Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II by Penny Colman

From the Publisher

Now in paperback--the award-winning account of how 18 million women, many of whom had never before held a job, entered the work force in 1942-45 to help the United States fight World War II. Their unprecedented participation would change the course of history for women, and America, forever.

An ALA Best Book for Young Adult

An ALA Notable Book

A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book

An IRA Teachers' Choice

A Junior Library Guild Selection

An NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Award Winner for Outstanding Nonfiction  

A New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenager

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year  

Publishers Weekly

This WWII history of the over 18 million women serving in the labor force includes first-hand accounts, propaganda posters and numerous period photographs. "The author explain[s] the events surrounding the war and the economic conditions that temporarily produced a female-dominated work force," said PW. Ages 10-up. (Feb.)r

Children's Literature

In 1943, while America's fighting men were on the front lines in World War II, millions of the nation's women valiantly filled vital defense and civilian jobs, from riveting airplane parts and reconditioning machine gears to driving buses and becoming police officers. This is their story; it is a saga of the homefires they kept burning for the war effort while they simultaneously secured the very fabric of American society. It explores how women chose their jobs, the pride they felt for their mighty contributions and how the experience changed their lives forever. The book's illuminating text combined with more than 60 archival black and white photographs, famous posters and ads makes it a must for home and school libraries.

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9Colman chronicles the drive to get women to enter wartime industries, providing insight into the federal government's propaganda campaign and incentives. She also supplies the facts and figures: many more women than one might suppose had full-time employment before the war, and many continued to work after it, sometimes in positions that were considerably less important and less lucrative. The author also discusses the sexual harassment and racial discrimination women experienced while doing their patriotic duty. The compromises they had to make in order to manage child care and to prove to men on the job that they were their equals are frequently ignored in other historical treatments of the Rosie-the-riveter phenomenon. From Colman's point of view, the experiences of stateside workers led the way to some of the more liberal reforms later in the century, especially for women and minorities. The abundant black-and-white photographs included are a real treat. An excellent addition.Ruth K. MacDonald, Bay Path College, Longmeadow, MA

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