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Thanks for the Memories
Love, Sex, and World War II
 Jane Mersky Leder

0-275-98879-1/978-0-275-98879-1

Description
Challenging the myth that the young Americans of World War II never strayed from the moral and political norms set by tradition, Leder examines values under fire during WWII, giving both first-hand stories and the social context in which young men and women lived, loved, and worked.

Reviews:
-Freelance writer and journalist Mersky examines the impact of WWII on relationships between men and women. Focusing on the areas of love, sex, and marriage, she describes how the war's disruption of ordinary home life and the subsequent entry of women into the workforce allowed for a relaxing of the social restrictions that had formerly kept women in check. The personal stories of ordinary people single, married, military, and civilian are interwoven throughout the narrative. —Reference & Research Book News
-Through engaging stories and recollections, Leder paints a vivid picture of the love lives of the members of the Greatest Generation, from the service wives who followed their husbands around the country during their stateside training to the khaki-wackies and Victory girls who gave servicemen a roll in the hay in exchange for a Coca-Cola or movie, to the women, African Americans, and gays and lesbians who defied society to enlist in the military. Always enlightening and never prurient, Thanks for the Memories illuminates an untold chapter in World War II history--a chapter that resonates today in the continual redefining of gender roles and race relations. —America in WWII
-[W]WII as a time of bawdy sexual experimentation? That might take a little getting used to. Jane Mersky Leder understands our reluctance. Four years ago, as she began to unravel surprising stories about the Greatest Generation, she was reluctant to believe them, too. But the men and women she interviewed, who are dying at a rate of approximately 1,000 a day, encouraged her to tell the more complete story, naughty though it may be....Her book is diligently researched and footnoted, and her sources spoke freely and candidly....At the height of the war, 19 million women were keeping the home front running. And it was that taste of independence - physical and economic - that Leder and many other cultural observers believe set the stage for the women's movement 20 years later. French shores on D-Day into the enthusiastic embrace of waiting mesdammes. French women, he told Leder, go about sex like American women go about knitting. —Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
About the Author
Jane Mersky Leder is a freelance writer and journalist. She is the author of the award-winning book, Dead Serious, as well as Brothers & Sisters: How They Shape Our Lives and Grace & Glory: A Century of Women in the Olympics. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Psychology Today, the Chicago Sun-Times, and American Heritage.
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0-275-98879-1 978-0-275-98879-1 Thanks for the Memories £27.95    
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