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American Nightingale

The Story of Frances Slanger, Forgotten Heroine of Normandy

About The Book

The heart-wrenching and inspirational WWII story of the first American nurse to die at the Normandy landings, the true account of a woman whose courage and compassion led to what a national radio show host in 1945 called "one of the most moving stories to come out of the war—a story of an army nurse that surpassed anything Hollywood has ever dreamed of."

She was a Jewish girl growing up in World War I-torn Poland. At age seven, she and her family immigrated to America with dreams of a brighter future. But Frances Slanger could not lay her past to rest, and she vowed to help make the world a better place—by joining the military and becoming a nurse.

Frances, one of the 350,000 American women in uniform during World War II, was among the first nurses to arrive at Normandy beach in June 1944. She and the other nurses of the 45th Field Hospital would soon experience the hardships of combat from a storm-whipped tent amid the anguish of wounded men and the thud of artillery shells.

Months later, a letter that Frances wrote to the Stars and Stripes newspaper won her heartfelt praise from war-weary GIs touched by her tribute to them. But she never got to read the scores of soldiers' letters that poured in. She was killed by German troops the very next day.

American Nightingale is the unforgettable, first-ever full-length account of the woman whose brave life stands as a testament to the American spirit.

About The Author

Photo Credit:

Bob Welch lives in Eugene, Oregon, and is the author of numerous books, including the bestselling, Easy Company Soldier, written with Don Malarkey himself. He is an award-winning journalist and his work has been published in more than a dozen books, including seven in the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series. In addition, Welch’s articles have been published in the Los Angeles TimesReader’s DigestSports Illustrated, and Runner’s World.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atria Books (June 1, 2005)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9780743477598

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Raves and Reviews

"Bob Welch has done the country a service....I recommend you enrich your life and read this touching story."
-- James Bradley, author of Flyboys

"A heartwarming story for all ages."
-- Booklist

"Fascinating."
-- The Oregonian ("Hot Pick")

"A stirring story of intense personal devotion."
-- Publishers Weekly

"One day the name Frances Y. Slanger will be linked in the annals of the Army Nurse Corps with the same reverence universally accorded Florence Nightingale."
-- Kent Hunter, Boston Evening American, 1944

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