When the Hipchicks Went to War by Pamela Rushby

Visit for competition, Vietnam War information and Hipchicks playlist. The book has strong moral and historical value as an adjunct to study of the period. Seen through the eyes of a naive teenager, When the Hipchicks Went to War is an excellent insight into the issues and attitudes surrounding war in general and the Vietnam War in particular. Pamela Rushby, has done a brilliant job of capturing the age and what the young men had to go through. You could expect that a book set in the Vietnam War, focusing on a teenage girl who had travelled there to be an entertainer would be full of. When Kathy returns she must deal with not only the trauma and tragedy she has witnessed but the stigma of having participated in the Vietnam War. When the Hipchicks went to War, by Pamela Rushby.

And as it was for Kathy, their growing up was sudden and harsh. Kathy is symbolic of the innocence with which many Australians approached the Vietnam War. Their journalist confidante puts ‘the story’ first and even their own friendship becomes strained as the tour progresses. What they find instead, is the horrific reality of war, particularly when they perform for the wounded in camp hospitals. When they find an adorable thatched cottage to begin a perfect new life in, the only downside is the ancient, dark and fierce-looking mulberry tree in the back garden.

Wearing trademark knee high white boots, fringes and bikini outfits, the Hipchicks (Kathy and her two new friends, Gaynor and Layla), are looking for fun and adventure. Ten-year-old Immy and her family run away from their storm cloud of problems to a tiny village in Cambridgeshire, England.

When the Hipchicks Went to War by Pamela Rushby