From underground fighters to courageous spies, Women of War unearths the hidden history of the brave women who risked their lives to overthrow the Nazi occupation and liberate Italy. Using primary sources and recent scholarship, Cope sheds light on the roles played by women while Italians struggled under dual foes: Nazi invaders as well as Italian fascist loyalists. Cope's research and storytelling introduces the brave and resourceful women who risked everything to overthrow the Nazi occupation and build a better future, following the lives of four central characters, Teresa, Carla, Bianca, and Anita. Women of War brings their experiences as underground resistance fighters, partisan combatants, spies, and saboteurs, to awful life. Essential and original, Women of War offers not only a re-examination of the elision of women from vital WWII history, but also a valuable perspective on the ongoing fight for gender equality and social justice. After all, these were the women who launched a worldwide feminist movement as they focused on the future of their country, and what that could mean for its women, all while under Nazi and Fascist fire.
