Schultz (English, American studies, and women's studies, Indiana Univ.-Purdue Univ.-Indianapolis.) seeks to analyze women's hospital work during the Civil War across region, race, and class lines. She breaks new ground, as previous analyses have studied women's hospital work by region, or have combined it with other themes such as patriotism, politics, memory, and literature. Schultz explores women's work during the war and subsequently examines the effect of war on individuals and the political and cultural legacies of women's work. The first part of the book is a carefully documented study of how region affected nurses' relations with each other, and how class or race affected those relations. She reveals the tension inherent in women assuming power over men rendered powerless by their wounds, a significant reversal of women's and men's societal roles. The war's effects on women are less well drawn, as the diversity of women's experiences is not explored in adequate detail to clearly delineate the war's legacies. Richly illustrated with 42 photographs and woodcuts, this is an excellent study of black and white women's nursing and relief contributions in the North and South. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. J. A. Luckett formerly, United States Military Academy