Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Fashion on the Ration: Style in the Second World War, by Julie Summers, is one of those wonderful social history books. Well researched, well written, and extremely interesting this is how the citizens of London stayed clothed during WWII. Pretty much everyone had a uniform (for some, it was the first new clothing they'd ever had). Women wore trousers because they were easier to sleep in when they had taken shelter from the bombings. Trousers lost the turn up (not a popular move, but necessary). Dress codes were eased (women no longer had to wear hats in church). Towards the end of the war it was all about "make do and mend". I have even more admiration for those who lived through this, and, I came away with a whole new respect for someone that was totally unexpected!

Another excellent social history read was Dust Bowl Girls: the Inspiring Story of the Team That Barnstormed Its Way to Basketball Glory, by Lydia Reeder. In the 1930's, from a tiny college in Oklahoma there emerged an unstoppable girls basketball team! The coach was tough, workouts were hard, long, and mandatory. They all had to attend class. Don't miss the rules of the game, they were much different than they are today. Remember, too, this was a subject of great controversy at the time because "women competing in basketball games would sooner or later cause the downfall of modern culture" (p. 80) The aforementioned coach was the great uncle of the author. Just a great read!

Reading Hermit With Dog

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