives of being a military spouse as well as anyone living in a democratic society will find this book eye-opening, thought-provoking, and potentially disturbing. Published a decade ago and now out of print, one would like to think it is because the themes are outdated-- but while they may be under increasing opposition from the "new spouses" and other much-needed forces of change, military spouses past and present will recognize and be able to relate to the accounts outlined within. Definitely not something I'd give to a prospective military spouse unless I was seeking to discourage him/her from marrying into the military. Nonetheless, this book is thought-provoking and really leaves one questioning what our armed forces stand for... the irony seems to be that the very things we cherish as Americans are denied to military spouses, including basic civil rights, fundamental independence, and freedom from coercion and forced servitude. Viewed collectively, the authors seem to paint an extremist view-- but from spouse abuse, to denial of employment, to isolation from family and friends, to discrimination against immigrant wives, to unspoken pressure to have children, and to other unique facets of military family life, the individual accounts are often right on the money. This book takes a factual approach, greater in scope but in some ways similar to the provocative fictional piece by Charlie Hudson (Orchids in the Snow).

Wicked Women - Black Widows, Child Killers, and Other Women In Crime by Betty Alt and Sandra Wells is poorly written, unfocused and overly researched to the point of tediousness. Long on footnotes, but strangely short on facts and vague on dates and places, this book is almost unreadable. Oddly, Alt and Wells seem to blame men for the wicked turn that women take. You are better off reading Mistresses of Mayhem: The Book of Women Criminals by Francine Hornberger or Look For the Woman by Jay Robert Nash if you want to read a comprehensive book about female criminals. It is a wonder how this book found a publisher.