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A Girls War: A Childhood Lost In Britain's WWII Evacuation

by Doreen Drewry Lehr

Published: 2010-05-01
Paperback : 250 pages

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Recommended to book clubs by 4 of 4 members

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Introduction

Doreen Lehr was one of 1.5 million children evacuated to the presumed safety of the countryside from British cities during WWII, in a heart-wrenching, social experiment that tore families apart. A GIRL’S WAR is both a memoir and a historical analysis with the resounding message that childhoods do matter, particularly for those who have spent their lives waiting to go home. A GIRL’S WAR is a courageous narrative that includes a fascinating probe into the decisions of a country at war. A GIRL'S WAR is a long overdue account of an extraordinarily poorly conceived plan and a compelling memoir.

Editorial Review

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Excerpt

On many nights, when the siren sounded, we children went out in the darkness to watch the enemy aircraft as they flew on their deadly missions. One moonless evening we all rished outside to see hundreds of German planes blanketing the sky overhead. They came over in never-ceasing waves--we had never seen so many. They were going to bomb yet another British city and when they hit their targets, the sky lit up like a fireworks display. When the moon was full, the aircraft flew low enough that we could see the markings on them. Many of the older boys proudly showed off their knowledge as they identified the different Luftwaffe aircraft.

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Discussion Questions

1) Did Winston Churchill approve of overseas evacuations?
2) Were Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, the daughters of King George and Queen Elizabeth, evacuated?
3) How did the US come to the aid of the British in 1941?
4) Did you have a preconceived opinion of the economic and social status of British evacuees?
5) Why do you think that the British government thought that separating women from their children would be acceptable to the average parent?

Weblinks

»	Official web site for A Girl's War

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

In the early 1970s, while attending a Drug Awareness Seminar in the German countryside, a group leader posed the question, "What do remember about World War II? A U.S. Air Force chaplain commented, "It was something I read about in the newspapers." His remark hit me like a physical blow.

I managed to say, WWII was not something I read about in the newspapers," before becoming visibly distressed. From that time forward, I began a search to find out what had affected me so violently.

Despite the deaths of my mother and brother in the late 1970s, I found four octogenarian teachers and students from a school I attended as a child who helped me to weave the story of my lost childhood.

Even 70 years later, the primary question all evacuees ask is, "Why did my parents send me away." I attempted to answer that question and explain the difficult choices of wartime parents who believed their actions would save the lives of their children. The aim of my book, A Girl's War, is to help future generations to understand the long-term effects of separating young children from everything familiar, for weeks, months and, in some instances, for years.

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 4 of 4 members.

Member Reviews

Overall rating:

"A necessary read"by Samantha W. (see profile) 03/13/11

Although this book was hard to keep up with due to the author jumping around a lot, it is a necessary read. This is a first hand account of the war, and seeing how it affected even the kids, was interesting.... (read more)

"Better than I dreamt"by Christin H. (see profile) 03/29/11

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. It was very engaging and so informative of how people thought back then. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

"A Girls War: A Childhood Lost In Britain's WWII Evacuation"by Rachelle F. (see profile) 03/13/11

In the beginning of the book she kept going back to her adult and her child lives, so it made it a bit confusing and hard to read, sometimes. But, once you get past the first few chapters it became easier... (read more)

"A Girl's War"by Kelly H. (see profile) 03/13/11

The book overall was a good read. Very interesting and moving material. The writers style was a little hard for me to follow in the beginning. She seemed to move around a lot and I think this is because... (read more)

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