What do fiction writers do when the FACTS behind their stories overwhelm them? They decide to write a non-fiction book. Maybe even two of them!
That’s what Cleo Lampos and I did last spring. The result, two short books delving into two facets of the World War II era—Food and Holidays—released this month.
Cleo’s an expert researcher, and my interest in this era has grown into an addiction. There’s so much to explore! Real-life characters are so intriguing and irrepressible. They faced impossible challenges with tenacity, courage, and a practical faith that puts mine to shame.
We have so much to learn from these make-do folks, called from their farms and factories and homes to make a difference. Banding together, they certainly did—their ingenuity and creativity astound us.
For example, did you ever hear of potatoes being used as weapons? Well, the Navy found a way!
Even with severe rationing, women on the home front made do to create memorable holiday celebrations for their families. They often accomplished this feat despite an empty place set at the table for a loved one deployed “over there.”
Reading about all these hardy folks endured comes at just the right time, when many of us face restrictions and hardships due to COVID-19. We also may be experiencing tension due to our nation’s political situation, and discovering tactics everyday Greatest Generation folks employed to lighten their stress may provide a healthy dose of much-needed patience.
What better Christmas gift for loved ones confined to their homes than a fact-filled book replete with unique photographs from one of the most trying times in our history?
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| March 3, 1943 |
| Bethnal Green, London’s East End |
| Shortly after a quarter past eight, a siren split the air. Marian Williams lifted her sleeping daughter from her bed and darted down the stairs. Her mother and father-in-law, off on air warden duty, had left the front door unlocked. |
| She hugged her youngest child close. The blackout made the going difficult, but her husband’s instructions echoed in her brain: “Whatever you do, get down inside the station fast as you can.” |
| She hoped for a spot near the canteen, with access to milk. Uneven light shone over the paved steps. Then she tripped. Her knee hit the concrete, then something bashed her left side. Someone cried out. Another blow scraped her arm on the landing floor. Where was her baby? She attempted to get up, but an even heavier weight slammed her face down. A crushing burden descended, then all went black. |
| Riding in the backs of Army trucks across North Africa, throughout the Sicily campaign, up the boot of Italy, and northward through France into Germany, Dorothy Woebbeking served as a surgical nurse with the 11th Evacuation Hospital. |
| During World War II, US Army nurses worked and slept in tents through horrific weather, endured enemy fire, and even the disdain of their own superior officers, who believed women had no place in war. But Dorothy and her comrades persevered, and their skills and upbeat attitude made a huge difference in the lives of thousands of wounded soldiers. |
| Dorothy and Marian’s stories converge on a simple, hand-stitched handkerchief. |
https://www.amazon.com/Until-Then-Women-Heartland-Book-ebook/dp/B07SZ4BD5D/
Thanks for reading!
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