A Women's War

A Woman's War tells the story of female librarians who collected millions of books to send to World War II servicemen through the Victory Book Campaign. The campaign aimed to provide comfort and entertainment to troops stationed both domestically and overseas. The book focuses on key figures like Althea Warren, who left her position as head librarian of the Los Angeles Public Library to lead the national book collection effort. It documents the challenges faced by these women as they coordinated massive book drives and worked to ensure appropriate reading material reached soldiers in camps and battlefields. Government censorship, logistical hurdles, and wartime restrictions presented obstacles to the librarians' mission. Manning draws from letters, interviews, and archival materials to reconstruct the operations and impact of this nationwide mobilization of books and librarians. The narrative raises questions about the role of books in sustaining morale during wartime and highlights an overlooked aspect of women's contributions to the Allied victory. The story demonstrates how cultural initiatives operated alongside military efforts during World War II.

Readers describe this book as an informative account of the key role women played supplying books to American soldiers during WWII. Many reviews note the extensive research and compelling narrative about librarians' wartime service. Positive reviews highlight: - Detailed accounts of individual women's efforts - The lesser-known historical aspect of WWII book programs - Clear writing that avoids getting bogged down in statistics - Photos and primary source documents included Common criticisms: - Some sections feel repetitive - Focus too narrow on book distribution logistics - Limited coverage of the actual book selection process - Could have included more soldiers' personal stories Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (370 ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (52 ratings) Sample review: "A fascinating slice of WWII history that shows how books helped maintain troop morale. The author lets the librarians' dedication and passion shine through." - Goodreads reviewer

When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning Documents the World War II campaign to send millions of books to American troops, showing reading's impact on military morale and post-war American culture.

The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan Chronicles the untold stories of women who worked in secret at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, enriching uranium for the Manhattan Project during World War II.

Code Girls by Liza Mundy Reveals the contributions of more than 10,000 American women who served as codebreakers during World War II, breaking complex military codes that helped secure Allied victory.

The Women Who Wrote the War by Nancy Caldwell Sorel Presents the experiences of women journalists who covered World War II from the front lines, documenting both military operations and human stories.

Those Angry Days by Lynne Olson Examines the fierce political debates between interventionists and isolationists in America before Pearl Harbor through the lens of influential women leaders and journalists.

🌟 The book chronicles how women changed the landscape of World War II publishing by creating the Armed Services Editions program, which distributed over 123 million paperback books to American troops. 📚 Molly Guptill Manning discovered this untold story while working as a law clerk, when she found a collection of Armed Services Edition books in a courthouse basement. ✉️ Soldiers often wrote heartfelt letters to authors whose ASE books they read, creating unexpected connections between troops and writers like Betty Smith, author of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." 📖 The Armed Services Editions were specially designed to fit in soldiers' pocket uniforms and were printed in a unique horizontal format to maximize readability in combat conditions. 🎖️ The program was so successful that it helped create a post-war reading boom in America, as returning soldiers continued their newfound love of reading and helped establish paperbacks as a popular format.