Front Lines by Michael Grant

Published: January 2016

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Pages: 576

Copy Provided by: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:

1942. World War II. The most terrible war in human history. Millions are dead; millions more are still to die. The Nazis rampage across Europe and eye far-off America.

The green, untested American army is going up against the greatest fighting force ever assembled—the armed forces of Nazi Germany.

But something has changed. A court decision makes females subject to the draft and eligible for service. So in this World War II, women and girls fight, too.

As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, three girls sign up to fight. Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman are average girls, girls with dreams and aspirations, at the start of their lives, at the start of their loves. Each has her own reasons for volunteering. Not one expects to see actual combat. Not one expects to be on the front lines.

Rio, Frangie, and Rainy will play their parts in the war to defeat evil and save the human race. They will fear and they will rage; they will suffer and they will inflict suffering; they will hate and they will love. They will fight the greatest war the world has ever known.

Review:

The last time I read a Michael Grant title, it was part of the Gone series. I think I made it to his 4th book in the series before I lost interest.  Don't get me wrong though. It was a GREAT series! But often I can only follow a series for so long before I start to forget the story after waiting a year for the next installment.  I remembered how much I enjoyed his writing though so I wanted to give Front Lines a try.  

This was a different type of novel than what I have been reading over the past year or so.  What if history were to play out a little bit differently and World War II allowed women to enter into service? I loved how many different factors Mr Grant explored in this novel - race, segregation, sexual harassment, gender inequality, etc.  I also like how this book opens up history to a younger generation of readers.  I personally feel that our education system does not discuss the importance of WWII history (and it's impact on the world today as we know it) as much as it should.  I would never want it to become a forgotten war.  

Overall, this was an excellent start to a new series and I already have the second title lined up and ready to read.  It was lengthy was oh so interesting.  Michael Grant did a great job of interpreting each character's point of view and I enjoyed how they all began on different paths but came together towards the end of the book.  It wasn't pretty and there are some very realistic, gruesome scenes but that is war.  It isn't to be sugar coated and the themes that were identified within the novel, really made me think about how different things may have been if both men AND women had been allowed to contribute equally to the war efforts.   If you are doing an ISU, this would be an EXCELLENT book to review.  Maybe a little but lengthy but all the more to explore!