Good Winter Reads

[k9ophile]

For fans of "Hidden Figures", I have a couple of recommendations about other unsung women whose accomplishments have been overlooked. "The Girls of Atomic City" by Denise Kiernan and "Code Girls" by Liza Mundy are riveting* reads. Thousands of women worked to help win WWII, by either working on the atomic bomb or breaking codes for military intelligence. Either or both are great reads while stuck inside this winter.

Lets also remember the millions of women who sacrificed and got inventive due to war time rationing. My mom and her sister lived in an apartment on Lincoln. Mom walked to her job at Marathon

*When I was thinking of words to describe these books, the one that came to mind first was "riveting". I do remember hearing about Rosie the Riveter, and later about the WASPs who ferried new bombers to the pilots who actually flew them during the war. It makes me wonder what else we did back then for little or no recognition. Signing off to Google women's efforts in WWII.

(I posted this on Facebook. Marathon Oil headquarters is located in my birth town. Mom's apartment was about four blocks away. I cite this just for a reference.)

 

[Munchkin]

I was made the official 'guardian' of this story by Margie herself. She made me promise to tell it every time I could. And I have!

A Telephone Tale, my Promise to Margie.

Back in 1976 I was hired by SWBT to work cordboard in Huntsville, Texas. Margie was number one on the seniority list and I was number last. She worked short lates and I got the usual newbie 2-10:30's and 3-11's. Since our hours coincided I heard a lot of her stories about the "olden days". I loved listening to Margie. I remember being amazed by the fact she had started working for SWBT before I was even born.

One night Margie told me a story and made me promise to remember and repeat it whenever I could. Over the years, I have repeated her story many times. I kept my promise, I never forgot.

On December 7, 1941 Margie was working alone on what was to become anything but another sleepy Sunday. The day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Margie said her first information about the attack came from Rate and Route operators on the West coast. The news spread like wildfire through the telephone company but of course we were unable to give our subscribers any information. This was before direct dial and all calls went through the operator. In no time at all Margie was swamped with calls and so was everyone else, nationwide. Call volume went up so fast the network was in danger of collapse. Too many people trying to make too many calls at once. Rumors everywhere and people were terrified. At one point Margie heard that Hawaii, California, and Alaska had been invaded.

Then a miracle happened. All over the entire country, AT&T employees started reporting in to to work. Unasked and uncalled. Operators, COT's, union, and management. Everyone pitched in to help so there wouldn't be a major communications failure to add to the country's problems. From coast to coast people left their families and loved ones and went to work. Many went to work even though they knew they would be enlisting in the armed forces the next day. The network met the challenge and kept on working.

Margie wasn't alone for long. In a matter of hours, every position on the cordboard was open. Even the Chief Operator was taking calls. They heard the familiar bong of the CO alarms for hours as they took call after call. They were immensely relieved when the news broke the story of the attack and it became common knowledge they could relay to customers.

Margie said she knew things were changing and would continue to change. And probably not for the better! She hoped we would never lose the spirit and commitment we showed on that infamous day.

Thank you for letting me share this story one more time!

 

[harrietvane]

Two reads I've read recently:

'Live Alone and Like It' - a book from 1936 (the interwar period is a historical fascination of mine) about how this generation of husbandless women could live alone and like it. (https://www.vox.com/2016/5/30/11784576/live-alone-like-it-marjorie-hillis-1936) 'The Extra Woman', which is a history of this 'self-help' manual, is next on my list. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/review-marjorie-hilliss-guide-for-the-extra-woman-1510350047)

(And then I read 'Fire and Fury' - need I say more! Political mean girls. Slow start, but fun (if infuriating) to read for political junkies. Well, maybe more 'fun' from outside the US!)

 

[Munchkin]

Just read The Zookeeper's Wife.

 

[k9ophile]

Just read The Zookeeper's Wife.

I bought the book, yet haven't read it. Somehow, I got the impression that it was entirely fiction. The movie is showing on cable TV, but I haven't worked up the courage to watch it. I "forced: myself" to watch Schindler's List and was sick to my stomach throughout it. I have such a hard time wrapping my head around true horrible stories.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

Two reads I've read recently:

'Live Alone and Like It' - a book from 1936 (the interwar period is a historical fascination of mine) about how this generation of husbandless women could live alone and like it. (https://www.vox.com/2016/5/30/11784576/live-alone-like-it-marjorie-hillis-1936) 'The Extra Woman', which is a history of this 'self-help' manual, is next on my list. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/review-marjorie-hilliss-guide-for-the-extra-woman-1510350047)

(And then I read 'Fire and Fury' - need I say more! Political mean girls. Slow start, but fun (if infuriating) to read for political junkies. Well, maybe more 'fun' from outside the US!)

