DENVER — Bestselling author Kristin Hannah will be in Denver Monday night to speak at the Denver Post’s “Pen & Podium” event at the Denver University Newman Center.
But this isn't her first experience with Colorado or DU. Her dad played hockey for the university.
At Monday's event, Hannah will be discussing her latest book “The Women,” which takes place in the Vietnam War era.
Hannah has written more than 20 novels, including “The Nightingale,” “The Great Alone” and “The Four Winds.”
"The Women" centers around Frankie, a young woman who joins the Army as a combat nurse.
The book not only talks about Frankie's experience in war, but the difficult transition many veterans faced when they returned home.
For Hannah, this story was a personal one.
“I was a child during the Vietnam War. And it just left a huge impact on me,” Hannah said. “I wore a prisoner of war bracelet from my best friend's father who was shot down. And so his name was in my consciousness every day for years, because he never came back.”
Hannah said she’s been working on the book since 1997. But time during the 2020 COVID pandemic lockdown inspired her to finally finish it.
“I was watching…the anger and the division in our country. And it really felt to me like, like the Vietnam era.” Hannah said. “And then I was watching our nurses and doctors who were really on the front line of this pandemic, sacrificing so much for us. And I think that was the moment it all clicked together.”
Hannah said she was able to draw on the real-life experiences of Vietnam combat nurses. She met several at the 30th anniversary of the Women's Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. in November of 2023.
“It's important for… women my age and women younger and… the children coming up to know how amazing and important women have been throughout history because so many of our stories have been lost,” Hannah said.
Beyond her own books, Hannah recommended “Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life” by Nicholas Kristof and “All the Colors of the Dark” by Chris Whitaker.
