Ruth Fielding Homeward Bound; Or, a Red Cross Worker's Ocean Perils

Ruth Fielding has traded her quiet American life for the chaos of wartime France, serving where the need is greatest: a Red Cross hospital under constant threat. When a bombing raid tears through the wards and leaves Ruth with a serious injury, she's forced to abandon her post and board the Admiral Pekhard for the long journey home. But the danger doesn't end at the dock. Onboard, Ruth's sharp eyes catch a German passenger speaking suspiciously to crew members. She alerts the captain, only to be dismissed and mocked. Now ostracized as a troublemaker, Ruth must watch helplessly as her warnings are ignored. Then a gray ship appears on the horizon. An explosion rocks the vessel. And when Ruth awakens alone, stranded on an abandoned ship drifting through enemy waters, she realizes the peril has only just begun. Beneath its adventure plotting, this 1917 novel offers a vivid snapshot of women stepping into roles the war had unexpectedly opened. Ruth is no passive heroine waiting to be rescued. She acts, she observes, she persists. The result is both a thrilling period piece and a quietly progressive artifact of its era.