I'm hating 'Fire and Fury.' For me...and Mr Sue (we each have a copy)...it is a tedious read and just doesn't "flow" from page to page or topic to topic. I'm forcing myself to finish it.

 

[southernlady]

it is a tedious read and just doesn't "flow" from page to page or topic to topic. I'm forcing myself to finish it.

I've come across books like that. 95% of the time, I don't bother finishing it.

Now, James Michener was a very hard start with most of his books...Hawaii is an example. But I learned with the first book I read of his to skim the first chapter and then start reading. Once past the geology section of the first chapter, I easily read them.

 

[JackieOnLine]

I have U is for Undertow ready to start. I stopped reading this series when it got ugly (S? O? I forget) but I am going to try and finish it now that the author has passed so there won't be any more. I remember really enjoying many of them.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

I've come across books like that. 95% of the time, I don't bother finishing it.

Now, James Michener was a very hard start with most of his books...Hawaii is an example. But I learned with the first book I read of his to skim the first chapter and then start reading. Once past the geology section of the first chapter, I easily read them.

I never got past the first chapter of Hawaii...lol! Bird poop. Seeds. Plant grows. Jeeze.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

For fans of "Hidden Figures", I have a couple of recommendations about other unsung women whose accomplishments have been overlooked. "The Girls of Atomic City" by Denise Kiernan and "Code Girls" by Liza Mundy are riveting* reads. Thousands of women worked to help win WWII, by either working on the atomic bomb or breaking codes for military intelligence. Either or both are great reads while stuck inside this winter.

Lets also remember the millions of women who sacrificed and got inventive due to war time rationing. My mom and her sister lived in an apartment on Lincoln. Mom walked to her job at Marathon

*When I was thinking of words to describe these books, the one that came to mind first was "riveting". I do remember hearing about Rosie the Riveter, and later about the WASPs who ferried new bombers to the pilots who actually flew them during the war. It makes me wonder what else we did back then for little or no recognition. Signing off to Google women's efforts in WWII.

(I posted this on Facebook. Marathon Oil headquarters is located in my birth town. Mom's apartment was about four blocks away. I cite this just for a reference.)

My MIL was a WAAC (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps) member in WWII. She served with a service and supply batallion, in England, then France.

My mom's cousin--and she's losing it but still hanging on at 97-- was a SPAR, women's auxiliary Coast Guard.

My mom worked at Cherry Rivet (really), a company that made rivets used in airplane assembly.

But remember...those were the days when everyone, rich and poor, was expected to participate. And for a decade or so afterward it continued. Even Elvis got drafted.

 

[k9ophile]

But remember...those were the days when everyone, rich and poor, was expected to participate. And for a decade or so afterward it continued. Even Elvis got drafted.

I hope we never see those days again. My USAF retired husband could have been recalled to active duty for ten years after he retired. We used to joke that if he was ever recalled, we might as well kiss our ***** goodbye because it would be a desperate situation. Although sometimes I think we need a good cause to unite us and remind us that ultimately, we have more in common than we realize. I believe most of the people here and around the world just want the same things like food, shelter, live in peace, etc. Yes, I can sometimes be a Pollyanna.

 

[southernlady]

I never got past the first chapter of Hawaii...lol! Bird poop. Seeds. Plant grows. Jeeze.

Exactly! Try it again but skip the first chapter completely

 

[Spiky Bugger]

We...Mr Sue and I agree on most of these...are into detective type books:
Michael Connelly writes about Harry Bosch, an aging LA detective. It recently became an amazon series, starring Titus Welliver...great casting.
We USED TO read the Jack Reacher series, but never again! Those morons cast Tom (the Midget) Cruise in the role of a character whose gigantic size was mentioned in every other chapter, and whose gigantic size was a really big part of how he handled problems.
We also like the Virgil Flowers, and other series, of books by John Sanford.
David Baldacci writes several heroes. We read most of those.
Some others, too.
But Fire & Fury sucks, no matter the chapter. (Not only does it not flow, Wolff uses unnecessarily obscure words when much simpler ones would do. I told Mr Sue that if Wolff ever had to give a sperm sample, he'd probably take a thesaurus with him to "a private room.")

 

[k9ophile]

I've read only one political book and that was years ago. It was an anti-Hilary Clinton book. It was supposedly fact based, yet I've read more believable fantasy novels. Things like she and Bill ran a drug cartel out of Arkansas while he was governor. Oh, puleeze!